A review by sminismoni
Ragnarok by A.S. Byatt

Did not finish book.

Never thought I would DNF a book by A S Byatt, but this was it. A literal retelling of Norse myth, with a rather self-indulgent frame story about a young girl in the WWII English countryside (that is obviously autobiographical), it gives little room for interpretation. The account is so intensely personal, I felt there was no room for the reader. We are mere spectators of a distant and largely internal experience. As well as this, Byatt indulges her passion for lists, showing off her vast knowledge of fauna and flora throughout, but it seems like an exhibitionist stunt that becomes tedious to watch. I just couldn't do it.