What do you think?
Rate this book
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold
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.
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.
323 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 29, 2019
213 people are currently reading
6399 people want to read
About the author
Daisy Johnson
32 books1,309 followersThe author of Sisters (2020) Everything Under (2018) and Fen (2016).
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Everything Under, her debut novel.
Winner of the Edgehill prize for Fen.
She has been longlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and the New Angle Award for East Anglian writing. She was the winner of the Edge Hill award for a collection of short stories and the AM Heath Prize.
Reviews for Fen:
"Within these magical, ingenious stories lies all of the angst, horror and beauty of adolescence. A brilliant achievement." (Evie Wyld)
"There is big, dangerous vitality herein - this book marks the emergence of a great, stomping, wall-knocking talent" (Kevin Barry)
"Reading the stories brought the sense of being trapped in a room, slowly, but very surely, filling up with water. You think: this can't be happening. Meanwhile, hold your breath against the certainty it surely is. " Cynan Jones
"I've been working my way slowly through Fen and not wanting it to end - Daisy marries realism to the uncanny so well that the strangest turnings ring as truth. The echoes between stories give the collection a wonderfully satisfying cohesion, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I cannot wait to see what she does next." (Sara Taylor, author of The Shore)
Reviews for Everything Under:
"Everything Under grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let me go. To read Daisy Johnson is to have that rare feeling of meeting an author you’ll read for the rest of your life." (Evie Wyld)
"Surprising, gorgeously written, and profoundly unsettling, this genderfluid retelling of Oedipus Rex will sink into your bones and stay there." (Carmen Maria Machado)
"Daisy Johnson is a genius." (Jeff VanderMeer)
"Hypnotic, disquieting and thrilling. A concoction of folklore, identity and belonging which sinks its fangs into the heart of you." (Irenosen Okojie)
"Everything Under seeped through to my bones. Reaching new depths hinted at in Fen, language and landscape turn strange, full of creeping horror and beauty. It is precise in its terror, and its tenderness. An ancient myth masterfully remade for our uncertain times. " (Kiran Millwood Hargrave)
Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize for Everything Under, her debut novel.
Winner of the Edgehill prize for Fen.
She has been longlisted for the Sunday Times Short Story Award and the New Angle Award for East Anglian writing. She was the winner of the Edge Hill award for a collection of short stories and the AM Heath Prize.
Reviews for Fen:
"Within these magical, ingenious stories lies all of the angst, horror and beauty of adolescence. A brilliant achievement." (Evie Wyld)
"There is big, dangerous vitality herein - this book marks the emergence of a great, stomping, wall-knocking talent" (Kevin Barry)
"Reading the stories brought the sense of being trapped in a room, slowly, but very surely, filling up with water. You think: this can't be happening. Meanwhile, hold your breath against the certainty it surely is. " Cynan Jones
"I've been working my way slowly through Fen and not wanting it to end - Daisy marries realism to the uncanny so well that the strangest turnings ring as truth. The echoes between stories give the collection a wonderfully satisfying cohesion, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I cannot wait to see what she does next." (Sara Taylor, author of The Shore)
Reviews for Everything Under:
"Everything Under grabbed me from the first page and wouldn’t let me go. To read Daisy Johnson is to have that rare feeling of meeting an author you’ll read for the rest of your life." (Evie Wyld)
"Surprising, gorgeously written, and profoundly unsettling, this genderfluid retelling of Oedipus Rex will sink into your bones and stay there." (Carmen Maria Machado)
"Daisy Johnson is a genius." (Jeff VanderMeer)
"Hypnotic, disquieting and thrilling. A concoction of folklore, identity and belonging which sinks its fangs into the heart of you." (Irenosen Okojie)
"Everything Under seeped through to my bones. Reaching new depths hinted at in Fen, language and landscape turn strange, full of creeping horror and beauty. It is precise in its terror, and its tenderness. An ancient myth masterfully remade for our uncertain times. " (Kiran Millwood Hargrave)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews
September 29, 2020
This is a wonderful collection of re-interpreted ancient folk tales, from a feminist perspective, for our more modern era by a range of diverse women authors that include Daisy Johnson, Kirsty Logan, Emma Glass, Eimear McBride, Natasha Carthew, Mahsuda Snaith, Naomi Booth, Liv Little, Imogen Hermes Gowar, and Irenosen Okojie. The dark, gothic influenced, traditional folk tales are sourced from all corners of the British Isles, originating from the oral tradition, and fittingly this collection began as podcasts that evolved into these fascinating curated stories by Carolyne Larrington, professor of Medieval English Literature. Larrington provides the reader with a lengthy, remarkably insightful and informative introduction which includes the exploration of the title, Hag.
So from Orkney, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, the Midlands, Yorkshire, and the Fens and more, imaginative, eerie, disturbing and unsettling stories are told, of the supernatural, that which cannot be explained, of mermaids, pixies, curses, demons, boggarts, fairies, and the green children. We even have a panther, the Goddess Kali, tales of exploitation, trauma, and the exploration of the relationship between sisters. They touch on love, loss, grief, pregnancy, miscarriage, and domestic abuse. The authors bring their own backgrounds and experience to these strange, vivid, atmospheric, distinct, different, haunting and weird stories, providing perfect reading matter for those long and dark Autumn and Winter nights. I did not really connect with McBride's story, but otherwise loved the rest, particularly Snaith, Glass, Booth and Johnson's offerings.
The original source version of the tales are provided at the end. Highly recommended, particularly for those readers interested in becoming acquainted with a flavour of the range of British folk tales and their retelling. Many thanks to Little, Brown and Virago for an ARC.
So from Orkney, Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, the Midlands, Yorkshire, and the Fens and more, imaginative, eerie, disturbing and unsettling stories are told, of the supernatural, that which cannot be explained, of mermaids, pixies, curses, demons, boggarts, fairies, and the green children. We even have a panther, the Goddess Kali, tales of exploitation, trauma, and the exploration of the relationship between sisters. They touch on love, loss, grief, pregnancy, miscarriage, and domestic abuse. The authors bring their own backgrounds and experience to these strange, vivid, atmospheric, distinct, different, haunting and weird stories, providing perfect reading matter for those long and dark Autumn and Winter nights. I did not really connect with McBride's story, but otherwise loved the rest, particularly Snaith, Glass, Booth and Johnson's offerings.
The original source version of the tales are provided at the end. Highly recommended, particularly for those readers interested in becoming acquainted with a flavour of the range of British folk tales and their retelling. Many thanks to Little, Brown and Virago for an ARC.
February 25, 2021
This collection was born out of a literary experiment curated by Professor Carolyne Larrington. Eight female authors were provided with a British folktale and asked to write a contemporary retelling with a feminist twist. In line with the oral tradition they were inspired by, the stories were first produced as podcasts. Now augmented by two further stories commissioned from Irenosen Okojie and Imogen Hermes Gowar, they are being issued in book form by Virago, the indefatigable publisher of books by women.
The list of authors involved in this Angela-Carteresque project is a roll-call of some of the finest contemporary writers in the English language. It is interesting to note how the subject-matter provides a unifying thread among the featured works, despite the variety of styles and approaches. An appendix at the end presents the folktales upon which the commissioned authors worked their contemporary magic.
Among the best stories are those which let the original material speak for itself, albeit in a changed context. Natasha Carthew’s The Droll of the Mermaid, based on The Mermaid and the Man of Cury, retains many of the elements of the legend which inspires it and, with its song-like run-on phrases, evokes the cadences of the spoken word. Kirsty Logan returns to her beloved Scottish myths in Between Sea and Sky, an adaptation of the folk song The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry. I would have expected Imogen Hermes Gowar to write a story about mermaids. What she comes up with in The Holloway is, instead, a clever contemporary take on a Somerset folktale about a drunken, abusive farmer who gets what he deserves at the hand of the pixies. In The Sisters, Liv Little gives a queer twist to a London legend (originally) about two brothers who fought a duel in Tavistock Square for the hand and heart of a woman they both loved.
This project has a meta-fictional element to it, and two of the stories take this to a heightened level. Eimar McBride’s The Tale of Kathleen is a relatively unembellished version of a folktale from Ireland which pits against each other Christian belief and fairie traditions. What McBride brings to an otherwise “straight” account is a strongly opinionated present-day narrator, who keeps intervening with ironic commentary about the story. I felt that the strident anti-Catholic rhetoric actually lessened the impact of the original by highlighting and underlining what is more subtly conveyed in the folktale. More successful, in my opinion, is Daisy Johnson’s A Retelling. Johnson blurs the distinction between the author and narrator, starting off with an auto-fictional description of the writer’s research about the tale of the Green Children of Woolpit, before things get decidedly uncannier. I remember reading the story of the Green Children as a little boy, and Johnson’s retelling evoked the same nightmarish, claustrophobic yet strangely thrilling feelings that the tale had first instilled in me many years back.
In her preface, Larrington states that many of the stories “are in dialogue with ‘folk-horror’ or the ‘new weird’”. Although these terms are notoriously hard to define and classification is difficult, I would struggle to describe this as a “folk horror” collection. This does not mean that there isn’t terror aplenty in these stories, especially body horror mediating female experiences of trauma associated with pregnancy, childbearing and miscarriage. In this context, Emma Glass reinvents the Welsh legend of the Fairy Midwife in the disturbing The Dampness is Spreading whereas Naomi Booth’s Sour Hall unexpectedly turns a legend about a pesky boggart into a searing condemnation of male violence and abuse.
Some stories infuse these British tales with a welcome dose of cultural diversity. Irenosen Okojie’s Rosheen is based on the Norfolk tale of The Dauntless Girl, but the eponymous protagonist is Okojie’s creation. The daughter of a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother, Rosheen leaves Killarney in the 60s to seek her luck on a farm in Norfolk. The horrors she faces there are much darker than the almost comical accounts found in the original and are conveyed in Okojie’s characteristically ultra-weird style (I can’t shake off the image of dangling severed heads). Mahsuda Smith is represented by The Panther’s Tale, which combines an anecdote linked to a Midlands’ aristocratic family’s coat of arms with shapeshifting legends drawn from the author’s Bengali folk heritage.
Folktales provide commentary on some of our timeless needs, desires and fears. Hag is ample proof of the fact that, in the right hands, the themes of time-honoured stories can still resonate with readers (and listeners) today.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
The list of authors involved in this Angela-Carteresque project is a roll-call of some of the finest contemporary writers in the English language. It is interesting to note how the subject-matter provides a unifying thread among the featured works, despite the variety of styles and approaches. An appendix at the end presents the folktales upon which the commissioned authors worked their contemporary magic.
Among the best stories are those which let the original material speak for itself, albeit in a changed context. Natasha Carthew’s The Droll of the Mermaid, based on The Mermaid and the Man of Cury, retains many of the elements of the legend which inspires it and, with its song-like run-on phrases, evokes the cadences of the spoken word. Kirsty Logan returns to her beloved Scottish myths in Between Sea and Sky, an adaptation of the folk song The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry. I would have expected Imogen Hermes Gowar to write a story about mermaids. What she comes up with in The Holloway is, instead, a clever contemporary take on a Somerset folktale about a drunken, abusive farmer who gets what he deserves at the hand of the pixies. In The Sisters, Liv Little gives a queer twist to a London legend (originally) about two brothers who fought a duel in Tavistock Square for the hand and heart of a woman they both loved.
This project has a meta-fictional element to it, and two of the stories take this to a heightened level. Eimar McBride’s The Tale of Kathleen is a relatively unembellished version of a folktale from Ireland which pits against each other Christian belief and fairie traditions. What McBride brings to an otherwise “straight” account is a strongly opinionated present-day narrator, who keeps intervening with ironic commentary about the story. I felt that the strident anti-Catholic rhetoric actually lessened the impact of the original by highlighting and underlining what is more subtly conveyed in the folktale. More successful, in my opinion, is Daisy Johnson’s A Retelling. Johnson blurs the distinction between the author and narrator, starting off with an auto-fictional description of the writer’s research about the tale of the Green Children of Woolpit, before things get decidedly uncannier. I remember reading the story of the Green Children as a little boy, and Johnson’s retelling evoked the same nightmarish, claustrophobic yet strangely thrilling feelings that the tale had first instilled in me many years back.
In her preface, Larrington states that many of the stories “are in dialogue with ‘folk-horror’ or the ‘new weird’”. Although these terms are notoriously hard to define and classification is difficult, I would struggle to describe this as a “folk horror” collection. This does not mean that there isn’t terror aplenty in these stories, especially body horror mediating female experiences of trauma associated with pregnancy, childbearing and miscarriage. In this context, Emma Glass reinvents the Welsh legend of the Fairy Midwife in the disturbing The Dampness is Spreading whereas Naomi Booth’s Sour Hall unexpectedly turns a legend about a pesky boggart into a searing condemnation of male violence and abuse.
Some stories infuse these British tales with a welcome dose of cultural diversity. Irenosen Okojie’s Rosheen is based on the Norfolk tale of The Dauntless Girl, but the eponymous protagonist is Okojie’s creation. The daughter of a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother, Rosheen leaves Killarney in the 60s to seek her luck on a farm in Norfolk. The horrors she faces there are much darker than the almost comical accounts found in the original and are conveyed in Okojie’s characteristically ultra-weird style (I can’t shake off the image of dangling severed heads). Mahsuda Smith is represented by The Panther’s Tale, which combines an anecdote linked to a Midlands’ aristocratic family’s coat of arms with shapeshifting legends drawn from the author’s Bengali folk heritage.
Folktales provide commentary on some of our timeless needs, desires and fears. Hag is ample proof of the fact that, in the right hands, the themes of time-honoured stories can still resonate with readers (and listeners) today.
https://endsoftheword.blogspot.com/20...
July 26, 2022
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star
Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars
Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars
Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars
Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars
Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars
Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars
Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star
Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars
Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars
Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Overall 2.5 stars
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star
Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars
Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars
Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars
Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars
Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars
Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars
Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star
Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars
Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars
Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Overall 2.5 stars
October 10, 2022
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold is a collection of ten short stories or I should say re-tellings of ten short stories. I love short story collections and I love the re-telling versions even better. These are all written by female authors so obviously, I was doubly excited. The original stories are mentioned at the back which was great because I was not familiar with a few of these stories. After reading the collection, I have to say that I was disappointed a lot. I have reviewed each story separately.
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star
Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars
Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars
Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars
Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars
Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars
Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars
Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star
Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars
Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars
Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Overall 2.5 stars
1. A Retelling by Daisy Johnson - 1 star
Based on - The Green Children of Woolpit
Inherent in retelling is - at first - destruction.
Daisy Johnson starts off this story by telling us that she is asked to do a retelling of The Green Children of Woolpit and then she starts to see this woman who maybe resembles the girl from that original story only now a grownup. This story works like magical realism. I honestly did not like the story or the narration style of it nor do I understand the point of it.
2. Sour Hall by Naomi Booth - 2.5 stars
Based on - Ay, We're Flittin'
TW/CW - Miscarriage
Ashleigh and George move to George's parents' farm, Sour hall farm after she inherits the farm. They start working on renovating and also how to make a profit from selling cheese and milk and the likes. It is rumored that the farm is haunted by The Boggart. Ashleigh starts to see some strange things that are somehow related to her past.
This was slow but creepy. I did not particularly like the story but I did like how it connected to Ashleigh's past. This was not bad.
3. Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie - 2.5 stars
Based on - The Dauntless Girl
She herself a stranger in the land before she had dreamt of the wide flat skies and horizons, the sprawling dappled green landscape, windmills dotted along the Broads' periphery spinning like moored gods.
Rosheen was born to a Trinidadian father and an Irish mother in Ireland's small County, Kerry. She'd never met her father and when she was all grown up, she leaves the town she grew up in to move to the big city and finds work on a secluded farm where the owner doesn't pay her much and got her to work tirelessly. When she demands her share of the money, she experiences something stranger, stranger than fiction as they say.
This was an eerie story with just enough creepiness. I was on an edge throughout because of the way it was told but the twist wasn't as great as it was built out to be.
4. Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan - 3 stars
Based on - The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry
Sometimes the thing we think we're the most sure about actually turns out to be our biggest mistake.
Skye is a single mother working in a small town in Scotland as an archeologist. She is the talk of the town as no one knows who the father of her baby is and she keeps it a secret as well. When the baby's father comes to get the baby exactly six months after the baby, Muir was born, Skye can't stop him. After that the baby, Muir starts to spend six months with his mother and six months with his father until one day, he decides that he wants to spend all his time with his mother.
I really liked the story in this one. By far, this was my favorite story but it had a slow start. I did like the twist and that ending made me so so sad.
5. The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith - 4 stars
Based on - Chillington House
' It is not where I have been that matters,' she says. 'It is where I am going.'
John Giffard collects exotic animals and brings them to his house in Chillington Hall. When he captures a panther that reminds people of the devil himself, things turn out to be even more magical than they could have imagined.
This was the best of the bunch. My favorite story, not only in the way it was told but also because the twist was pretty good. The only complaint is that the ending could have been better.
6. The Tale of Kathleen by Eimear McBride - 0 stars
Based on - The Tale of Kathleen
Kathleen loved a young man and he was lost at sea. When Kathleen is given a chance to see the young man once again by a mysterious figure, Kathleen agrees to all the terms, after all, she'd be able to see her love once again. But there's a catch.
I don't know why so many people liked this story but I did not. The main reason is that - this re-telling isn't a re-telling at all, it is a word-to-word story copied from the original tale, even the title is the same. The only thing different is the way the writer added weird details such as, 'we don't know whether her hair was black or ebony, we'll never know.' I was promised a re-telling or at least something different, not the same story.
7. The Sisters by Liv Little - 1.5 stars
Based on - The Brothers
Grace and Maya are twins but they are completely different from each other except for the way they look. But as they grow up, turns out that they aren't as different as they once thought.
I did not like the story or the characters or anything else about it. It is also heavy on infidelity which I am not a great fan of. However, the writing was not bad.
8. The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass - 1 star
Based on - The Fairy Midwife
TW/CW - Child Birth, Miscarriage
Eira is a midwife and she comes across a pregnant young woman. Eira thinks that she knows the young woman and she helps deliver the baby only to find out that things aren't as they seem.
This was not an easy story to read. I wish this came with trigger warnings. Horror is one thing but this was on another level. Also, after reading the original, I have to say that the original was way way way better.
9. The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 4 stars
Based on - The Mermaid and the Man of Cury
Lowan has a family secret, the one that comes with a great cost. When it's time for Lowan to pay the cost, he comes up with something completely unexpected and things turn around for him.
I see a lot of people not liking this story mainly because of the grammatical errors. So, the copy I have did not have any of those issues, the grammar was spot on so maybe that's why I enjoyed it more. I also liked the story and the message that it sends. After reading the original story, I'll say that this is more like an extended version down a few generations rather than a full-on re-telling but it works here, at least for me. I liked it a lot.
10. The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4 stars
Based on - Old Farmer Mole
TW/CW - Domestic violence/abuse, Manipulation
Evie witnesses domestic violence caused by her father toward her mother. Her brother, Luke tells her a story of Pixies who live in their garden and beyond. Evie doesn't believe him until her wish comes true.
This works in a magical realism way too. Was it magic or was it a coincidence or was it real? A simple story rooted in domestic violence/abuse and how it affects people around it. I quite liked the ending.
As I have said that some of these were good but the majority didn't work for me. And these should come with trigger warnings.
Overall 2.5 stars
October 22, 2022
Maiden, Mother, Hag. And what a mixed bag!
I wanted to love this, oh God, did I. It was Virago and it was a beautiful cover and it was Halloween… so I bought it. And now I have thoughts.
This one feels to me as though it was published under some haste. Whilst they do hang together well as a collection, many of the stories have a rather half-baked quality and the links to the original folklore are tenuous and uninspired in places. Natasha Carthew’s contribution in particular - although it may just be her brand of writing, I’m unfamiliar with her other works - read as unedited there were so many commas that had gone MIA. Kirsty Logan and Imogen Hermes Gowar are the two jewels of the collection.
When it comes to uncoiling the fairy tale/folklore archetype, no one (and I mean no one) does it like Angela Carter. There is a vague whiff of her legacy to be found here - a few incidents of sensuality, a few moments that address female appetites – but overall Hag lacks the creativity, imagination and, quite frankly, the subtle yet pointed political engagement that make The Bloody Chamber so compelling. Perhaps it was unfair to give this implicit standards to live up to, but nevertheless they were not met.
I’m a bit disappointed. For the most part, the stories lack rigour and originality and will soon slip away to wherever the things we forget go.
I wanted to love this, oh God, did I. It was Virago and it was a beautiful cover and it was Halloween… so I bought it. And now I have thoughts.
This one feels to me as though it was published under some haste. Whilst they do hang together well as a collection, many of the stories have a rather half-baked quality and the links to the original folklore are tenuous and uninspired in places. Natasha Carthew’s contribution in particular - although it may just be her brand of writing, I’m unfamiliar with her other works - read as unedited there were so many commas that had gone MIA. Kirsty Logan and Imogen Hermes Gowar are the two jewels of the collection.
When it comes to uncoiling the fairy tale/folklore archetype, no one (and I mean no one) does it like Angela Carter. There is a vague whiff of her legacy to be found here - a few incidents of sensuality, a few moments that address female appetites – but overall Hag lacks the creativity, imagination and, quite frankly, the subtle yet pointed political engagement that make The Bloody Chamber so compelling. Perhaps it was unfair to give this implicit standards to live up to, but nevertheless they were not met.
I’m a bit disappointed. For the most part, the stories lack rigour and originality and will soon slip away to wherever the things we forget go.
November 21, 2020
An entertaining collection of short stories, modern retellings of folk tales from all parts of the British Isles. As with all story collections there were hits and misses, but I enjoyed the majority of them and I liked that the original tales were included at the end of the book. 3.5 stars rounded up, thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.
October 7, 2020
Exploring otherness, identity, faith, religion, gender and sexual trauma, Hag brings together a gripping collection of tales that are unsettlingly timely and wickedly sinister. Each story is inspired by a forgotten folk tale sourced from across the UK by Professor Carolyne Larrington, a specialist in Old Norse and British fairy tales at St John's College, Oxford. Drawn from illuminated manuscripts and other folkloric traditions, these stories have been revised and reimagined by authors local to each region. Just as the Brothers Grimm codified Germany's rural folk lore, Hag catalogues the early myths and legends that have shaped the UK's storytelling heritage.
This wonderful anthology of culture-rich myths and folktales are given a unique feminist makeover and are steeped in the traditions of the United Kingdom. Each is subtly nuanced and enveloped in an enigmatic, and often magical or foreboding, atmosphere. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most appealing and riveting short story collections I've read in recent years, and I can't recommend it highly enough for those who enjoy old myths and legends, and even the supernatural or fairytales, and one of the best aspects is that this book doesn't just retell the prominent stories we all know, hence the use of ’forgotten’ in the title.
With a preface by Larrington about the different types of tales, we are treated to 10 vivid, diverse and beautifully written retellings each from a separate writer and each with an introduction denoting the name of the original tale and the location in which it was most renowned. The original source version of the stories are also, helpfully, provided at the end. Original, haunting and bizarre, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. I couldn't think of any better book to be curled up with under a blanket with a cup of something warm as the Autumn wind howls and the nights draw in even more. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Virago for an ARC.
This wonderful anthology of culture-rich myths and folktales are given a unique feminist makeover and are steeped in the traditions of the United Kingdom. Each is subtly nuanced and enveloped in an enigmatic, and often magical or foreboding, atmosphere. Undoubtedly, this is one of the most appealing and riveting short story collections I've read in recent years, and I can't recommend it highly enough for those who enjoy old myths and legends, and even the supernatural or fairytales, and one of the best aspects is that this book doesn't just retell the prominent stories we all know, hence the use of ’forgotten’ in the title.
With a preface by Larrington about the different types of tales, we are treated to 10 vivid, diverse and beautifully written retellings each from a separate writer and each with an introduction denoting the name of the original tale and the location in which it was most renowned. The original source version of the stories are also, helpfully, provided at the end. Original, haunting and bizarre, there is something here for everyone to enjoy. I couldn't think of any better book to be curled up with under a blanket with a cup of something warm as the Autumn wind howls and the nights draw in even more. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Virago for an ARC.
August 18, 2021
I really gotta learn that I don't get on with short story collections. I sort of almost enjoyed a whole two of these stories, and even they weren't good. I'm exhausted by stories about pregnancy and childbirth being the only Universal Womanly Experience and that's a core feature of the majority of these stories (and you'll never guess what core underlying trait isn't in the two I sort of liked). I outright had to skip one of them because while it's clear the author had been going for a voice of someone telling a story, it was just beyond infuriating to try and read either outloud or silently. I found myself just rolling my eyes and sighing deeply at half the book, which uh. I mean kudos for getting a physical reaction out of me I guess. I also hated the phonetic accents used throughout but I think that's mostly a pet peeve.
Maybe I would have enjoyed this collection more if I hadn't already known the folklore and folktales they're supposed to be based on, but most of them were so far removed from their origin that they essentially weren't. Literally like the Dauntless Girl and The Brothers (or Sisters I guess, girl power amirite) bear no similarity whatsoever to the source stories unless they're like fucking origin stories, the Panther's Tale (one of the only ones I sort of somewhat liked) springs from a tiny snippet of folklore about how a noble house got its motto, and the Fairy Midwife is just. No? No.
Also mate it's 2021 can we not use Rromani slurs and present them as loud drunken partiers complete with screaming ignored infant, tambourines, and reek of alcohol. They were barely in the story but you just HAD to use the slur as often as physically possible huh
Maybe I would have enjoyed this collection more if I hadn't already known the folklore and folktales they're supposed to be based on, but most of them were so far removed from their origin that they essentially weren't. Literally like the Dauntless Girl and The Brothers (or Sisters I guess, girl power amirite) bear no similarity whatsoever to the source stories unless they're like fucking origin stories, the Panther's Tale (one of the only ones I sort of somewhat liked) springs from a tiny snippet of folklore about how a noble house got its motto, and the Fairy Midwife is just. No? No.
Also mate it's 2021 can we not use Rromani slurs and present them as loud drunken partiers complete with screaming ignored infant, tambourines, and reek of alcohol. They were barely in the story but you just HAD to use the slur as often as physically possible huh
January 20, 2022
Some general thoughts: these stories are totally accessible even if you have no idea what they are based on (like I did), which I think is no mean feat. For anyone who is interested in the original folk tales: you can find them at the end of the book. Also love the queer elements most of these stories had.
Each story reviewed:
'A Retelling'-Daisy Johnson
3/5 stars
There's nothing wrong with this story, but it didn't particularly excite or amuse me, hence my rating.
'Sour Hall'- Naomi Booth
4/5 stars
I love creepy stories, I love stories in which it is left up to the reader to decide whether what is happening is supernatural or the mind responding to trauma, and I love wlw, so it's no wonder I loved this one.
'Rosheen'- Irenosen Okijie
3.5/5 stars
Again, I love creepy stories. Though the reveal was a little sudden, I still enjoyed myself.
'Between the Sea and Sky'- Kirsty Logan
4/5 stars
Logan treads familiar ground here -selkies and women giving birth to their children was an important element to her debut novel The Gracekeepers- but I love her writing so you don't hear me complain. I hope she publishes some new work soon.
'The Panther's Tale'- Mashuda Snaith
4/5 stars
Queer elements, culturally diverse, and set in early modern times (a.k.a. the era I specialised in during my time at uni)? Count me in! This one reads most like a fairy tale out of all the stories.
'The Tale of Kathleen'- Eimear McBride
5/5 stars
Some might find the style McBride uses here overwrought ('she's trying too hard' is something that I can imagine some might say), but it worked very well for me. I loved the sly humour, and I like stories that involve the fair folk, so this was an absolute winner for me.
'The Sisters'- Liv Little
3.5/5 stars
This is 100% personal but I find it very hard to read about stories in which a person cheats on their sibling with that sibling's partner, which therefore made it hard for me to enjoy this particular story. Little writes well, though, and engaged with the matter in a sensitive, nuanced way.
'The Dampness is Spreading'- Emma Glass
5/5 stars
Easily the most 'horror' of all stories, so no wonder I adored it.
'The Droll of the Mermaid'- Natasha Carthew
2/5 stars
Again, this is personal, but I disliked Carthew's writing style and that made it very hard for me to get swept up by the story. The stories in Hag were originally published as Audible Originals, and I can see that that would probably work wonders for this one. I just kept getting very annoyed with what I couldn't stop thinking about as ungrammatical sentences (either missing commas, or a sentence that really should have been more than one sentence). Since I cannot image 1) Amazon not using an editor to go over these stories, and 2) an editor not noticing any of this, I have to conclude it is deliberate, but I just couldn't turn my internal spell check off. A shame, because the idea of mermaids and curses always appeals to me.
'The Holloway'- Imogen Hermes Gowar
4/5 stars
I love Imogen Hermes Gowar (please publish a new book soon Ms. Hermes Gowar, the world needs you). Though I don't think this story is particularly original, it does deal with the themes of domestic abuse and how abusers make their victims feel complicit in their own abuse very well.
Each story reviewed:
'A Retelling'-Daisy Johnson
3/5 stars
There's nothing wrong with this story, but it didn't particularly excite or amuse me, hence my rating.
'Sour Hall'- Naomi Booth
4/5 stars
I love creepy stories, I love stories in which it is left up to the reader to decide whether what is happening is supernatural or the mind responding to trauma, and I love wlw, so it's no wonder I loved this one.
'Rosheen'- Irenosen Okijie
3.5/5 stars
Again, I love creepy stories. Though the reveal was a little sudden, I still enjoyed myself.
'Between the Sea and Sky'- Kirsty Logan
4/5 stars
Logan treads familiar ground here -selkies and women giving birth to their children was an important element to her debut novel The Gracekeepers- but I love her writing so you don't hear me complain. I hope she publishes some new work soon.
'The Panther's Tale'- Mashuda Snaith
4/5 stars
Queer elements, culturally diverse, and set in early modern times (a.k.a. the era I specialised in during my time at uni)? Count me in! This one reads most like a fairy tale out of all the stories.
'The Tale of Kathleen'- Eimear McBride
5/5 stars
Some might find the style McBride uses here overwrought ('she's trying too hard' is something that I can imagine some might say), but it worked very well for me. I loved the sly humour, and I like stories that involve the fair folk, so this was an absolute winner for me.
'The Sisters'- Liv Little
3.5/5 stars
This is 100% personal but I find it very hard to read about stories in which a person cheats on their sibling with that sibling's partner, which therefore made it hard for me to enjoy this particular story. Little writes well, though, and engaged with the matter in a sensitive, nuanced way.
'The Dampness is Spreading'- Emma Glass
5/5 stars
Easily the most 'horror' of all stories, so no wonder I adored it.
'The Droll of the Mermaid'- Natasha Carthew
2/5 stars
Again, this is personal, but I disliked Carthew's writing style and that made it very hard for me to get swept up by the story. The stories in Hag were originally published as Audible Originals, and I can see that that would probably work wonders for this one. I just kept getting very annoyed with what I couldn't stop thinking about as ungrammatical sentences (either missing commas, or a sentence that really should have been more than one sentence). Since I cannot image 1) Amazon not using an editor to go over these stories, and 2) an editor not noticing any of this, I have to conclude it is deliberate, but I just couldn't turn my internal spell check off. A shame, because the idea of mermaids and curses always appeals to me.
'The Holloway'- Imogen Hermes Gowar
4/5 stars
I love Imogen Hermes Gowar (please publish a new book soon Ms. Hermes Gowar, the world needs you). Though I don't think this story is particularly original, it does deal with the themes of domestic abuse and how abusers make their victims feel complicit in their own abuse very well.
September 27, 2020
I think Hag is a book that would have a very niche audience. The stories all seem to have this undercurrent of ambiguity and creepiness that I doubt would thrive in a mainstream reading community, although several of the stories could absolutely be expanded to full-length novels that would be consumed with ease. I'll give mini reviews and ratings for each of the stories within the collection.
A Retelling: Daisy Johnson - 3/5
This was weirdly metafictional, a story of how this particular story came about, but with supernatural features of said story taking place in the real world. I don't have an easier way to describe it! I liked the elements of magical realism; this story really reminded me of Sue Rainsford's Follow Me To Ground.
Sour Hall: Naomi Booth - 3/5
This one amped up the creepiness, more so in the stomach-turning sense. The eeriness of the story really draws you in, but I think the shortness means it falls flat as there's not much time to really carve out a solid, captivating ending.
Rosheen: Irenosen Okojie - 3.5/5
This one was less so creepy, more so absolutely wildly twisted. I think most stories were a step up from the last. I did really enjoy this one. There was a lot more depth to the story and the writing was so vivid.
Between Sea and Sky: Kirsty Logan - 3/5
I found this one to be so strange. It's about a boy who is born as a hybrid human and sea creature and can turn into a seal. I didn't love this one, but I definitely know people who would. Though I didn't exactly love it, the ending was incredible. It was dark and twisted, honestly something that could be so heartbreaking if you weren't so shocked!
The Panther's Tale: Mahsuda Snaith - 5/5
Now THIS one was something! The Panther's Tale was by far the best story in the entire collection for me. It's a magical fantasy surrounding a curse, colonisers, and the Goddess Kali. If this was a full-length LGBT fantasy novel, I would snap it up in a heartbeat. Snaith has such amazing talent.
The Tale of Kathleen: Eimear McBride - 4/5
This one is heavy on religion, possession and exorcism so, if that's not for you, skip it! I honestly really enjoyed reading this one. It was subtly creepy, little shivers down your spine rather than big jump scare moments. The writing style was great and, weirdly, Kathleen's character was so fun to read.
The Sisters: Liv Little 3.5/5
This is one of the more domestic ones, not rooted in fantasy or paranormal elements. The ending left me with this jaw-dropping feeling like my stomach had completely dropped. I didn't like Chlo as a person, but it was really interesting seeing the relationship between the sisters without them actually being close. Great storytelling.
The Dampness is Spreading: Emma Glass - 4/5
This one was absolutely insane. It was so creepy, and it absolutely did not go where you expected it to go. This is not one for those of you who don't like stories about demons, and it's very heavy on childbirth and miscarriage.
The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 2.5/5
Definitely one of the weakest stories in here, in my opinion. The grammar was a little all over the place, sentences that should have had commas but just didn't, so the flow was off. The sentence structures were so jarring at times, especially because I had to re-read them to figure out how they made sense/ In terms of the story, it wasn't the most interesting, nor the easiest plot to follow.
The Holloway: Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4/5
Another domestic story, which gives you a chance at the end to decide whether it was a supernatural or human coincidence! I liked that element in particular. It follows the perspective of a young girl and her brother who watch their father abuse their mother. I liked the ending and I thought the writing was done really well, especially from a child's perspective.
Overall, I thought this was a decent collection, though there were some stories that definitely are catered to a specific audience. I would absolutely read more from some of these authors!
Trigger Warnings: mention of cancer, possession, exorcism, murder, adultery, homophobia, infertility, miscarriage, mention of child abuse, drug use throughout pregnancy, alcoholism, domestic abuse.
Thank you to Virago Press, Little & Brown UK, and the co-authors of Hag for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
A Retelling: Daisy Johnson - 3/5
This was weirdly metafictional, a story of how this particular story came about, but with supernatural features of said story taking place in the real world. I don't have an easier way to describe it! I liked the elements of magical realism; this story really reminded me of Sue Rainsford's Follow Me To Ground.
Sour Hall: Naomi Booth - 3/5
This one amped up the creepiness, more so in the stomach-turning sense. The eeriness of the story really draws you in, but I think the shortness means it falls flat as there's not much time to really carve out a solid, captivating ending.
Rosheen: Irenosen Okojie - 3.5/5
This one was less so creepy, more so absolutely wildly twisted. I think most stories were a step up from the last. I did really enjoy this one. There was a lot more depth to the story and the writing was so vivid.
Between Sea and Sky: Kirsty Logan - 3/5
I found this one to be so strange. It's about a boy who is born as a hybrid human and sea creature and can turn into a seal. I didn't love this one, but I definitely know people who would. Though I didn't exactly love it, the ending was incredible. It was dark and twisted, honestly something that could be so heartbreaking if you weren't so shocked!
The Panther's Tale: Mahsuda Snaith - 5/5
Now THIS one was something! The Panther's Tale was by far the best story in the entire collection for me. It's a magical fantasy surrounding a curse, colonisers, and the Goddess Kali. If this was a full-length LGBT fantasy novel, I would snap it up in a heartbeat. Snaith has such amazing talent.
The Tale of Kathleen: Eimear McBride - 4/5
This one is heavy on religion, possession and exorcism so, if that's not for you, skip it! I honestly really enjoyed reading this one. It was subtly creepy, little shivers down your spine rather than big jump scare moments. The writing style was great and, weirdly, Kathleen's character was so fun to read.
The Sisters: Liv Little 3.5/5
This is one of the more domestic ones, not rooted in fantasy or paranormal elements. The ending left me with this jaw-dropping feeling like my stomach had completely dropped. I didn't like Chlo as a person, but it was really interesting seeing the relationship between the sisters without them actually being close. Great storytelling.
The Dampness is Spreading: Emma Glass - 4/5
This one was absolutely insane. It was so creepy, and it absolutely did not go where you expected it to go. This is not one for those of you who don't like stories about demons, and it's very heavy on childbirth and miscarriage.
The Droll of the Mermaid: Natasha Carthew - 2.5/5
Definitely one of the weakest stories in here, in my opinion. The grammar was a little all over the place, sentences that should have had commas but just didn't, so the flow was off. The sentence structures were so jarring at times, especially because I had to re-read them to figure out how they made sense/ In terms of the story, it wasn't the most interesting, nor the easiest plot to follow.
The Holloway: Imogen Hermes Gowar - 4/5
Another domestic story, which gives you a chance at the end to decide whether it was a supernatural or human coincidence! I liked that element in particular. It follows the perspective of a young girl and her brother who watch their father abuse their mother. I liked the ending and I thought the writing was done really well, especially from a child's perspective.
Overall, I thought this was a decent collection, though there were some stories that definitely are catered to a specific audience. I would absolutely read more from some of these authors!
Trigger Warnings: mention of cancer, possession, exorcism, murder, adultery, homophobia, infertility, miscarriage, mention of child abuse, drug use throughout pregnancy, alcoholism, domestic abuse.
Thank you to Virago Press, Little & Brown UK, and the co-authors of Hag for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
October 8, 2020
3.5/5
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!
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!
November 25, 2022
|| HAG : FORGOTTEN FOLKTALES RETOLD ||
•
"Each Hag story has a woman either at its heart or close to it; women's friendships and their enmities, their power to give birth and to deal death, to harm and to heal thread their way through the narratives."~ from the preface
🍄
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.
✍🏻
What a fun concept this collection is! I have always enjoyed folktales but these feminist, contemporary retellings of forgotten British folktales were delectable! Obviously the gorgeously trippy cover pulled me right in, but underneath these authors have shown that the essence of folktales never really leaves us. Folktales offer insight into times past that here connect to our current world. Their potency and darkness transmuted, a warning, a lesson, brimming under the surface of our lives. Entertaining and pulsing with the sinster, and gruesomeness of humanity. These stories were wonderful imagined, some stronger than others but as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! These stories are accessible to the unfamiliar but there is a reference to the original tales included as well. This really gives off Angela Carter, Midsomer vibes. 👏🏻
Gifted from the publisher, opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
•
"Each Hag story has a woman either at its heart or close to it; women's friendships and their enmities, their power to give birth and to deal death, to harm and to heal thread their way through the narratives."~ from the preface
🍄
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.
✍🏻
What a fun concept this collection is! I have always enjoyed folktales but these feminist, contemporary retellings of forgotten British folktales were delectable! Obviously the gorgeously trippy cover pulled me right in, but underneath these authors have shown that the essence of folktales never really leaves us. Folktales offer insight into times past that here connect to our current world. Their potency and darkness transmuted, a warning, a lesson, brimming under the surface of our lives. Entertaining and pulsing with the sinster, and gruesomeness of humanity. These stories were wonderful imagined, some stronger than others but as a whole I thoroughly enjoyed the ride! These stories are accessible to the unfamiliar but there is a reference to the original tales included as well. This really gives off Angela Carter, Midsomer vibes. 👏🏻
Gifted from the publisher, opinions are my own.
For more of my book content check out instagram.com/bookalong
February 21, 2021
I really enjoyed this collection. The last story, The Holloway, was fantastic and I give that one 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Some stories were better than others but I loved this adventure overall. Perhaps I'll eventually go and tour some of these locations. I'll remember this for some time I think.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
October 21, 2020
A collection of re-interpreted ancient folk tales, from the British isles— Cornwall, Wales, Fens, Yorkshire etc—written by contemporary authors. These stories were began as podcasts—keeping in mind the iral tradition of storytelling. All stories were atmospheric, with varying strengths of dark themes. Acc to Carolyne Larrington in the introduction, The British and Irish folktale traditions slipped away between the 18th and 19th centuries while other fairytales like the Grimms and Andersens’ with strict morals became popular.
The original source version of the tales are provided at the end. I wish it had been printed just after each story. Reading it on an e-book was really difficult esp if one isn’t familiar with the folkatales. (I wasn't). As is usual in a collection, some stories felt unmemorable. I would’ve loved them to be shorter too.
Some I enjoyed:
A Retelling by Daisy Johnson
Johnson explores how a story came into existence. With dashes of surrealism. This was clever. And of course I enjoy everything Daisy Johnson writes (at least so far)
The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar
follows a young girl and her brother who watch their father abuse their mother. The story is told from the perspective of the girl. The brother has got a good opportunity for college. He is hesitant of leaving but the mother insists. The story felt v real and almost not like it was reimagined from a folktale.
The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith
About a princess who is bound to a loveless marriage to a prince (by magic) and is cursed to be a panther. It had magic, dreams, Goddess Kali and a good story.
Trigger Warning: infertility, miscarriage, domestic abuse, drug abuse, homophobia (and many more)
Much thanks to Virago for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
The original source version of the tales are provided at the end. I wish it had been printed just after each story. Reading it on an e-book was really difficult esp if one isn’t familiar with the folkatales. (I wasn't). As is usual in a collection, some stories felt unmemorable. I would’ve loved them to be shorter too.
Some I enjoyed:
A Retelling by Daisy Johnson
Johnson explores how a story came into existence. With dashes of surrealism. This was clever. And of course I enjoy everything Daisy Johnson writes (at least so far)
The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar
follows a young girl and her brother who watch their father abuse their mother. The story is told from the perspective of the girl. The brother has got a good opportunity for college. He is hesitant of leaving but the mother insists. The story felt v real and almost not like it was reimagined from a folktale.
The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith
About a princess who is bound to a loveless marriage to a prince (by magic) and is cursed to be a panther. It had magic, dreams, Goddess Kali and a good story.
Trigger Warning: infertility, miscarriage, domestic abuse, drug abuse, homophobia (and many more)
Much thanks to Virago for an e- copy of the book. All opinions are my own.
Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest
October 11, 2020
A bit of a mixed bag- better if not read through the lens of ‘folk tales’. Emma Glass, Naomi Booth, Kirsty Logan, Mahsuda Snaith and to round it all off the brilliant turn by Imogen Hermes Gowar are the ones I would recommend
December 7, 2020
“Ohh my darling wee fishie, it’s time to go to bed
The fire’s warm, the bed is soft, no worries in your head - “
Hag features the re-tellings of dark folktales written by talented women from Daisy Johnson to Eimear McBride. This collection includes an introduction by Carolyne Larrington who is an author and professor of medieval literature at Oxford University. She provides some interesting insight into the original regional folktales.
Originally this collection was a published as an Audible podcast where the authors were interviewed after each version of their folktales.
Some of the stories featured are:
📚 A Retelling by Daisy Johnson based on The Green Children Of Woolpit - Suffolk
📚Sour Hall by Naomi Booth based on Ay, We’re Flittin’ - Yorkshire
📚 Rosheen by Irenosen Okijie based on The Dauntless Girl - Norfolk
📚 Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan based on The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry - Orkney
📚 The Sisters by Liv Little based on The Brothers - London
📚 The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass based on The Fairy Midwife - Wales
📚 The Droll Of The Mermaid by Natasha Carthew based on The Mermaid and the Man of Cury - Cornwall
These are just a few of the ones featured in this collection. Each tale brings a modern twist which is equally chilling and thought provoking. At the end of this book there is a section where the original folktales are featured.
This collection is unique and lends a voice to modern versions of folktales which remain memorable.
Huge thanks to @virago for sending me a copy of Hag which is available now.
The fire’s warm, the bed is soft, no worries in your head - “
Hag features the re-tellings of dark folktales written by talented women from Daisy Johnson to Eimear McBride. This collection includes an introduction by Carolyne Larrington who is an author and professor of medieval literature at Oxford University. She provides some interesting insight into the original regional folktales.
Originally this collection was a published as an Audible podcast where the authors were interviewed after each version of their folktales.
Some of the stories featured are:
📚 A Retelling by Daisy Johnson based on The Green Children Of Woolpit - Suffolk
📚Sour Hall by Naomi Booth based on Ay, We’re Flittin’ - Yorkshire
📚 Rosheen by Irenosen Okijie based on The Dauntless Girl - Norfolk
📚 Between Sea and Sky by Kirsty Logan based on The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry - Orkney
📚 The Sisters by Liv Little based on The Brothers - London
📚 The Dampness is Spreading by Emma Glass based on The Fairy Midwife - Wales
📚 The Droll Of The Mermaid by Natasha Carthew based on The Mermaid and the Man of Cury - Cornwall
These are just a few of the ones featured in this collection. Each tale brings a modern twist which is equally chilling and thought provoking. At the end of this book there is a section where the original folktales are featured.
This collection is unique and lends a voice to modern versions of folktales which remain memorable.
Huge thanks to @virago for sending me a copy of Hag which is available now.
January 1, 2021
Over the last few years I have steadily fallen in love with at least one female writer of weird, supernatural, folkish tales. When I saw a collection about folktales including many of them I simply knew I had to get my hands on it. And I can quite thankfully say that these women have only raised the bar with this collection of folk tales. Thanks to Virage, Little Brown and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
What better way to start the new year than with Forgotten Folktales Retold? My fascination with folktales originally sprung from the hidden mystery in the fog, the twisting path in a dark forest, the never-ending echo of a deep well, the sudden end to footsteps in the snow. As I grew up, this love for the wyrd and eerie remained, but I began to appreciate how this edge could be reinvented time upon time. The first author I actively remember adoring for this was, of course, Angela Carter. We read 'The Company of Wolves' in high school and I couldn't quite hide my delight. Through these old tales, the authors were able to reflect contemporary struggles and tensions in a whole new way. I found I connected to this much more than other types of tales. In the years since I have fallen in love with Zoe Gilbert's Folk, Daisy Johnson's Fen, Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver and Madeline Miller's Circe, roughly in that order. Naturally I couldn't help but be drawn to a collection that focused on the more obscure folktales, the ones that don't automatically attract major attention. As Prof. Carolyn Larrington says, 'our everyday is not a disenchanted place', and these tales provide that continuity from the past to the present that helps ground us.
In Hag a range of brilliant female authors from Britain and Ireland were assigned a folktale and given free rein on how to adapt it. The tales that follow range widely in style and even in genre. All are spooky, but not all are scary. Some feel solidly supernatural while others are eerily normal. The first tale is 'A Retelling' by Daisy Johnson, tackling the tale of the Green Children through a combination of magical realism and meta-fiction. This was one of my favourite tales and a great starter to the collection. 'Sour Hall' by Naomi Booth is adapted from 'Ay, We're Flittin' and centralizes trauma, fear and anger as two women get used to living on their possibly haunted farm. 'Rosheen' by Irenosen Okijie is based on 'The Dauntless Girl' and feels solidly Gothic while discussing heritage and courage. This tale is chockfull of atmosphere and grisly imagery, and I adored it. 'Between Sea and Sky' by Kirsty Logan was a beautiful take on 'The Great Selkie of Sule Skerrie' that is almost an elegy to complicated mother- and womanhood. I have loved Logan's writing ever since The Gracekeepers so it should be no surprise that this was a standout to me. 'The Panther's Tale' by Mahsuda Snaith, based on the tale around Chillington House, was beautifully imaginative and a real surprise. Snaith really brought this piece of history to life by bringing in Indian storylines and focusing on female (bodily) autonomy.
'The Tale of Kathleen' by Eimar McBride was my first taste of McBride and I'm now very aware I have been missing out. McBride is a very aware narrator, interjecting, commenting, and joking along the way. It might not be for everyone, but it was a lovely tale of the folk under the hill. 'The Sisters' by Liv Little hit me solidly in the 'older sister' part of my soul. It feels less supernatural than the other tales, but the creeping sadness of fracturing relationships will stay with you. 'The Dampness is Spreading' by Emma Glass, based on 'The Fairy Midwife', was harrowing in its portrayal of motherhood and despair. Out of all the tales, this one was perhaps my least favourite. 'The Droll of the Mermaid' by Natasha Carthew, adapted from 'The Mermaid and the Man of Curvy' is a beautiful tale of generational blessings and traumas, with the possibility of healing and mermaids. And finally, 'The Holloway' by Imogen Hermes Gowar, whose The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock I also loved, is a brilliant ender to this collection. Gowar leaves it up to the reader to decide what is or isn't supernatural, but her adaptation of 'Old Farmer Mole' is chilling, violent and oddly hopeful.
With any collection of tales from various authors, it is hard to say anything about the writing. Not every story will be to everyone's taste and that is ok. Some of the authors in this collection were familiar to me and I loved revisiting their imaginations. Others were new and they have been added to my 'when you see this name, buy it, you know you'l like it'-list. The quality of writing and innovation throughout Hag is staggering and should make for a fascinating reading experience for any type of reader. The set up of this project is what I find fascinating. Curated by Prof. Carolyn Larrington, the tales in this collection bring attention not just to great female authors but also to perhaps forgotten gems of British and Irish folklore. The authors focus on the various themes, ideas and evolutions in a woman's life, whether it is the bond between sisters, the loss of one's self, motherhood, inherited pain, burning desire, friendship and freedom.
It should also be mentioned that this is available as the original podcast for free on Audible. I only discovered this once I had already read them, but each author reads her own story, which is then followed by an interview with Prof. Larrington in which they discuss their writing process, the original tale, and more. I'd absolutely recommend listening to this as well, but to not forego the joy of reading them first.
I am weak in the face of folktale collections, but few deserve my fawning as much as Hag. It is a stunning collection with great writing, beautiful imagery and a haunting familiarity. If any of the authors in the title seem familiar to you, trust that the others will be equally pleasing. I couldn't recommend Hag enough.
What better way to start the new year than with Forgotten Folktales Retold? My fascination with folktales originally sprung from the hidden mystery in the fog, the twisting path in a dark forest, the never-ending echo of a deep well, the sudden end to footsteps in the snow. As I grew up, this love for the wyrd and eerie remained, but I began to appreciate how this edge could be reinvented time upon time. The first author I actively remember adoring for this was, of course, Angela Carter. We read 'The Company of Wolves' in high school and I couldn't quite hide my delight. Through these old tales, the authors were able to reflect contemporary struggles and tensions in a whole new way. I found I connected to this much more than other types of tales. In the years since I have fallen in love with Zoe Gilbert's Folk, Daisy Johnson's Fen, Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver and Madeline Miller's Circe, roughly in that order. Naturally I couldn't help but be drawn to a collection that focused on the more obscure folktales, the ones that don't automatically attract major attention. As Prof. Carolyn Larrington says, 'our everyday is not a disenchanted place', and these tales provide that continuity from the past to the present that helps ground us.
In Hag a range of brilliant female authors from Britain and Ireland were assigned a folktale and given free rein on how to adapt it. The tales that follow range widely in style and even in genre. All are spooky, but not all are scary. Some feel solidly supernatural while others are eerily normal. The first tale is 'A Retelling' by Daisy Johnson, tackling the tale of the Green Children through a combination of magical realism and meta-fiction. This was one of my favourite tales and a great starter to the collection. 'Sour Hall' by Naomi Booth is adapted from 'Ay, We're Flittin' and centralizes trauma, fear and anger as two women get used to living on their possibly haunted farm. 'Rosheen' by Irenosen Okijie is based on 'The Dauntless Girl' and feels solidly Gothic while discussing heritage and courage. This tale is chockfull of atmosphere and grisly imagery, and I adored it. 'Between Sea and Sky' by Kirsty Logan was a beautiful take on 'The Great Selkie of Sule Skerrie' that is almost an elegy to complicated mother- and womanhood. I have loved Logan's writing ever since The Gracekeepers so it should be no surprise that this was a standout to me. 'The Panther's Tale' by Mahsuda Snaith, based on the tale around Chillington House, was beautifully imaginative and a real surprise. Snaith really brought this piece of history to life by bringing in Indian storylines and focusing on female (bodily) autonomy.
'The Tale of Kathleen' by Eimar McBride was my first taste of McBride and I'm now very aware I have been missing out. McBride is a very aware narrator, interjecting, commenting, and joking along the way. It might not be for everyone, but it was a lovely tale of the folk under the hill. 'The Sisters' by Liv Little hit me solidly in the 'older sister' part of my soul. It feels less supernatural than the other tales, but the creeping sadness of fracturing relationships will stay with you. 'The Dampness is Spreading' by Emma Glass, based on 'The Fairy Midwife', was harrowing in its portrayal of motherhood and despair. Out of all the tales, this one was perhaps my least favourite. 'The Droll of the Mermaid' by Natasha Carthew, adapted from 'The Mermaid and the Man of Curvy' is a beautiful tale of generational blessings and traumas, with the possibility of healing and mermaids. And finally, 'The Holloway' by Imogen Hermes Gowar, whose The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock I also loved, is a brilliant ender to this collection. Gowar leaves it up to the reader to decide what is or isn't supernatural, but her adaptation of 'Old Farmer Mole' is chilling, violent and oddly hopeful.
With any collection of tales from various authors, it is hard to say anything about the writing. Not every story will be to everyone's taste and that is ok. Some of the authors in this collection were familiar to me and I loved revisiting their imaginations. Others were new and they have been added to my 'when you see this name, buy it, you know you'l like it'-list. The quality of writing and innovation throughout Hag is staggering and should make for a fascinating reading experience for any type of reader. The set up of this project is what I find fascinating. Curated by Prof. Carolyn Larrington, the tales in this collection bring attention not just to great female authors but also to perhaps forgotten gems of British and Irish folklore. The authors focus on the various themes, ideas and evolutions in a woman's life, whether it is the bond between sisters, the loss of one's self, motherhood, inherited pain, burning desire, friendship and freedom.
It should also be mentioned that this is available as the original podcast for free on Audible. I only discovered this once I had already read them, but each author reads her own story, which is then followed by an interview with Prof. Larrington in which they discuss their writing process, the original tale, and more. I'd absolutely recommend listening to this as well, but to not forego the joy of reading them first.
I am weak in the face of folktale collections, but few deserve my fawning as much as Hag. It is a stunning collection with great writing, beautiful imagery and a haunting familiarity. If any of the authors in the title seem familiar to you, trust that the others will be equally pleasing. I couldn't recommend Hag enough.
December 7, 2020
If you are a member of Audible you can listen to Hag for free in a podcast like format.
I found this from searching for Daisy Johnson as I had liked listening to The Hotel and vaguely recalled Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold as a Kindle edition. I've quite enjoyed these and I'm glad I listened rather than read them because I might have missed Professor Carolyne Larrington's talks with the authors. Women talking about folklore, without men in some way present- as a questioner, host, or narrator is rare I've found. I will be listening to Professor Carolyne Larrington's The Lore of the Land serial on BBC soon.
I found this from searching for Daisy Johnson as I had liked listening to The Hotel and vaguely recalled Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold as a Kindle edition. I've quite enjoyed these and I'm glad I listened rather than read them because I might have missed Professor Carolyne Larrington's talks with the authors. Women talking about folklore, without men in some way present- as a questioner, host, or narrator is rare I've found. I will be listening to Professor Carolyne Larrington's The Lore of the Land serial on BBC soon.
November 13, 2024
[Review for Oct 2024 re-read]:
My favorite stories were “A Retelling” & “The Droll of the Mermaid” (although I didn’t like the narrator for this one so I read it outloud to myself 😂—the writing was the most stunning of all the stories). I also very much enjoyed “Sour Hall” (especially the sound effects in the reading for the podcast), “Between Sea & Sky” (I loved the use of the song & singing in the reading performance), & “The Dampness is Spreading” (the scariest one & my favorite performance). All of the stories were genuinely excellent, though.
Click here to read my full review of HAG Forgotten Folk Tales Retold complete with my full thoughts, further reading suggestions, & more of my favorite quotes!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
CW // quite graphic, jsyk: including miscarriage & childbirth, domestic violence, disowning by a homophobic parent, death of an estranged parent, drug (heroin) addiction, HP mention (The Sisters)
———————————————————
[Original review from Nov 2020]:
This collection of retellings of British folktales is written by a diverse group of British women authors who take the traditional tales and rewrite them to reflect a similarly diverse modern British community, reinterpreting the themes to explore the human condition in a way that is both current and timeless.
Pro tip: the original tales are all in the back of the book which had I read the table of contents I would have noticed before driving myself mad trying to find them in an anthology or online somewhere. 😜
I preferred to read the original tales first then read the retellings as I think knowing the originals added that extra layer of depth to the retellings—seems obvious, I know, but if you read them the other way around, or aren’t familiar with the originals, it’s a very different effect. Especially since what I liked most about these stories was how subtle all the retellings were. For some of them I couldn’t have guessed which tales they were retelling if I hadn’t been told but once I was pointed towards the deeper themes I recognized them and appreciated the authors’ subtlety in treating them.
The first four (‘A Retelling’, ‘Sour Hall’, ‘Rosheen’, and ‘Between Sea and Sky’) and the last (‘The Holloway’) were my favorite of the tales. (I found Liv Little’s ‘The Sisters’ triggering and did not finish reading it. 😬) Daisy Johnson’s ‘A Retelling’ was probably my number one favorite as her story reminded me a little of Sarah Orah Mark’s fairy tale inspired essays for The Paris Review at the beginning and then ended on a similar vein to some of Helen Oyeyemi’s darkest tales. 😈 (Helen Oyeyemi, btw, being an author that felt conspicuously missing from this anthology I thought…) I’ll never look at the Brits’ weird penchant for beans on toast the same way again… 😂
I also loved the way Eimear McBride used traditional storytelling phrases and structures in her version of ‘The Tale of Kathleen’, and that Kirsty Logan’s ‘Between Sea and Sky’ featured an archaeologist MC! 🥰
Even though I have read a lot of Irish and Scottish folk and fairy tales, I am woefully unfamiliar with a lot of English folk and fairy tales (in spite of my heritage being partly English 🙈) and this book has definitely inspired me to learn more about hobgoblins and pixies. 🤗🧚🏽♀️💕 The stories in this collection were extremely dark, too, which I’m hoping is a trend in the English folktale tradition. 😈
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Further / Similar / Suggested Reading:
- The Anthology of English Folk Tales, published by The History Press Ltd
- The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales
- The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales
- The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter
- What is Not Yours, is Not Yours, by Helen Oyeyemi (or anything and everything by Helen Oyeyemi)
“‘See, a holloway is a barrier between one man’s land and the next. It’s the most in-between sort of place there can be, so when you’re walking here you can be sure you’re walking with the pixies. They’re tricksy and they’re always watching, but if you’re good in your heart, they’ll be good to you. This is their land before it’s ours,’ he prompts her,
‘And we don't muck about on it,’ she finishes.”
— from “The Holloway” by Imogen Hermes Gowar
My favorite stories were “A Retelling” & “The Droll of the Mermaid” (although I didn’t like the narrator for this one so I read it outloud to myself 😂—the writing was the most stunning of all the stories). I also very much enjoyed “Sour Hall” (especially the sound effects in the reading for the podcast), “Between Sea & Sky” (I loved the use of the song & singing in the reading performance), & “The Dampness is Spreading” (the scariest one & my favorite performance). All of the stories were genuinely excellent, though.
Click here to read my full review of HAG Forgotten Folk Tales Retold complete with my full thoughts, further reading suggestions, & more of my favorite quotes!
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
CW // quite graphic, jsyk: including miscarriage & childbirth, domestic violence, disowning by a homophobic parent, death of an estranged parent, drug (heroin) addiction, HP mention (The Sisters)
———————————————————
[Original review from Nov 2020]:
“Hag is a very old word in English; its earliest form, hægtesse, is found in the tenth-century Old English ‘Metrical Charms’ where it invokes a fierce, supernatural female who shoots dangerous disease-bearing missiles at hapless humans.” (from the Introduction)
This collection of retellings of British folktales is written by a diverse group of British women authors who take the traditional tales and rewrite them to reflect a similarly diverse modern British community, reinterpreting the themes to explore the human condition in a way that is both current and timeless.
Pro tip: the original tales are all in the back of the book which had I read the table of contents I would have noticed before driving myself mad trying to find them in an anthology or online somewhere. 😜
I preferred to read the original tales first then read the retellings as I think knowing the originals added that extra layer of depth to the retellings—seems obvious, I know, but if you read them the other way around, or aren’t familiar with the originals, it’s a very different effect. Especially since what I liked most about these stories was how subtle all the retellings were. For some of them I couldn’t have guessed which tales they were retelling if I hadn’t been told but once I was pointed towards the deeper themes I recognized them and appreciated the authors’ subtlety in treating them.
“If she was not too exhausted of a night, she would pore over the books, aware of the lamplight flickering and shrinking, absorbing it as a comfort. She enjoyed them. They provided a form of escapism from a hard life but she wondered about the tales of people who looked like her.” (from Rosheen, by Irenosen Okoije)
The first four (‘A Retelling’, ‘Sour Hall’, ‘Rosheen’, and ‘Between Sea and Sky’) and the last (‘The Holloway’) were my favorite of the tales. (I found Liv Little’s ‘The Sisters’ triggering and did not finish reading it. 😬) Daisy Johnson’s ‘A Retelling’ was probably my number one favorite as her story reminded me a little of Sarah Orah Mark’s fairy tale inspired essays for The Paris Review at the beginning and then ended on a similar vein to some of Helen Oyeyemi’s darkest tales. 😈 (Helen Oyeyemi, btw, being an author that felt conspicuously missing from this anthology I thought…) I’ll never look at the Brits’ weird penchant for beans on toast the same way again… 😂
I also loved the way Eimear McBride used traditional storytelling phrases and structures in her version of ‘The Tale of Kathleen’, and that Kirsty Logan’s ‘Between Sea and Sky’ featured an archaeologist MC! 🥰
Even though I have read a lot of Irish and Scottish folk and fairy tales, I am woefully unfamiliar with a lot of English folk and fairy tales (in spite of my heritage being partly English 🙈) and this book has definitely inspired me to learn more about hobgoblins and pixies. 🤗🧚🏽♀️💕 The stories in this collection were extremely dark, too, which I’m hoping is a trend in the English folktale tradition. 😈
“ ‘…See, a holloway is a barrier between one man’s land and the next. It’s the most in-between sort of place there can be, so when you’re walking here you can be sure you’re walking with the pixies. They’re tricksy and they’re always watching, but if you’re good in your heart, they’ll be good to you. This is their land before it’s ours,’ he prompts her,
‘And we don’t muck about on it,’ she finishes.” (from The Holloway, by Imogen Hermes Gowar)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Further / Similar / Suggested Reading:
- The Anthology of English Folk Tales, published by The History Press Ltd
- The Anthology of Scottish Folk Tales
- The Anthology of Irish Folk Tales
- The Bloody Chamber, by Angela Carter
- What is Not Yours, is Not Yours, by Helen Oyeyemi (or anything and everything by Helen Oyeyemi)
February 23, 2021
There are stories in here that set my heart pumping. A wonderful collection that shows off some incredible female talent. Even someone not interested in Folklore would enjoy this but I imagine it would boil the piss of a purist.
I would rate it five stars if not for the inclusion of Eimear McBride’s The Tale Of Kathleen which is one of the smarmiest, look-how-cleverly-I’m-deconstructing-these-tropes stories I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading.
I would rate it five stars if not for the inclusion of Eimear McBride’s The Tale Of Kathleen which is one of the smarmiest, look-how-cleverly-I’m-deconstructing-these-tropes stories I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading.
April 15, 2025
my personal ranking of the stories (from best to worst):
the panther’s tale
the holloway
between sea and sky
sour hall
the dampness is spreading
the sisters
rosheen
the droll of the mermaid
the tale of kathleen
retelling
also why was the droll of the mermaid filled with grammatical errors? or is that the style? idk i feel like i would’ve loved this story with proper grammar
the panther’s tale
the holloway
between sea and sky
sour hall
the dampness is spreading
the sisters
rosheen
the droll of the mermaid
the tale of kathleen
retelling
also why was the droll of the mermaid filled with grammatical errors? or is that the style? idk i feel like i would’ve loved this story with proper grammar
May 29, 2022
I enjoyed this collection, especially the stories, where bad men are put to a gruesome end, richly deserved. The collection presents a great variety of voices and approaches to rewriting folk lore and legends, and it’s a great way to get to know very different writers. Highly recommended.
December 11, 2021
Reading a collection of short stories can be risky. Fortunately, this collection of dark retellings of British folk tales was perfect. The stories were not only fantastically written, they were also so informative. I'm also so glad I've discovered more authors! I wish I could give this book more than five stars. Little warning, it does contain many triggering topics
December 30, 2021
Interesting modernist retellings of traditional folk tales. The extra interviews at the end are great at exploring the various themes, origins of stories and authors insight.
January 10, 2021
Really enjoyed this, some really interesting folktales reimagined - I particularly liked Sour Hall, The Dampness is Spreading and The Holloway.
October 9, 2020
An excellent collection of stories from some of the best contemporary female writers, Hag really is a gem. Retelling english folklore, some I knew, others I didnt, but bringing them kicking and screaming into the modern world. The stories all had links to the mythology present in their original tales, but with over arching themes of nature and feminism. I was expecting to really like this book but it more than lived up to expectations.
The stories were picked from different parts of the UK and Ireland and gave all managed to capture what the local areas have to offer. It has both given me a much longer TBR pile, and also made me want to complete a 'Hag tour' so I can explore the areas it describes.
The stories were picked from different parts of the UK and Ireland and gave all managed to capture what the local areas have to offer. It has both given me a much longer TBR pile, and also made me want to complete a 'Hag tour' so I can explore the areas it describes.
November 1, 2020
Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold
A collection of short stories that are retellings of British folklore and mythology selected and introduced by Professor Carolyne Larrington. The folktales take you across the country from Suffolk and green children, to boggarts in Yorkshire, Panthers in Stafford, selkies in Orkney and more.
These stories in most instances were brought into much more modern day scenarios, and many took on elements of magical realism to tell their stories, whilst others remained grounded in more everyday scenarios. I found the retellings both poignant and compelling as they held a much stronger contemporary critique. They touched on themes of domestic abuse, motherhood, sexuality, miscarriages, homophobia, mental health, love, trickery and deception.
They are all very singular stories with the common theme being they are based on folklore retellings so I found this easier to read in parts as the stories are so distinct in styles and topics. Rather than some short story collections which flow more closely.
This also meant that I found a real variation in how much I enjoyed some of these stories, I think in part driven by the variety of writers and styles in the collection. Particular favourites were Sour Hall by Naomi Booth, Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie, The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith and The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar.
I also liked that at the end of the collection there were the original stories which had inspired these retellings. Although some of the colloquial language does require you to be vaguely familiar with how the locals speak in order to understand it. However, you certainly don't need to read them all to appreciate the retellings.
Overall an enjoyable collection that offers a much needed blend of modernity and feminist critique to some classic folktales. This short story collection is definitely a great read for a dark autumn nights.
A collection of short stories that are retellings of British folklore and mythology selected and introduced by Professor Carolyne Larrington. The folktales take you across the country from Suffolk and green children, to boggarts in Yorkshire, Panthers in Stafford, selkies in Orkney and more.
These stories in most instances were brought into much more modern day scenarios, and many took on elements of magical realism to tell their stories, whilst others remained grounded in more everyday scenarios. I found the retellings both poignant and compelling as they held a much stronger contemporary critique. They touched on themes of domestic abuse, motherhood, sexuality, miscarriages, homophobia, mental health, love, trickery and deception.
They are all very singular stories with the common theme being they are based on folklore retellings so I found this easier to read in parts as the stories are so distinct in styles and topics. Rather than some short story collections which flow more closely.
This also meant that I found a real variation in how much I enjoyed some of these stories, I think in part driven by the variety of writers and styles in the collection. Particular favourites were Sour Hall by Naomi Booth, Rosheen by Irenosen Okojie, The Panther's Tale by Mahsuda Snaith and The Holloway by Imogen Hermes Gowar.
I also liked that at the end of the collection there were the original stories which had inspired these retellings. Although some of the colloquial language does require you to be vaguely familiar with how the locals speak in order to understand it. However, you certainly don't need to read them all to appreciate the retellings.
Overall an enjoyable collection that offers a much needed blend of modernity and feminist critique to some classic folktales. This short story collection is definitely a great read for a dark autumn nights.
November 17, 2021
One of the things that set us apart from the other creatures of the planet is our ability to tell stories and to imagine ourselves in the place of others. The stories that we tell are sometimes true and at other times the truth is buried in the legends of the land. Those legends often have a fantastical element that is frequently dark.
To bring these stories to a new modern audience is quite a feat by all these authors. They have all taken the essence of the original and moulded and shaped it to a contemporary context. There was the odd outstanding one, in particular, I liked both the Panther’s Tale and Holloway.
I am going, to be honest and say that I really liked the re-telling and imagining of these old folklore tales compared to the originals. I think it was because the context feels more relevant. That said, the old tales do reach deeper into the darker and creepier shadows that inhabit our landscapes and all the authors of these stories have managed to convey that feeling of dread that you can sometimes get with the old stories both.
To bring these stories to a new modern audience is quite a feat by all these authors. They have all taken the essence of the original and moulded and shaped it to a contemporary context. There was the odd outstanding one, in particular, I liked both the Panther’s Tale and Holloway.
I am going, to be honest and say that I really liked the re-telling and imagining of these old folklore tales compared to the originals. I think it was because the context feels more relevant. That said, the old tales do reach deeper into the darker and creepier shadows that inhabit our landscapes and all the authors of these stories have managed to convey that feeling of dread that you can sometimes get with the old stories both.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 257 reviews