The Nightingale

by Kara Dalkey

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441574467
• ISBN13: 9780441574469
• Release Date: April 1991
• Publisher: Ace Books
• Length: 215 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Very nice retelling.

Kara Dalkey, The Nightingale (Ace, 1988)During the late eighties, Ace Book released a series based on fairytales, of which this is one. Dalkey retells the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale of the nightingale, changing the setting to Japan (because, she says, she knows more about Japan than she does China) and extending it to novel length.A fine little work it is. Dalkey has taken the cast of characters form the tale, expanded on it, and fleshed out the existing bunch to give us a fine little tale. It is well-paced, intricate, and a joy to read. Along the way, the reader alsogains some knowledge of various Japanese cultural traditions. Quite fun, and highly recommended. ****

Good, but with some notable errors

I am rather fond of the story of the Nightingale (I wrote a modernized version for a Spanish class which went well), and looked for a copy of this novel for a long period of time with no success. I finally found a copy in Ashland, Oregon, while on my first visit to the Shakespeare Festival (amazing, just amazing, though this is a side note), and read it on the long trip home. I had no problems with it then, and enjoyed the story, but now having read more about Japanese folklore and spending time with people who speak Japanese, it is harder to thoroughly enjoy. "Kitsune" and "Hidoi", for example, would certainly never be used as names, and the moon deity Tsuki-Yomi is male, not female. However, if one does not take every detail too seriously, the overall spirit is engaging and the characters are endearing (except, perhaps, the Emperor, of whom we simply do not see enough). Recommended, for light reading.

A charming retelling

The Nightingale is an entry in the Fairy Tale series including such notables as Briar Rose (Jane Yolen) and Snow White and Rose Red (Patricia C. Wrede). Dalkey retells the familiar story of the nightingale-- in a setting of feudal Japan rather than the original China. Dalkey is clearly fond of Japanese culture, and her knowledge of the many different aspects of its religions is impressive. She builds an evocative Japanese background and fills it with new interpretations of an old fairy tale. The nightingale is no longer a bird, but a very human woman whose flute is a tool through which dead ancestors seek vengeance on the emperor. Quite enjoyable; rather like her newer novels Little Sister and The Heavenward Path for an older audience.