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rasy's review
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Currently in a slump and this anthology is not helping as I hoped it to be đ
Nonetheless, the epics, fable and moral tales provided a tang of nostalgia. Fond of the historical information written in the footnotes.
Nonetheless, the epics, fable and moral tales provided a tang of nostalgia. Fond of the historical information written in the footnotes.
ebonyutley's review
2.0
Hereâs the thing. Folktales are an oral tradition, and when theyâre read, it should be a few at a time, not a hundred in a couple sittings. The beauty of the tales wore off very quickly and soon became a devolution into violence, patriarchy, and the unnecessary, brutal death of women which is always the result of violence+patriarchy.
The first few tales are promising. They encourage women to listen to their instincts and warn them about treacherous men, but soon, tale after tales is about deception and destruction which can be useful for pedantry but not for enjoyment when youâre reading them one right after the other in a single sitting. I put the book down for a few days and came back. Unfortunately, itâs not organized in a way that allows the reader to find what theyâre looking for. Similar tales are grouped together, but you donât know what the tale is until you begin reading.
Quite honestly, I often wished I were reading the original sources the author cites. They seem to be more thorough and provide more context. When she does context itâs 98% of the time to Europe or The States, as if Africa isnât right next door to the region. Except for one Anansi reference, she completely missed the connections to African folkloric traditions. At some point, I wondered whether she just republished folklore other people had already documented. It often felt like something was missing from her version.
I know a lot is lost in translation and again a book is not oral tradition, but some were so matter of fact, I know they werenât told that way. I know there was more description of nature, more repetition, more slang than she included. All in all, if youâre looking for folklore from the southeast Asian corner of the world, this book includes it, but if youâre looking for the flavor of region, intercontinental connections, critiques of violence and patriarchy in folklore, then this book isnât it.
The first few tales are promising. They encourage women to listen to their instincts and warn them about treacherous men, but soon, tale after tales is about deception and destruction which can be useful for pedantry but not for enjoyment when youâre reading them one right after the other in a single sitting. I put the book down for a few days and came back. Unfortunately, itâs not organized in a way that allows the reader to find what theyâre looking for. Similar tales are grouped together, but you donât know what the tale is until you begin reading.
Quite honestly, I often wished I were reading the original sources the author cites. They seem to be more thorough and provide more context. When she does context itâs 98% of the time to Europe or The States, as if Africa isnât right next door to the region. Except for one Anansi reference, she completely missed the connections to African folkloric traditions. At some point, I wondered whether she just republished folklore other people had already documented. It often felt like something was missing from her version.
I know a lot is lost in translation and again a book is not oral tradition, but some were so matter of fact, I know they werenât told that way. I know there was more description of nature, more repetition, more slang than she included. All in all, if youâre looking for folklore from the southeast Asian corner of the world, this book includes it, but if youâre looking for the flavor of region, intercontinental connections, critiques of violence and patriarchy in folklore, then this book isnât it.
khairun_atika's review
3.0
"The more I read, the more I discovered that these tales had a special kind of magic which enabled them to travel long distances, moving and adapting to suit the needs of a particular society at a particular time." - Nusantara: A Sea of Tales by Heidi Shamsuddin
I have always been a fan of folk tales. As a young child, my mother would read both English and Malay story books to me, so I was just as familiar with Cinderella as I was with Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. Reading this compilation of folklore from the Nusantara was a delight.
This book is made up of 61 wonderful adaptations of fables, myths and folk tales that hail from various countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Bruneis. They are filled with romance, adventure, tragedies and most importantly, a hint of magic and fantasy. Richly layered and concise, these short stories make for a very enthralling and engaging read.
I particularly enjoyed how the stories were categorised based on various themes. For example, there are many variations to the story of Si Tanggang. The reader learns of how the story differs when being told in different countries in the Nusantara. It is an illuminating insight into in spite of time and even location, the essence of the story remains the same.
It is also always a welcome treat for readers to experience diversity and the celebration of the culture and traditions of the Nusantara. I for one enjoyed the treat of a compilation of familiar and fantastic fables that remind me of my race's culture and history. It is definitely a book I would want to have in my personal collection.
I have always been a fan of folk tales. As a young child, my mother would read both English and Malay story books to me, so I was just as familiar with Cinderella as I was with Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah. Reading this compilation of folklore from the Nusantara was a delight.
This book is made up of 61 wonderful adaptations of fables, myths and folk tales that hail from various countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Bruneis. They are filled with romance, adventure, tragedies and most importantly, a hint of magic and fantasy. Richly layered and concise, these short stories make for a very enthralling and engaging read.
I particularly enjoyed how the stories were categorised based on various themes. For example, there are many variations to the story of Si Tanggang. The reader learns of how the story differs when being told in different countries in the Nusantara. It is an illuminating insight into in spite of time and even location, the essence of the story remains the same.
It is also always a welcome treat for readers to experience diversity and the celebration of the culture and traditions of the Nusantara. I for one enjoyed the treat of a compilation of familiar and fantastic fables that remind me of my race's culture and history. It is definitely a book I would want to have in my personal collection.
sn_fiq's review
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
3.0
Banyak cerita yang berulang. Mungkin pointnya nak bagitau cerita banyak dari asas yang sama tapi kalau dipelbagaikan ceritanya, mungkin lebih menarik.
brewingwriter's review
4.0
Nusantara: A Sea of Tales by @heidishamsuddin is a collection of folklore, fairy tales, myths and legends from the Nusantara region.
This book consists of â¨61 short stories⨠from various countries within the region.
The author uses the term Nusantara to group tales from countries that share the Austronesean language. Some of these countries are â Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, East Timor, Madagascar, Taiwan and Guam (map in blog post)
This book consists of â¨61 short stories⨠from various countries within the region.
The author uses the term Nusantara to group tales from countries that share the Austronesean language. Some of these countries are â Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Southern Thailand, the Philippines, East Timor, Madagascar, Taiwan and Guam (map in blog post)
earlgreybooks's review
3.5
This is a collection of 61 folklore or mythological stories from various countries in the Nusantara region. Iâm not really a fan of Western fairytales, though I do enjoy mythology, but I thought Iâd give this one a go as I havenât read many books from or set in this region before. I did really enjoy it, though admittedly more for learning a little about these different countries and their storytelling than for the stories themselves. Itâs really interesting to see how the stories differ from country to country, but also are similar to stories from outside the region as well. This is a pretty small collection and while there are a few notes about where the stories come from and what they might mean, it was just a very basic explanation so Iâll definitely consider looking out for some other collections of stories from the Nusantara region with more of that analytic side to them in the future!
emhi's review
The book did what it set out to do. Unfortunately it kind of felt like reading a textbook so I couldn't finish it.
bookmehnia's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
{14/2022} 4/5đ 223 pages
Reading this book has certainly brought back all my childhood memories when we were told all the stories of fairytales and fables; mesmerised by all kinds of folk tales. My siblings and I would be surrounding our grandmother and sometimes our mother while listening to all the magical tales. Sometimes, the stories were spontaneously told whenever something which reminded or connected to it happened.
These were mainly our alternative entertainment sources. Storytelling, especially involving all the folk tales during those days where social medias, I think, would surrender to its magnaminous power - is every child favourite past time.
âNusantaraâ contains 61 collection of stories from mainly around South East Asia, that most of us would have grown up listening to. Characters like Pak Pandir, Sang Kancil, all those beautiful princesses and handsome princes have become synonymous and are staple tunes to our ears.
Interestingly, these stories would always have their connections to sometimes the history and geological landscapes of where the stories come from. What makes them more interesting, not only these stories have strong familiarity and similarity between the SEA counterparts, but also to some of their Western counterparts in terms of the characters and storylines like Cinderella, Rapunzel and others.
I love the fact though how gullible could children be in terms of their belief to the stories, subconsciously, they would be able to instill the in-depth moral values and life lessons from them, as each story has its own valuable moments.
Some of these stories also meticulously deliver constructive social criticism that never get lost in time. So apt and applicable even at the present moment no matter how one would argue how âancientâ they have become.
This is a book that I would gladly pass down to my kids and become the centre of our discussions. No matter how modern is the life that they were born into, they must never forget their roots - how their ancestors have diligently deliver special lessons through time.
A must read if you wanted to go down that memory lane.
#justreaddontbawang
Reading this book has certainly brought back all my childhood memories when we were told all the stories of fairytales and fables; mesmerised by all kinds of folk tales. My siblings and I would be surrounding our grandmother and sometimes our mother while listening to all the magical tales. Sometimes, the stories were spontaneously told whenever something which reminded or connected to it happened.
These were mainly our alternative entertainment sources. Storytelling, especially involving all the folk tales during those days where social medias, I think, would surrender to its magnaminous power - is every child favourite past time.
âNusantaraâ contains 61 collection of stories from mainly around South East Asia, that most of us would have grown up listening to. Characters like Pak Pandir, Sang Kancil, all those beautiful princesses and handsome princes have become synonymous and are staple tunes to our ears.
Interestingly, these stories would always have their connections to sometimes the history and geological landscapes of where the stories come from. What makes them more interesting, not only these stories have strong familiarity and similarity between the SEA counterparts, but also to some of their Western counterparts in terms of the characters and storylines like Cinderella, Rapunzel and others.
I love the fact though how gullible could children be in terms of their belief to the stories, subconsciously, they would be able to instill the in-depth moral values and life lessons from them, as each story has its own valuable moments.
Some of these stories also meticulously deliver constructive social criticism that never get lost in time. So apt and applicable even at the present moment no matter how one would argue how âancientâ they have become.
This is a book that I would gladly pass down to my kids and become the centre of our discussions. No matter how modern is the life that they were born into, they must never forget their roots - how their ancestors have diligently deliver special lessons through time.
A must read if you wanted to go down that memory lane.
#justreaddontbawang
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