Book Reviews
5/3/2017
By Neil Gaiman
W. W. Norton & Company
Feb. 7, 2017
$25.95
304 pages
“Norse Mythology”
With the upcoming release of the “American Gods” television show, Neil Gaiman bends his mythological mind and undeniable storytelling prowess to classical tales from deep in the past. With his trademark blend of wit and wonder, Gaiman weaves together the known and unknown tales from ancient Scandinavia into a phenomenal epic. Managing to make these old stories new again, with a wryly modern voice, he spins the tales of Thor, Odin, Freya and Baldur together into a breathtaking adventure for all ages.
Dramatic, bold and colorful, “Norse Mythology” demonstrates why these stories remain relevant and continue to enthrall even after all this time. The rhythmic cadence and decadent richness of the words are both lively and beautiful. The audio version is spectacular; these pages simply beg to be read out loud. It is a perfect bedtime story for anyone, young or old, with a love of history, adventure or just a good yarn.
— Review by Julie Goodrich
By Adam Hochschild
Mariner Books
March 7, 2017
Paperback $15.99
480 pages
“Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939”
In this very readable account of the civil war in Spain, Hochschild writes of the war by weaving accounts of volunteers from the United States within the chronology of the war. He writes of Robert Hale Merriman, who joined the International Brigades and was soon badly wounded after being commanded to lead his men on a suicidal mission. And he tells of the young Jewish man who left his American college life without parental knowledge or permission to fight in Spain, only to die almost immediately. We also meet the other more well-known figures such as Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell.
In the end, the inability to even buy arms from other countries crippled the Republic in its struggle to stand up to the armed forces of Franco, which received substantial support from Hitler and Mussolini. Hochschild has created an impressive study of this first battle against fascism which is about to overcome Europe.
— Review by Harriet Leitch
