Scan barcode
arwenauthor's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit to being very disappointed by this. Perhaps it was a very bad edition, I don't know. But this just didn't grip me - as evidenced by how long it took me to read. I kept expecting us to return to Shaharezard in the 'present' of the novel and see what was happening with her and her sister - but this NEVER happened! Not even at the end. It just ended with another tale.
And the tales themselves... I really wanted to like them. I did. But, a lot of them were... pretty unexciting to read. I can imagine them being different if they were orally told - real storytelling as intended. But as a written piece, some of them just came across as over-convoluted and difficult to keep a track of. Not all of them - I enjoyed Aladdin and a few others that are more well known. I wonder if the well-known ones were more accessible because I knew them, or if they are more well known in the first place because of their accessibility?
I think this speaks something of how the nature of stories has changed. We are a different age now - and correspondingly expect something different from the books that we read. Is it progression, or just different? Not to scorn writing from the past, but, in some ways, it does seem to be progress. (I wonder whether I will get hated for saying this?) We have refined the art as time goes by. This isn't to say that old writing is not worthwhile, by ANY means. But it must be read with a different "filter" on, so to speak. Some may be as easy and accessible as modern writing (think Austen, Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters) but much is simply harder work. As modern readers, we are presented things in a different way.
Of course, these stories are also meant to be TOLD, not to be read, which changes things dramatically. Story-telling has changed less than the written world of stories. It is easier to be engaged with an individual (if they are a good storyteller) acting and being the story, making the room around you the sea, the Sultan's palace, the desert. This engagement is lost on paper, meaning that story-telling stories do not translate well to books in my opinion.
Back to the Arabian Nights - I wanted to like them, and there were individual stories that were enjoyable - but, overall, I was sadly disappointed.
And the tales themselves... I really wanted to like them. I did. But, a lot of them were... pretty unexciting to read. I can imagine them being different if they were orally told - real storytelling as intended. But as a written piece, some of them just came across as over-convoluted and difficult to keep a track of. Not all of them - I enjoyed Aladdin and a few others that are more well known. I wonder if the well-known ones were more accessible because I knew them, or if they are more well known in the first place because of their accessibility?
I think this speaks something of how the nature of stories has changed. We are a different age now - and correspondingly expect something different from the books that we read. Is it progression, or just different? Not to scorn writing from the past, but, in some ways, it does seem to be progress. (I wonder whether I will get hated for saying this?) We have refined the art as time goes by. This isn't to say that old writing is not worthwhile, by ANY means. But it must be read with a different "filter" on, so to speak. Some may be as easy and accessible as modern writing (think Austen, Shakespeare, the Bronte sisters) but much is simply harder work. As modern readers, we are presented things in a different way.
Of course, these stories are also meant to be TOLD, not to be read, which changes things dramatically. Story-telling has changed less than the written world of stories. It is easier to be engaged with an individual (if they are a good storyteller) acting and being the story, making the room around you the sea, the Sultan's palace, the desert. This engagement is lost on paper, meaning that story-telling stories do not translate well to books in my opinion.
Back to the Arabian Nights - I wanted to like them, and there were individual stories that were enjoyable - but, overall, I was sadly disappointed.
tealmango's review against another edition
3.0
Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/classic-books-roundup/
doc_k55's review against another edition
3.0
I can't help but feel that something is missing.... like the end?
The stories are charming and many are familiar - either in their own, original guise OR as they have been co-opted by Christianity, Judaism and Western culture. Mostly, they are short - so that one or two can be read at a time without the reader losing his/her place. However, as in any "ancient" book, there are multiple versions, with multiple translators and multiple authors. Over time, stories have been added and removed, and, at least per Wikipedia, left us with many more than the original ninth-century volume revealed. (Although who even knows if that was the original.) The end result is that not all versions of this book are the same, and some contain tales others omit. This particular version has no end to Scheherazade's story, as noted by other reviewers, which is a significant omission and a bit of a disappointment, as it leaves the story with no closure. Not sure if I will tackle other versions but I found this mostly entertaining, though most of the stories are not particularly memorable.
The stories are charming and many are familiar - either in their own, original guise OR as they have been co-opted by Christianity, Judaism and Western culture. Mostly, they are short - so that one or two can be read at a time without the reader losing his/her place. However, as in any "ancient" book, there are multiple versions, with multiple translators and multiple authors. Over time, stories have been added and removed, and, at least per Wikipedia, left us with many more than the original ninth-century volume revealed. (Although who even knows if that was the original.) The end result is that not all versions of this book are the same, and some contain tales others omit. This particular version has no end to Scheherazade's story, as noted by other reviewers, which is a significant omission and a bit of a disappointment, as it leaves the story with no closure. Not sure if I will tackle other versions but I found this mostly entertaining, though most of the stories are not particularly memorable.
sorceress_digi's review against another edition
3.0
Wasn’t really into the storytelling style. Half the time it was putting me to sleep.
tech189's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
4.0
nasabl3's review against another edition
4.0
Not my favorite read, as the stories had very clearly been abridged and it was treated as a collection or random stories when the tales are all meant to be interconnected. Still I gave it 4 stars because the tales collected in it were truly wondrous and it makes sense they have lasted so long.
theresidentbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Having read a lot of literature inspired by Arabian Nights (The Wrath and the Dawn being a particular favorite), I decided to finally read the actual stories they were based on. Unfortunately, I might have done myself a disservice by purchasing an used children's copy instead of getting a more thorough edition of the tales. I did like a few of the tales themselves: Ali Baba and the Thieves and Aladdin and the Genie were particular favorites of mine. Still, I always thought these stories would have more excitement and glamour, and I was slightly disappointed by what I read. The stories very much followed the same formats, and they usually linked together in some way. All I could think while reading this is that these people would have loved ghost stories around a campfire. Or Audible. Or podcasts for that matter.
I give Arabian Nights a very tentative three stars and will acquire a more grown-up copy to see if this judgment is accurate. My copy did have beautiful illustrations so I guess it wasn't a total loss.
I give Arabian Nights a very tentative three stars and will acquire a more grown-up copy to see if this judgment is accurate. My copy did have beautiful illustrations so I guess it wasn't a total loss.
the_reading_cockatoo's review against another edition
3.0
Tập hợp những câu chuyện dân gian Ả Rập. Khá thú vị, hấp dẫn và nhiều ý nghĩa. Nhưng không phải truyện nào cũng hay, một số khá disturbing, như cuộc phiêu lưu thứ 4 của Sinbad, hay Aladin không hay và giàu nhân văn bằng bản film hoạt hình.
insideaudreyslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
What an interesting thing to read. It was such a cool experience to be like "oh so THAT's how Aladdin was intended to go??" and find how this text influenced other works. It was slow at some points but other ones were so fun.