Scan barcode
yasminfoster's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
moon110581's review against another edition
3.0
Omg I finished! I thought when I got it I would just read stories from it between other books i was reading, but that didn't work out like that. I was also somewhat intimidated by the language and format of these very old stories, but once I got started in earnest I fell into the rhythm of them.
I got this as the beginning of a long list of books related to Arthurian legend, the Mabinogion having some of the earliest Welsh stories related to King Arthur. I wish I had worked harder to find an annotated edition because I had to look stuff up a lot. A lot of the names are early Welsh versions of familiar Arthurian names, and a lot of times it was difficult to understand the overall point of a story that is so long and seemingly meandering. Many are repetitive and there are many that use the power of the number three, I noticed.
The beginning stories are all early Welsh stories unrelated to king Arthur but still interesting. I was particularly interested in learning about Rhiannon. The last four or so stories are King Arthur adjacent, as he isn't really the point of any of them, he just is there and it's his knights that make up the story. Peredur seemed the nicest to women and sought out vengeance because of the ill treatment of two dwarves. Violence is a big trend in these stories, with most knights being considered strong and important by their ability to murder people.
Anyway, I'm proud of myself for finally getting through the Mabinogion and I'm looking forward to the rest of my Arthurian legend list!
I got this as the beginning of a long list of books related to Arthurian legend, the Mabinogion having some of the earliest Welsh stories related to King Arthur. I wish I had worked harder to find an annotated edition because I had to look stuff up a lot. A lot of the names are early Welsh versions of familiar Arthurian names, and a lot of times it was difficult to understand the overall point of a story that is so long and seemingly meandering. Many are repetitive and there are many that use the power of the number three, I noticed.
The beginning stories are all early Welsh stories unrelated to king Arthur but still interesting. I was particularly interested in learning about Rhiannon. The last four or so stories are King Arthur adjacent, as he isn't really the point of any of them, he just is there and it's his knights that make up the story. Peredur seemed the nicest to women and sought out vengeance because of the ill treatment of two dwarves. Violence is a big trend in these stories, with most knights being considered strong and important by their ability to murder people.
Anyway, I'm proud of myself for finally getting through the Mabinogion and I'm looking forward to the rest of my Arthurian legend list!
sarapittock's review against another edition
4.0
It was really interesting reading Arthurian legend in its Welsh orgins. I do with the boom was formatted differently. I can't stand it when lines of dialouge from different characters are in the same paragraph.
dylanjarman's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
At times very dull, with absolutely none of the lyricism of Gillian Clark's translation of Y Gododdin, for comparison. I may try a different translation.
themshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
laneamagya's review against another edition
5.0
A good translation of one of the most important extant European mythological texts.
hexatrance's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
An enjoyable set of stories in a solid translation. As with all Medieval stories collected across several manuscripts, the chronology and pacing varied a lot. Geraint had a really strong chronology whereas the fourth branch jumped all over the place. I soon learnt to just go with the vibes to enjoy it, although it was slower from page to page than I expected. It might be the density of the text/font on the page, or the over 50 pages of notes for a under 230 page text (that I made sure to keep checking for anything that helps my Welsh learning). It's for sure I text I need and want to return to several more times.
hilltroy99's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Real weird! Some stories were pretty fun and interesting, some long, convoluted, opaque, and even boring. But this is my first stop on my King Arthur journey!
queenpebbles's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
abissette's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated