The King of Ireland's Son
by Padraic Colum

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Book Reviews of The King of Ireland's Son

Book Review: A Story of a Story in a Story...
Summary: 4 Stars

If that sounds a bit like life itself, it isn't. It is, rather, the exuberant piling-on and folding-in of narratives by a master story-teller. In the end, evil is trumped and love triumphant, as we always knew it would be. But like those bards of old who earned their place nearest the fire by their hypnotic words and unflagging invention, Colum delights in the texture of the telling, and assumes that old bargain with his audience, where we come to the tale with an appetite for wonder and an ability to listen, and he builds those gorgeous stage-sets and animates them with his language.

I enjoyed this somewhat less than "Nordic Gods and Heroes"; although Willy Pogony does the illustrations here as well, they are not as powerfully evocative. Also, in that other book I felt I was learning something: it was a story, but it was also "official" myth. This is just a shaggy prince story that wanders confusingly. But, though not very educational, it was still a thoroughly entertaining ramble.

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