Customer Reviews

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved this book but I really think you have to have read Byatt's Booker Prize winning novel, "Possession," in order to best understand and relate to the stories in "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye."

In "Possession," Byatt created two wonderful Victorian characters, Randolphe Ash and Christabel La Motte, both writers. Two of the fairy tales contained in this collection of Byatt originals, "The Glass Coffin," and "Gode's Story," are the work of "Ash" and "La Motte." This is not to say that a reader will not enjoy them if he or she has not read "Possession." It only means that he will not derive the maxiumum amount of enjoyment from the stories.

The other two stories, "The Story of the Eldest Princess" and "Dragons' Breath," as well as the title novella, are meditations on the art of storytelling and all are very good. "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye," in particular, is excellent. The only thing I didn't like about some of these stories, "The Story of the Eldest Princess," especially, is the thread of feminisim that runs through them. But, on further reflection, I suppose that is typical of all fairy tales, to some extent.

"The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye," tells the tale of a modern day storyteller who loves to meditate on the tales of Scheherazade. It is a rather pessimistic tale, from some standpoints, though not entirely, and the storyteller is a very clever one. She proves this cleverness when she winds up with a djinn of her very own.

Byatt's characters never seem to be black or white; instead, they are simply people with very differing views on life and the choices that should be made. The characters in this book are no different and that is one of things that makes them so charming and believable.

These aren't the typical "happily ever after" fairy tales of your childhood. They are, rather, meditations and reflections instead. But they are meditations and reflections that do contain more than a bit of magic. If you like your fairy tales told with a modern touch and if you prefer them on the esoteric side, this might be a book you'll really enjoy.

If I could give this book 10 stars for the novella "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye", I certainly would. I think it is one of the three finest short stories in the English language along with Isak Dineson's "Babette's Feast" and Paul Bowles'"Delicate Prey".

Two thirds of the book are devoted to this novella. There are 4 short stories that make up the other third of the book. These stories: The Glass Coffin, Gode's Story, Tale of the Eldest Princess, and Dragon's Breath, are very well constructed adult fairy tales and well worth reading.

However "The Dijinn in the Nightingale's Eye" is exceptional. In this story, Gillian, a middleaged scholar is in Istanbul for a conference of experts on myths, legends, and fairy tales. Her husband has divorced her after their two daughters had grown and left home. From here the story starts to spin story within story in rich overlays of meaning and metaphor. Gillian is an expert in wishes since she is an expert in fairy tales. The wisdom of her three wishes drives the tale. We are treated to an interpretation of one of Chaucer's tales as well as a re-telling of Gilgamesh.

I am certain that rich feminist interpretations are possible, considering the images of the role of women that change throughout the book. The characters go to St. Sophia (named after the feminine aspect of the Holy Spirit) where they put their finger into a hole in a marble column that remains forever moist.

The writing was very erotic for a fairy tale. The Djinn appears nude in Gillian's hotel room, he is 20 times larger than a human, as are his genitals. Byatt then tales us of the overpowering smell of masculinity coming from this handsome giant creature.

The Djinn tells tales of his 1000 year existence in the courts of Arab kings. His tales of love reveal that his heart is as mature as the heart of Gillian, making them a wonderful match for the adventures they undergo.

I was thoroughly entertained with the wisdom of each of Gillian's three wishes and her ability to string out these three wishes as she gained more knowledge of the Djinn. It is her final wish that reveals the ultimate power in the Universe, at least from my perspective. Maybe this is why I was so captivated by Byatt's wonderful novella.

I read the novella twice over the last 5 years and it remains unforgettable for me. I can not recommend it more strongly.

I've always found A.S. Byatt to be not only entertaining, but also educational. Reading her books is like attending an English lecture by a favorite professor. Suddenly you realize that three hours have gone by and you've been so engrossed that you didn't notice. A.S. Byatt is a wordsmith of the highest order. Her little volume of tales provides a feast for anyone who enjoys the vagaries of the English language. Who wouldn't want to be a "narratologist", like the main character in the title story? I love that word....wish I'd coined it myself! The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, a collection of adult fairy tales, provides a delightful juxtoposition of fantasy and reality, present and past. Things are not what they seem. But of course, if you know anything about fairy folk, you already know this to be true. It's a real treat to find fairy tales that capture the shifting, mercurial nature of "the little people." If you think you're too old for fairy tales, read a few from Byatt's book. Just remember to keep your wits about you lest the author catch you unawares, blissfully expecting a "happily ever after" that never arrives.

If you've already read the two stories in this collection that are culled from "Possession" and wonder whether it's worth buying them a second time, don't hesitate! The book is worth buying for the brilliant title story alone.

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye is, as always among Byatt's works, an elaborate celebration of a myriad of literary sources, many of which are fundamental to our culture. And in speaking of "our" culture here, she is, more than in any of her other works, showing us a world culture, with English, Turkish, Greek, Babylonian and other themes all presented and compared in the best tradition of The Golden Bough. However, rather than being an arid search after lost cultural history, the story makes all these legendary themes current and relevant in an up-to-the-minute context.

Gillian Perholt is another of Byatt's low-relief semi-self-portraits. Her descriptions of decay and lost youth can be rather gloomy, but here we get a wonderfully optimistic portrait which leaves the reader, finally, with a glow of well-being, and a real sympathy with the character and the author.

The book, or at least this story, although short and sweet, re-emphasises the extraordinary range and literary power of Byatt. It is full of succulant language good enough to read out loud. She must rank among the 3 or 4 best authors writing in English today.

I was nurtured by my mom on myth, folk tale, and fairy stories as a child, so it was a delight for me to read "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye." A.S. Byatt led me down ancient winding streets in exotic places to bring me to myself. This is the goal of all successful fairy tales and this modern fairy story accomplishes that goal.

The protagonist, Gillian Perholt, is a modern woman, and that is what gives this tale its "life spark" and makes the concept of writing a fairy tale work so well. The other four stories echo the formula of all past fairy tales, and so they seem stilted and lifeless. "Once upon a time," the trademark of tales, worked in the past because it added a sense of timelessness to the story. But we need to remember that when the original tales were told, the lifestyle that was being described was a lifestyle that everyone could still basically identify with. This made the stories timeless and relevent. As children, we were only aware of the magic and adventure of these old stories and sometimes the shadows of the story's message, but as adults we need a fairy tale to have a sense of immediacy and timelessness, as indeed they did for people who heard them in the past. The old tales were meant for children and adults alike, and for a modern tale of the same genre, the same two conditions need to hold true.

Gillian is modern. She is middle aged, divorced and independent. She is bright, and conflicted about herself - taking pride in her intellect and scholarly accomplishments and having doubts about her disirability. There is also a continuous thread of anxiety about death that permeates Gillian's personality. All these factors, as well as descriptions of air flights and luxury hotels, gives the story its immediacy. Gillian travels the world to lecture in her specialty:"narrology." This means she is an expert on folk tales and legends from around the world and draws analogies between them to locate universal truths. Gillian has always had a great imagination, and at first, during her scholarly wanderings, we think it is this imagination and life's disappointments that play tricks with her mind. But when she is given "the Nightingale's Eye," (a beautiful old glass bottle)as a gift, we find ourselves in a full blown fairy tale with magic, wit, adventure, errotic pleasures, and intellectual games. Now we are willing to buy into Byatt's beautiful writing because it gratifies on all levels.

So far as I can tell, the Djinn story is the only original thing in this book. The other stories are lifted from her novels in truncated form, kind of pasted in to inflate the size into a book rather than the single story of the title; this is a bit cheap.

Nonetheless, the quality of the Djinn story is simply exceptional, a five-star performance that is perceptive, funny, hopeful, and sad. The protagonist is a middle-aged divorcee, whose entire life is displayed in a single magical instant that transforms her - but not her fate. The images are fabulously well drawn, unforgettable really, and will remain engraved in my memory for the rest of my life. Moreover, the subtlety of the encounter with the supernatural is full of delicious ambiguities and a peek into the fantastic that is one of the best I have ever encountered. I loved it, laughed, and felt wonder all at the same moment.

So I would warmly recommend this book, so long as the reader knows that the rest of it is somewhat disappointing.

Ms. Byatt is an extraordinarily talented writer, and The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye is plenty of proof for any dissenters. Although I have not read Possession (which contains most of the fairy tales collected here), these stories, good as they are, seem like they are part of a missing whole, and seem to yearn for a destination to take the reader to. If the individual plots of each tale were stronger (as fairy tales need a strong plot), I would have been more satisfied with this book. As it is, however, Ms. Byatt shows a wonderful sense of language, which she uses sparingly but with great imagination and tenacity. She reminds me of that other great English novelist, Jane Austen.

_The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye_ is a collection of five stories, or more accurately, four stories and a novella, since the title story is actually quite long; it takes up half the book.

First we have "The Glass Coffin", which is excerpted from the novel _Possession_. It's a fairly standard princess-rescuing sort of fairy tale, starring a young man who chooses adventure over good sense, and is rewarded for it.

Then comes "Gode's Story", also from _Possession_, which is about a man who returns from sea to find his lover deeply changed. It was great within the setting of the novel, and set the mood perfectly when Christabel traveled to Brittany, but standing alone it's a rather depressing story. It works better in context.

"The Tale of the Eldest Princess" is simply delightful. The princess goes out on a quest, keenly aware that the eldest child in stories always fails in his or her quest, and usually because of arrogance. This is the story of how the princess consciously tries to make the story go differently this time. In the end she finds something she didn't even know she was looking for.

"Dragon's Breath" is a story of bored villagers who gain a new perspective after volcanic creatures destroy most of their town; suddenly they come alive again with tales of tragedy, heroism, and dumb luck. Suddenly they see value in what they have. Seems awfully prophetic, considering this was published three years ago.

Finally, we come to the title story, "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye", which is a lush and romantic tale about a middle-aged professor who goes to a conference in Istanbul, and buys a pretty glass bottle that just happens to contain a djinn. It's a sensual and enchanting tale of a woman learning new things about herself. It is so richly written that Byatt can refer to the remote control as "the black lozenge" without sounding ridiculous. We are immersed in a world of hotels and shops, described so lushly that they feel like scenes from Arabian Nights tales of many years ago, despite their modernity. And while we know, from other tales, what the woman's third wish will be, the ending is written beautifully and doesn't feel cliched.

All in all, a wonderful collection of tales.

A.S Byatt is one of the most talented and brilliant writers today. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye is an engaging collection of adult fairy tales that are a delight to read. Byatt has a wonderful way with the English language. Her writing is delicate and precise without being too precious. "The Story of the Eldest Princess," "The Glass Coffin," and "Dragon's Breath" are my favorites. Byatt has such incredible range and depth, and it shows in this fine short story collection. This is not a large volume, there are only five stories here, but it's a wonderful way to spend a few hours transported into other worlds by an extremely talented writer. Highly recommended...

I've read most of A.S. Byatt's work, including Possession. One of the strongest feelings that book and her others engendered in me was the compassion and care for her characters. While not always gentle, she understands that life has to be lived even with the sorrow that comes from painful mistakes and lifelong regrets.

While the Gillian of the title story may be a stand-in for Byatt herself, the desire to observe and record and her feelings of superfluousness because of her age, is something many of us can relate to. The beauty of the Genie's own story and his inclusion in Gillian's is tender and hopeful.

I've owned this collection for a year and reread it every few months. Like those other great female voices of the 20th century, Angela Carter and Isak Dinesen, she tells modern fairy tales that still contain more than a hint of the fabulous.