A review by ellekreads
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold by Imogen Hermes Gowar, Naomi Booth, Emma Glass, Irenosen Okojie, Daisy Johnson, Natasha Carthew, Eimear McBride, Liv Little, Mahsuda Snaith, Kirsty Logan
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Here are sisters fighting for the love of the same woman, a pregnant archaeologist unearthing impossible bones, and lost children following you home. A panther runs through the forests of England and pixies prey upon violent men.
From the islands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall, the mountains of Galway to the depths of the Fens, these forgotten folktales howl, cackle, and sing their way into the 21st century, wildly reimagined by some of the most exciting women writing in Britain and Ireland today.
CW: infertility, miscarriage, child loss, child abuse, domestic abuse (and tbh several more)
Anyone else find short story collections really hard to review? This is an Angela Carter-esque collection of folktale retellings, with a big fat feminist twist. There's ten short stories in total and the source material for the tales is included at the end, which was definitely appreciated. As with most short story collections, some were absolutely standout (for me, A Retelling and The Panther's Tale), most were enjoyable, and I didn't gel well with a couple of them.
I had varying degrees of familiarity with the original folktales the stories were based on, but I don't feel this affected my enjoyment of any of the pieces. There is a consistent unsettling thread woven through all of the tales, as well as strong feminist tones, and this lent to the collection's cohesive feel. Overall I feel this is a solid collection and would be perfect for a cosy, mildly spooky, unsettling read.
Big thanks to NetGalley, the authors, Virago, and Little Brown UK for the review copy. This is available to buy now!
From the islands of Scotland to the coast of Cornwall, the mountains of Galway to the depths of the Fens, these forgotten folktales howl, cackle, and sing their way into the 21st century, wildly reimagined by some of the most exciting women writing in Britain and Ireland today.
CW: infertility, miscarriage, child loss, child abuse, domestic abuse (and tbh several more)
Anyone else find short story collections really hard to review? This is an Angela Carter-esque collection of folktale retellings, with a big fat feminist twist. There's ten short stories in total and the source material for the tales is included at the end, which was definitely appreciated. As with most short story collections, some were absolutely standout (for me, A Retelling and The Panther's Tale), most were enjoyable, and I didn't gel well with a couple of them.
I had varying degrees of familiarity with the original folktales the stories were based on, but I don't feel this affected my enjoyment of any of the pieces. There is a consistent unsettling thread woven through all of the tales, as well as strong feminist tones, and this lent to the collection's cohesive feel. Overall I feel this is a solid collection and would be perfect for a cosy, mildly spooky, unsettling read.
Big thanks to NetGalley, the authors, Virago, and Little Brown UK for the review copy. This is available to buy now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Child death, and Infertility