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New Tales from the Mabinogion #1
White Ravens
Drawing from two medieval Welsh manuscripts with roots dating back many centuries earlier, this series of 11 stories sheds light on Celtic mythology and Arthurian romance while providing a new perspective on Great Britain itself. From enchantment and shapeshifting to the age-old dichotomies of conflict versus peacemaking and love versus betrayal, all of these tales are uniquely reinvented, creating fresh, contemporary narratives that portray the real world as much as they depict the past.
Based on the fable of Branwen, Daughter of Llyr, this interpretation revives one of the most action-packed stories in the whole myth cycle. Moving this bloodthirsty tale of Welsh and Irish power struggles and family tensions into the 21st century, this retelling retains many of the bizarre and magical happenings of the original. After being wounded in Italy, Matthew O’Connell is seeing out WWII in an obscure government department, spreading rumors and myths to the enemy. When he is assigned the bizarre task of escorting a box containing six raven chicks from a remote hill farm to the Tower of London, he soon finds himself ensnared in an adventure that leaves him powerless.
Based on the fable of Branwen, Daughter of Llyr, this interpretation revives one of the most action-packed stories in the whole myth cycle. Moving this bloodthirsty tale of Welsh and Irish power struggles and family tensions into the 21st century, this retelling retains many of the bizarre and magical happenings of the original. After being wounded in Italy, Matthew O’Connell is seeing out WWII in an obscure government department, spreading rumors and myths to the enemy. When he is assigned the bizarre task of escorting a box containing six raven chicks from a remote hill farm to the Tower of London, he soon finds himself ensnared in an adventure that leaves him powerless.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
5 people are currently reading
278 people want to read
About the author
Owen Sheers
27 books140 followersOWEN SHEERS is a poet, author and playwright. His first novel, Resistance, was translated into ten languages and adapted into a film. The Dust Diaries, his Zimbabwean nonfiction narrative, won the Wales Book of the Year Award. His awards for poetry and drama include the Somerset Maugham Award for Skirrid Hill, the Hay Festival Medal for Poetry and Wales Book of the Year Award for Pink Mist, and the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award for his play The Two Worlds of Charlie F. His most recent novel is I Saw a Man, which was shortlisted for the Prix Femina Etranger. He lives in Wales with his wife and daughter. He has been a New York Public Library Cullman Fellow and is currently Professor in Creativity at Swansea University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 25, 2012
Seren's series of retold stories from the Mabinogion is a fascinating endeavour, and even though I didn't really feel very enthusiastic about the first one, I was ready to try this one. I'm glad I did, because I enjoyed the way Sheers picked out the themes of the original story that resonated with him and made a companion story, an echo, that evokes them for his readers.
White Ravens is well written and easy to read, and it could only be more Welsh if someone promised to do something now in a minute, or told someone that what they're looking for is over by there.
(Which reminds me of the I Loves the 'Diff cards, which are hilarious, but make sense only to people familiar with Wales. "Llanishen Impossible" is my favourite.)
White Ravens is well written and easy to read, and it could only be more Welsh if someone promised to do something now in a minute, or told someone that what they're looking for is over by there.
(Which reminds me of the I Loves the 'Diff cards, which are hilarious, but make sense only to people familiar with Wales. "Llanishen Impossible" is my favourite.)
October 19, 2018
The idea of commissioning modern adaptations of the ancient folk tales of the Mabinogion is a fascinating one, and certainly in Sheers’ capable hands this results in a powerfully plotted and beautifully told novella inspired by ‘Branwen, Daughter of Llyr’
It’s a thought-provoking tale of family and how people react to the stresses of change, war, death etc. I also found the author’s discussion of his inspiration in the appendices to be enlightening. When so well-formed as this, the novella can be a powerful format - there’s almost a resonance of the early oral tradition about this for certain.
It’s a thought-provoking tale of family and how people react to the stresses of change, war, death etc. I also found the author’s discussion of his inspiration in the appendices to be enlightening. When so well-formed as this, the novella can be a powerful format - there’s almost a resonance of the early oral tradition about this for certain.
August 31, 2021
Wounded in the Second World War, Matthew O'Connell is tasked with delivering six ravens to the Tower of London. While at a Welsh farm to collect the chicks, he meets Branwen, the farmer's sister and falls in love. After their marriage, her younger brother returns from the war and takes his anger on Matthew out by maiming his horse.
When Matthew and Branwen return to his native Ireland to begin their married life, she soon finds herself lonely and ostracised by the community and sends word to her brothers that she wants to come home. But their arrival at her home triggers events which will destroy the family forever.
Sheers' interpretation of the marriage of Branwen is as tragic as its origin and by bringing the story into the modern era, it gives readers an opportunity to examine the human condition in an understandable way.
When Matthew and Branwen return to his native Ireland to begin their married life, she soon finds herself lonely and ostracised by the community and sends word to her brothers that she wants to come home. But their arrival at her home triggers events which will destroy the family forever.
Sheers' interpretation of the marriage of Branwen is as tragic as its origin and by bringing the story into the modern era, it gives readers an opportunity to examine the human condition in an understandable way.
April 23, 2010
Still reading, first impression. A Wizard of Wales, a story teller with a subtle pen for a wand. Owen Sheers has a rare talent. Like a Florida gator is both ancient and today. On page 66 this Welsh gator closed his jaws on my leg, it wasn't painful it was delightful. Seren commissioned eleven Welsh writers to do some retelling of the national treasure 'The Mabinogion'. Theme keep these old tales at the heart of a new story.
I know I'm bait by page 73 where Sheers throws a splendid Welsh bomb at me. [['E couldn' come' the boy said, cutting Matthew's search short. ''E said a 'e wouldn't be wastin' any petrol on some Londoner. 'E said as yer can have a 'orse 'stead, 'cos an 'orse is good enough for every one else, so its as good enough for yew.':]]
I know I'm bait by page 73 where Sheers throws a splendid Welsh bomb at me. [['E couldn' come' the boy said, cutting Matthew's search short. ''E said a 'e wouldn't be wastin' any petrol on some Londoner. 'E said as yer can have a 'orse 'stead, 'cos an 'orse is good enough for every one else, so its as good enough for yew.':]]
July 6, 2018
An interesting and emotive modern retelling of the Second Branch of Y Mabinogi.
March 18, 2019
A modern retelling of the story of Branwen, from the Mabinogion, beautifully written.
December 4, 2010
I was very taken with the first of a series of short works published by Seren Books, retelling the stories of The Mabinogion for twenty-first century ears. And so I tracked down this, the second.
A short work yes, but there is much going on. Stories wrapped about stories, stories wrapped around stories, rich with themes and ideas. And at the centre is a striking modern take on the original story.
But let’s start at the beginning:
“Let me tell you something. If you wanted to curse someone, I don’t know why you would, but if you did, if you wanted to make their life hard, if you wanted to leave them as vulnerable to grief as possible, I reckon you could do a lot worse than make them a woman in a house of men.”
It’s quite a start. Rhian grew up on a Welsh hill farm and she had hopes and dreams. Her parents both died and she found herself pulled away from her friend and tied to her brothers and the family farm. A farm that would be decimated by foot and mouth. Rhian’s brothers take to sheep rustling: taking sheep from the hillside, butchering them in the back of their van on the road to London, and selling the meat to London restaurants.
The writing pull you in and takes you with Rhian as she finally reaches breaking point and runs away, leaving her bloodstained brothers in an alley, counting out their profits.
At the Tower of London she meet an old man who begins to tell her a story. A story set many years earlier, during the war. A very different story that I every bit as gripping, every bit a intriguing as what came before.
Superstition has it that if ravens leave the Tower of London the tower will crumble and disaster will befall England. But how could the ravens survive the Blitz with bomb raining down on the city of London? How could disaster be averted?
The true story, that I had never even considered until I found it here, and the fictional account are both fascinating.
But they aren’t the main event.
A young man named Matthew was sent to Wales to bring ravens back to the tower. There he meets a woman, Branwen, and their story will echo the much older story of Bran and Branwen that is recorded in the The Mabinogion.
The story is poetic, powerful and dramatic. Themes echo from the old legend, through the framing story to the contemporary retelling. And it works beautifully because the human emotions at its heart are utterly real.
I was so captivated by the wonderful storytelling that it was only when I read the fitting final words that I realised quite how much this little book had held.
My anticipation for the next two installments in this series, due to be published this month could not be higher.
A short work yes, but there is much going on. Stories wrapped about stories, stories wrapped around stories, rich with themes and ideas. And at the centre is a striking modern take on the original story.
But let’s start at the beginning:
“Let me tell you something. If you wanted to curse someone, I don’t know why you would, but if you did, if you wanted to make their life hard, if you wanted to leave them as vulnerable to grief as possible, I reckon you could do a lot worse than make them a woman in a house of men.”
It’s quite a start. Rhian grew up on a Welsh hill farm and she had hopes and dreams. Her parents both died and she found herself pulled away from her friend and tied to her brothers and the family farm. A farm that would be decimated by foot and mouth. Rhian’s brothers take to sheep rustling: taking sheep from the hillside, butchering them in the back of their van on the road to London, and selling the meat to London restaurants.
The writing pull you in and takes you with Rhian as she finally reaches breaking point and runs away, leaving her bloodstained brothers in an alley, counting out their profits.
At the Tower of London she meet an old man who begins to tell her a story. A story set many years earlier, during the war. A very different story that I every bit as gripping, every bit a intriguing as what came before.
Superstition has it that if ravens leave the Tower of London the tower will crumble and disaster will befall England. But how could the ravens survive the Blitz with bomb raining down on the city of London? How could disaster be averted?
The true story, that I had never even considered until I found it here, and the fictional account are both fascinating.
But they aren’t the main event.
A young man named Matthew was sent to Wales to bring ravens back to the tower. There he meets a woman, Branwen, and their story will echo the much older story of Bran and Branwen that is recorded in the The Mabinogion.
The story is poetic, powerful and dramatic. Themes echo from the old legend, through the framing story to the contemporary retelling. And it works beautifully because the human emotions at its heart are utterly real.
I was so captivated by the wonderful storytelling that it was only when I read the fitting final words that I realised quite how much this little book had held.
My anticipation for the next two installments in this series, due to be published this month could not be higher.
June 20, 2015
Owen Sheers is one of those writers you probably haven’t read, but definitely should. He’s the author of dozens of novels, works of poetry and plays – and he’s only just turned 40. This was my first taste of his writing.
‘White Ravens’ is part of a series of re-workings of the Welsh medieval epic, the Mabinogion, commissioned by publisher Seren (Sheers is Welsh). One of the persistent themes in his work is the effect of violence on the human psyche - he’s worked extensively with soldiers returned from the Gulf Wars. ‘White Ravens’, set between the present day and the Second World War, deals with the same themes.
It is loosely based around the true story of Winston Churchill’s belief that the ravens in the Tower of London must be maintained at all costs to ensure that the British Isles remain protected. In the best epic tradition, Sheers creates stories within stories, conjuring up a world that oscillates between a secret government department in London and a remote hill farm in Wales. Sheers’ remarkable achievement is to make the story at once believable and magical.
By the bloody conclusion to the book, we’re left in no doubt as to the stark reality: violence begets violence. But there’s another message - whatever our background, we all have a choice: we can be part of that violence, or we can ‘be a bridge’ and break the cycle.
The writing is exceptional, and the pacing excellent. The Afterword gives a fascinating insight into the importance of leaping across the boundaries of logic and making unseen connections in the imaginative process.
‘White Ravens’ is part of a series of re-workings of the Welsh medieval epic, the Mabinogion, commissioned by publisher Seren (Sheers is Welsh). One of the persistent themes in his work is the effect of violence on the human psyche - he’s worked extensively with soldiers returned from the Gulf Wars. ‘White Ravens’, set between the present day and the Second World War, deals with the same themes.
It is loosely based around the true story of Winston Churchill’s belief that the ravens in the Tower of London must be maintained at all costs to ensure that the British Isles remain protected. In the best epic tradition, Sheers creates stories within stories, conjuring up a world that oscillates between a secret government department in London and a remote hill farm in Wales. Sheers’ remarkable achievement is to make the story at once believable and magical.
By the bloody conclusion to the book, we’re left in no doubt as to the stark reality: violence begets violence. But there’s another message - whatever our background, we all have a choice: we can be part of that violence, or we can ‘be a bridge’ and break the cycle.
The writing is exceptional, and the pacing excellent. The Afterword gives a fascinating insight into the importance of leaping across the boundaries of logic and making unseen connections in the imaginative process.
November 6, 2014
An acceptable re-imagining of a medieval Welsh myth, the Second Branch of the Mabinogion, in which the Welsh princess Branwen is given to the Irish king Matholwch, whose mistreatment of her results in a war leaving only seven men alive to repopulate Ireland. This version, in which an old man in the present day tells a story from WWII to a young woman, putting me in mind of The Princess Bride, leaves out the genocide and royalty but translates the rest pretty effectively. Unfortunately the first 50ish pages are used to set up the young woman's part in the "reveal" at the end which dumbs down the myth's story by trying to too literally neatly present the reader with an Important Moral Lesson. However the main purpose of this series seems to be to spread knowledge of the stories of the Mabinogion outside of Wales, and that this book did, for which I'm glad. Probably better just to read the original though.
March 22, 2018
Fascinating stories interwoven between myth, family myth, and present day family pathos. I had never really delved into Welsh mythology and this take on a Welsh myth has made me interested in digging a little more into this realm and continue reading this collection of re-told tales.
"White Ravens" is a quick read and yes, it is a little dark, but well worth it.
"White Ravens" is a quick read and yes, it is a little dark, but well worth it.
September 5, 2016
A re-interpretation of the Second Branch myth from the Mabinogion.A story of love and violence and the way passion connects them.Captivating wonderful storytelling.
'Llawn yw'r coed o ddail a blode,/Llawn iawn o gariad ydwf inne.'
Want to read
September 11, 2014I'll have to reread the Mabinogion first, as I can only recall the few most well-known tales.
February 15, 2024
This book I picked up for a readathon as I have been meaning to read it for a while. I got it in an indie book box and every time I read the blurb on the back of the book, I would have forgotten it by the time I picked it up again.
This book is about a 21st century farmer's daughter who ran away from her family and then doesn't know what to do from there. An old man sits next to her on the bench and starts to tell her a story about his friend, an Irish man who is tasked to go to Wales and pick up six raven chicks to help keep up moral in WWII Britain. This is also a retelling of a not so well known myth, which I didn't know much about until I read the myth at the end of the book.
There isn't much to say about this book. I read it very quickly and I did end up enjoying it in the end, it wasn't boring and it was well-paced, though the raven chicks weren't as important as I thought they would be. Considering I didn't know the myth very well, I found the sudden scene of graphic animal abuse disturbing and out of nowhere, but considering it was what the author wanted to highlight in the original myth, I can well understand why it was still there. I really liked the ending, where we found out how everything connected and I would read more in this series, though I probably woudln't reread this book again.
3.5 stars!
This book is about a 21st century farmer's daughter who ran away from her family and then doesn't know what to do from there. An old man sits next to her on the bench and starts to tell her a story about his friend, an Irish man who is tasked to go to Wales and pick up six raven chicks to help keep up moral in WWII Britain. This is also a retelling of a not so well known myth, which I didn't know much about until I read the myth at the end of the book.
There isn't much to say about this book. I read it very quickly and I did end up enjoying it in the end, it wasn't boring and it was well-paced, though the raven chicks weren't as important as I thought they would be. Considering I didn't know the myth very well, I found the sudden scene of graphic animal abuse disturbing and out of nowhere, but considering it was what the author wanted to highlight in the original myth, I can well understand why it was still there. I really liked the ending, where we found out how everything connected and I would read more in this series, though I probably woudln't reread this book again.
3.5 stars!
October 29, 2023
I’ve got a serious soft spot for retellings of myths, of Welsh myths and legends, and for the writing of Owen Sheers, so as you can imagine this one managed to tick all of those boxes for me in one fell swoop!
I loved the modern reimagining of this particular story from the Mabinogion, and even loved the time setting of around the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease in Wales. It lends itself really well to the feeling of desperation that the characters can feel.
I think Sheers might have ended up becoming an auto buy author for me, which is funny because I usually never want to read anything from any of the authors I studied in school or college for as long as I live.
How nice to have an exception to that rule!
I loved the modern reimagining of this particular story from the Mabinogion, and even loved the time setting of around the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease in Wales. It lends itself really well to the feeling of desperation that the characters can feel.
I think Sheers might have ended up becoming an auto buy author for me, which is funny because I usually never want to read anything from any of the authors I studied in school or college for as long as I live.
How nice to have an exception to that rule!
January 2, 2019
I have always preferred my stories to be rooted in reality, consequently myths and legends have contributed very little to my reading. It is, therefore, a pleasure to read an updated version of a Welsh one, and equally fascinating to read Owen Sheers' - a writer I have read before and much enjoyed - account of how he brought ancient to modern; what spoke to him about the old and his interpretations and garnering of more recent incidents to support the story he wanted to tell.
October 17, 2020
Owen Sheers may be my favorite undiscovered authors, or at least undiscovered in the U.S. To find this book, my library had to do an inter-library loan with an academic library over 2,000 miles away. But the wait was worth it. Sheers is quiet, poetic, and subtle. This re-telling of a Welsh tale was unexpected, quiet, and deeply engaging.
Thank you to the libraries everywhere who open their collections to interested readers across the country!
Thank you to the libraries everywhere who open their collections to interested readers across the country!
September 13, 2017
I cried throughout the book and it left me shaken up. I was bewitched. It is beautifully written. I had never heard of the Mabinogion and it makes me want to read it. I liked that that the story about Branwen, daughter of Llyr was summed up at the end so one can see how the old is woven into the new.
December 3, 2025
I was surprised I really was planning on giving this book 2 or 3 stars halfway through but the latter half and the authors notes on the process and thoughts behind the book really elevated it. I'm excited to read this series and see what other authors have done with the retellings of the Mabinogion.
August 20, 2022
Soooooo this was miles better than I expected. Randomly picked it up from the library, as its inspired from an original Welsh myth. It goes crazy. The last two pages bumped this up to 5 stars. Such an interesting way to intertwine two stories in the present and past.
September 21, 2020
Despite my love of folk tales, I don't know the stories of the Mabiogion very well. But those I do know of all seem so sad.
This is an updated tale and very well told. Love Owen Sheer's books.
This is an updated tale and very well told. Love Owen Sheer's books.
March 15, 2021
Awful
March 27, 2025
Welsh social history accurately represented AND colloquialisms!!
November 13, 2025
A rather unpleasant and completely disjointed re-telling of one of the Mabinogion Welsh tales.
January 4, 2015
I should probably say right up front that I wrote a dissertation on the Mabinogion last year (although on the Fourth Branch, rather than the Second), and therefore have Strong Opinions on it. That should probably be a standard disclaimer on most medieval-based stuff I review, to be honest. Branwen has never been my favourite Branch - I like Pwyll for having vaguely non-horrible characters, and Math for having a set of entirely amoral bastards for protagonists, but with Branwen, the poor girl just spends the entire story being kicked around by her brother and her husband and having terrible things happen to everyone she loves until she dies of a broken heart, and who can blame her?
So actually, I like this modern retelling rather better than the original. At least Branwen finally gets to have her own voice for once! And Efnysien/Evan's actions have some explanation rather than being a pure act of disproportionate spite. The thing I didn't like was that as soon as I figured out who everyone was meant to be, it was entirely obvious what was going to happen - even down to the 'twists' that linked the Matthew/Branwen story to the framing story. I was enjoying the framing story much more than the Branwen one, to be honest, so I'm sad we didn't get told what finally happened between Rhian and her brothers.
So yes, it was kind of predictable, but that's pretty much expected with modern retellings. What really got me was when Ben gave Matthew a copy of the Mabinogion and was like 'You should probably read the Second Branch before you marry my, Bendigeidfran's, sister, Branwen. Just a thought.' And Matthew didn't! Not until everything had gone to hell in a handcart, and while it may be believable that in a rushed wedding he wouldn't have had time, and then in a miserable marriage he wouldn't have wanted to, it was so immensely frustrating to know that this guy had a roadmap of exactly how everything was going to go down sitting next to him the whole time and he never once looked at it! Rage.
I just don't know, with this book. It didn't sweep me away with poetic beauty, which is what I'm usually looking for with mythologish books - there was too much grim reality for that, which is fine in its way, but not what I was looking for, and then on top of that, it was overly predictable, but there were some lovely bits, like basically any time Ben talked about ravens, so oeverall... Eh.
So actually, I like this modern retelling rather better than the original. At least Branwen finally gets to have her own voice for once! And Efnysien/Evan's actions have some explanation rather than being a pure act of disproportionate spite. The thing I didn't like was that as soon as I figured out who everyone was meant to be, it was entirely obvious what was going to happen - even down to the 'twists' that linked the Matthew/Branwen story to the framing story. I was enjoying the framing story much more than the Branwen one, to be honest, so I'm sad we didn't get told what finally happened between Rhian and her brothers.
So yes, it was kind of predictable, but that's pretty much expected with modern retellings. What really got me was when Ben gave Matthew a copy of the Mabinogion and was like 'You should probably read the Second Branch before you marry my, Bendigeidfran's, sister, Branwen. Just a thought.' And Matthew didn't! Not until everything had gone to hell in a handcart, and while it may be believable that in a rushed wedding he wouldn't have had time, and then in a miserable marriage he wouldn't have wanted to, it was so immensely frustrating to know that this guy had a roadmap of exactly how everything was going to go down sitting next to him the whole time and he never once looked at it! Rage.
I just don't know, with this book. It didn't sweep me away with poetic beauty, which is what I'm usually looking for with mythologish books - there was too much grim reality for that, which is fine in its way, but not what I was looking for, and then on top of that, it was overly predictable, but there were some lovely bits, like basically any time Ben talked about ravens, so oeverall... Eh.
November 27, 2015
Modern re-working of the Second Branch of the Mabinogion tale of Branwen and Bendigeidfran set in two different times but linked by the main narrative. Sheers' story opens with Rhian, a disenchanted young woman trapped with her two brothers on a remote Welsh farm. Following the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001, the brothers turn to sheep stealing and persuade their sister to drive their illicit cargo to London. Sickened by the sight of the debris left from the illegal butchering, Rhian takes refuge in the Tower of London and meets an elderly man who offers to tell her a story. He speaks of Irishman Matthew O'Connell, entrusted to bring six raven chicks to the Tower during WW2 from a distant Welsh farm. Anyone familiar with the original myth will recognise the story of Branwen, and Sheers makes no pretence of changing the names of his retelling, primarily as there is no need. Written with his usual lyrical poise, there are, at times some scenes of shocking animal cruelty which again echo the violence of the original. Being familiar with the original,I skipped these.
A surprisingly quick read, this is part of Seren Books' series on reworking the Mabi, published a few years ago. Other writers involved include Nial Griffiths; I should imagine that would be VERY different from this :-)
A surprisingly quick read, this is part of Seren Books' series on reworking the Mabi, published a few years ago. Other writers involved include Nial Griffiths; I should imagine that would be VERY different from this :-)
February 28, 2015
I loved the concept behind this book, which is taking tales from Welsh mythology and turning them into modern fables. The technique behind this becomes clear at the end of the book, when the underlying tale is summarised. The idea is well executed, with the concepts being brought cleverly up to date. The author is a poet by trade and you can tell, as you can hear the poetic Welsh lilt in the writing. The book is a short, easy read because it is written so sparely. No words are superfluous or wasted.
So there was a lot to like, but in the end I only gave three stars. This was partly because the mythic quality of the story meant that I struggled to really believe in, or care about, the characters involved. The other reason was that I found the very ending, which I will not describe as it would be a spoiler, rather trite and unsubtle. There were some powerful themes here, around war and peace, emnity and reconciliation, but they did feel slightly "hammered home"
Still, an interesting idea and worth a read for anyone interested in poetry and myth.
So there was a lot to like, but in the end I only gave three stars. This was partly because the mythic quality of the story meant that I struggled to really believe in, or care about, the characters involved. The other reason was that I found the very ending, which I will not describe as it would be a spoiler, rather trite and unsubtle. There were some powerful themes here, around war and peace, emnity and reconciliation, but they did feel slightly "hammered home"
Still, an interesting idea and worth a read for anyone interested in poetry and myth.
August 20, 2012
This novel started off very promising. Sheers' writing style is very readable and the book was nicely designed. Yet once one of the main characters meets his love interest, I immediately lost a lot of interest. The characters take on stock personalities and motivations beyond that point, and he does an especially terrible job of writing a female character who in all rights should be a complex and fascinating person. I realize that this is a retelling of a 13th century myth (which, to be fair, I haven't read), but if you're going to update an epic story like this, you could at least consider not falling into the same misogynistic, trite, and just plain boring tropes related to women that probably existed in the original text.
January 31, 2014
A very fine reworking of the Children of Llyr. Sheer's prose is rare in that it's lyrical without its lyricism calling attention to itself. Moving the action to WWII also worked well.
I wasn't as keen on the frame story - it seemed to provide a happy ending that wasn't really necessary, as at its heart the novel holds the premise that stories repeat themselves as they continue to be needed. The frame story seemed to tie off the ends - which doesn't make sense in this context - it cuts off the reader from the transmission.
I wasn't as keen on the frame story - it seemed to provide a happy ending that wasn't really necessary, as at its heart the novel holds the premise that stories repeat themselves as they continue to be needed. The frame story seemed to tie off the ends - which doesn't make sense in this context - it cuts off the reader from the transmission.
September 15, 2016
I love Owen Sheers writing. This re-imagining of the Mabinogion is a real gem, and his afterword puts the whole thing into context and makes it doubly fascinating.
It shines the spotlight on the nature of story-telling; why we tell stories and why the old myths and legends are so enduring. Bringing the story of Branwen up-to-date without slavishly sticking to the original he highlights universal themes - how violence perpetuates violence and how we punish those we love when things go bad for us.
Beautiful.
It shines the spotlight on the nature of story-telling; why we tell stories and why the old myths and legends are so enduring. Bringing the story of Branwen up-to-date without slavishly sticking to the original he highlights universal themes - how violence perpetuates violence and how we punish those we love when things go bad for us.
Beautiful.
May 18, 2012
Sheer's brings his poetic eye to this difficult challenge of re-setting the Second Branch of The Mabinogion - probably the most bloody and violent of all the Mabinogion stories. He gives it a modern but lyrical location which allows for the tragedy without sensationalising it. He weaves a clever and well crafted story, but somehow the end resolves too quickly, as though hurried and it all becomes a bit obvious. Worth reading though.
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