The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales [Paperback]

Diane Wolkstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 21, 1997

A collection of folktales gathered by the author in Haiti with comments on Haitian folklore.

Editorial Reviews

Review

File this under your folklore section and anticipate wide interest in a collection of Haitian folk stories, both from a literary and from a cultural perspective. Almost thirty stories gathered by Wolkstein provide strong literary pieces packed with diversity and varied themes. -- Midwest Book Review

Language Notes

Text: English, Creole

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Schocken (January 21, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805210776
• ISBN-13: 978-0805210774
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An unusual, charming and authentic book of Haitian folktales, August 2, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales (Paperback)

I lived in a remote village in Haiti for five years and found this book while home in the USA for a visit. I found its stories unusual and charming -- and authentic! When I returned to Haiti I had a wonderful time with my Haitian friends as I related the stories I had read in this book and they would finish telling them with me and share how their mothers and fathers had shared these same stories with them.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning Another Land, October 17, 2002

By 

Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales (Paperback)

By the author's own admission, these stories weren't necessarily the best-told she encountered while researching folk tales in Haiti. The flat page lacks the beauty of the oral tale, and some of these stories may have been a little weak in the telling; but on the page they reveal a great deal about Haiti, and are a fascinating read besides.

Folk tales reveal a great deal about a culture-what it values, how members of the society relate, what their beliefs are. These tales do exactly that. While they aren't as clear-cut, with a defined beginning, middle, and end, as American readers have become accustomed to, they do give away a great detail about Haiti. Life is unfinished; hardship is to be embraced and studied; the spirit world is right here at hand, not a million miles away above the clouds.

Even on their own, they stand as a monument to the creative act and the power of the human intellect. These stories will infect your head like a virus, spreading and replicating, until you have to pass them on. Read them casually, and you will be enlightened. Study them seriously, and you may be transformed.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quirky and Fun, July 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magic Orange Tree: and Other Haitian Folktales (Paperback)

If you're looking for stories with pat, solid endings, this is not the book for you. But, if you're looking for something that reflects the eccentricity and style of Haiti, then this is it. The stories are magical and you can almost see the people telling them for themselves! Kric?