What's it about?
This is two books in one, where Nathaniel Hawthorne retells the Greek myths for children (or as the book says, young people). Part of me wishes I knew more about the Greek myths so that I could do a better comparison. Both books are narrated by a character called Eustace Bright who tells stories to his younger cousins. The classic myths of Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts and King Midas are all here, and they are told in a way that has a light humour to it. From reading these stories I came away thinking that in Ancient Greece all the young men walked around looking for dragons to kill or other such adventures, and were not satisfied until they had risked their lives doing something noble.
What was good?
Of all Hawthorne's books this was the most readable. The heroes were lovable, and the nature of the stories made them compelling to read. Hawthorne did a good job in his retelling, it was easy to get lost in the story. I suppose that not knowing the stories that well to begin with, meant that I enjoyed them more, as I was not always aware of what the outcome would be. For that reason The Pomegranate Seeds became my favourite story, and to my surprise King Pluto my favourite character.
What was bad?
Eustace Bright appears a little bit at the start of Tanglewood Tales but the interaction between himself and the children when he is telling the stories is missing. Somehow that commentary made the stories more fun. Also I feel that in Ancient Greece all little girls should have been warned not to play with, or enter into conversation with, mythical creatures that come out of the ground, or appear out of nowhere. It never went well for them if they did.
Who is it for?
The book says that it is for young people, but I reckon anyone would enjoy these. It would be a nice book to read slowly and absorb.
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