Kate Laity is the literary Les Dawson. It takes great skill to play a piece of classical music perfectly every time. It takes a special kind of mind to understand exactly what the most dischordant and out of place note to hit would be. The intelligence and humour required made Dawson a fondly remembered entertainer. Kate Laity manages to do a similar thing with Finnish folk tales. To produce this book shows a deep understanding not just of the literature itself but an abiding passion in learning about the culture that created the tales.
Before each story is a quick introduction to say what tale the story is based on and how it has been subverted. Some twists seem quite subtle in terms of how we see things in our culture today but the more you think about it the more they rock some of the fundamental perceived views of that and any society at the time. If you have never read anything about Finnish folk stories this is a great modern twist that opens up a lot of possible more traditional views. This book was intellectually stimulating as well as being thoroughly entertaining.
Tony's Thoughts 