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Kingdoms of Elfin
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
9 posts | 3 read | 5 to read
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diovival
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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blurb
diovival
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Finally finally got to the top of my Fairyland book stack. Excited to get into it. Thanks for the recc @Bookwomble!

review
Bookwomble
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Pickpick

My second read of these stories after a 10-year period of reflection and, appreciating them more, upgraded my rating from 4 to 5 stars.
These fairies are less cute and diminutive than Shakespeare's and Drayton's, less noble and more aristocratic than Tolkien's, being capricious and casually cruel in the way of Clarke's Gentleman with the Thistledown Hair, and of the folktales that Warner has gathered, teased out & spun into coldly-glistering gold.

quote
Bookwomble
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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“Members of the ruling class are unwilling to admit themselves mistaken.”

It doesn't tax the memory greatly to think of recent examples of Warner's observation.
One obvious way of reading these stories is as a satire on the aristocracy, which generally Warner does simply by describing their absurdities and lack of empathy, then there are these occasional spikes driven through the elitist temple.

TrishB Such a great post! 3y
Bookwomble @TrishB Thanks ✌️😊 3y
21 likes2 comments
review
bookishbitch
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Mehso-so

Found at a yard sale. Bought because of the cover. It took me far too long to read this collection of short stories. It was a bit of a slog for me. Some were very good which is why I didn't give up. It has a very "literary" vibe. It turns out many of the stories appeared in New Yorker magazine which explains a lot. I am not sure I would read more by this author based on this book.

blurb
bookishbitch
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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I gave notice at my work yesterday. After 10 years of working hard for a micro-managing modern day scrooge who doesn't value his staff I had enough. Life is too short for extra stress. So now I'm in "I don't really care" mode. Reading during the lunch break. Happy to start a new job at another vet hospital soon. Dwight will be coming with me. ?

2BR02B Good for you! 👏👏👏 6y
Soubhiville I agree, good for you! Best of luck with your new adventure! 6y
9 likes2 comments
blurb
bookishbitch
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Teatime with a book is the best.

TrishB Lovely pic 💕 6y
8 likes2 comments
quote
Bookwomble
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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She was heavier than he expected - women always are.

review
Bookwomble
Kingdoms of Elfin | Sylvia Townsend Warner
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Pickpick

A collection of wickedly witty stories about an imagined world of Elfin kingdoms (though they are all ruled by rather fickle queens, and their kings tend to be in rather precarious positions). 👇👇

Bookwomble Although mainly about the Elfin aristocracy, there is also a rag-tag collection of common elfins, changelings, werewolves and humans to add a little breadth and depth. The locales are mainly northern Europe, with the occasional excursion to eastern Europe and the Near East. The time is vaguely 13th to 17th century - it doesn't really matter to the elfins as they live for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. 👇👇 7y
Bookwomble These aren't jolly gnomes and fairies, nor noble elves battling evil goblins: the elfins are selfish, untrustworthy, cruel and unpredictable, all beneath a veneer of courtly manners and tradition. The stories read like folktales, and like such they often end suddenly leaving you wanting more. The endings are rarely good ones for the protagonists, few coming away unscathed, though you can never be quite sure. 👇👇 7y
Bookwomble Nothing is guaranteed and you usually can't predict (at least I couldn't) which way the stories will run. Fantasy and folklore, murder and the macabre, wonder and wit: brilliant! 7y
TobeyTheScavengerMonk This sounds up my alley. Will track it down. 7y
Bookwomble @TobeyTheScavengerMonk It's worth the effort. Warner's witty and unsentimental. Bad things happen in amusing ways 😊 7y
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