Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

3.9 of 5 stars 3.90 · rating details · 1,592 ratings · 113 reviews

The magnificent title story of this collection of fairy tales for adults describes the strange and uncanny relationship between its extravagantly intelligent heroine--a world renowned scholar of the art of story-telling--and the marvelous being that lives in a mysterious bottle, found in a dusty shop in an Istanbul bazaar. As A.S. Byatt renders this relationship with a pow...more

Paperback, 274 pages

Published October 27th 1998 by Vintage International (first published 1994)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Best Fairytales and Retellings

220th out of 926 books — 5,294 voters

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard

Metafiction

83rd out of 227 books — 265 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Apr 24, 2009 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: short-stories, modern-fairy-tales, grimm, byatt, favorites, lit-english, magic-realism, literature-fairy-tale-retold-influ

I fell in love with the work of A. S. Byatt after reading her story "The Story of the Eldest Princess". I love fairy tales, but I also am the eldest child in my family and always felt a little slighted because in most fairy tales the older children fail. Even after I learned why that was, it still got tiresome. It was refreshing to read a story that approached fairy tales from the viewpoint of an eldest child who knows she is caught in the tale and what that means. It's a wonderful story for any...more

4 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2013 John rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think I have a new author to add to my quiver of favorites. This is the second book by Byatt I have read, and both have been spectacular!
Byatt’s style is poetic, lyric and beautiful. The words process like an ancient tapestry telling an epic story. Byatt’s sentences are often long and contain many phrases, but rarely do they seem clumsy or hard to follow. Instead the phrases march out a beat that leads to a clear concise thought. There is an echo of haunting in the writing as well, a note of...more I think I have a new author to add to my quiver of favorites. This is the second book by Byatt I have read, and both have been spectacular!
Byatt’s style is poetic, lyric and beautiful. The words process like an ancient tapestry telling an epic story. Byatt’s sentences are often long and contain many phrases, but rarely do they seem clumsy or hard to follow. Instead the phrases march out a beat that leads to a clear concise thought. There is an echo of haunting in the writing as well, a note of undercurrent that is terrifying, in the way that legends are terrifying.

Byatt’s writings step in and out of fantasy; they are fairy tales, everyday life interjected with the otherworldly. My appetite for fairy tales has been growing of late, and Byatt provides a feast.
The book has four shorter stories, then the much longer title story. The early stories build, each was progressively better for me.

“The Story of the Eldest Princess” lived both inside and outside the bounds of traditional fairy tales. It is a fairy tale with a self-aware participant. She knows she is in a fairy tale and tries to act accordingly. However, she is never sure if her second guessing is a correction to a wrong first choice, or self-doubt keeping her from a correct first choice. Having read Grimm’s fairy tales, it is a wonderful take on the frequent subject of three daughters/sons.

“Dragon’s Breath” contains much of the haunting I alluded to earlier. Is it a metaphor of what life is like for insects looking at humanity? Is it a cautionary tale of the destruction of society that technology brings? I have no idea, but I love it. Byatt has an outstanding observation that after surviving harrowing incidents, that the memories of those great moments in life “cast flashes and floods of paradisal light in odd places and at odd times.” It has been so true in my own life; distant memories of powerful moments flash in at very strange times. Byatt also makes a great commentary that the everyday boredom is winnowed out of stories, legends, fairy tales. Even in the midst of any epic tale, most of the time has to be spent doing the tedious, eating, sleeping, walking, relieving one’s self. Those moments never make the story.

I think it is safe to say that the title story is not like anything I have read. What would it be like if you came upon a genie (djinn) in a bottle in modern life? What would you wish for? Would you learn from the warnings of other fairy tale wishers?

Byatt’s story wanders and meanders around this topic. She has frequent precursors and foreshadowing, as well as nods back to events from a few pages ago. There is a heavy reward for paying attention, as these backtracks create a balance in the story that tips back and forth. Perhaps Byatt’s greatest strength is her beautiful wordplay. She uses many subtle puns and plays on words, and nowhere do they shine as bright as in these references to past and future parts of the story.

I couldn’t help but compare Byatt to Margaret Atwood even though their writing style is not similar. But, both deal with the supernatural in creative ways. They are only 3 years apart, Byatt being the elder, both refer back to a youth affected by World War Two. Both seem to frequently write about aging women and their body image, expressing feelings of betrayal on how their bodies have changed. I find it fascinating. I have not found male writers who write about their aging bodies in the same way.

I enjoyed the portrayals of sex in the book, it was used much in the way as it is in 1001 Arabian Nights. The expressions of sex are very eastern, free from the influence of Christianity and is damning of the flesh.

I also enjoyed the many, many references to other great works. Proust, Chaucer and, others are brought up, compared and contrasted. Byatt seems to skim the cream from these iconic writers. Each adds their drops of flavor to her tales. They help get across points the author is trying to make.

Despite deeply enjoying her previous work, Ragnarok, I approached this book skeptically. I did not think it would be a book I love, especially with such a wild name. But I fell hard for it. It is something I can strongly recommend to anyone who likes fairy tales and daydreams. Take the time to read it slowly, or even out loud. It is a book that is meant to be heard. It lands on my bookcase hall of fame.
(less)

like · see review

Sep 21, 2009 Aimee rated it 4 of 5 stars

...Because sometimes, a completely modern fairytale, so-called, just won't do.

I still have sitting on my bedside table Possession, by Byatt. It is sitting there all forlorn, halfway-read with a growth which stagnated a couple of months back, when I found I just couldn't read another page at that moment. And still I haven't reached the next moment that will make me pick up the book and continue reading it.

Possession is one of those books that's like very dark, incredibly rich chocolate brownies....more ...Because sometimes, a completely modern fairytale, so-called, just won't do.

I still have sitting on my bedside table Possession, by Byatt. It is sitting there all forlorn, halfway-read with a growth which stagnated a couple of months back, when I found I just couldn't read another page at that moment. And still I haven't reached the next moment that will make me pick up the book and continue reading it.

Possession is one of those books that's like very dark, incredibly rich chocolate brownies. The first 5, and you're absolutely loving them. But then, suddenly, the chocolate becomes a little sickly to the tongue, and then as you continue to gorge yourself, you begin to taste the ingredients by themselves, like eggs and flour, that taste so magical when mixed together but now they're just breaking apart and asserting themselves and becoming plain and unmagical, simply from too many mouthfuls. Which is why I really enjoyed Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye. It was like one sweet, rich brownie with all the same fantastical ingredients, but somehow better in its own quiet solitude.

The book itself is made up of five fairy stories, the final one taking the title's name, and also taking up about two thirds of book in the process. Like Possession, it is Victorian and romantic, but unlike Possession, you can see where the story is leading, the existence of a story arc, the precise confinement of would-be tangents.
Each of the stories play on traditional Victorian fairy tales, reminiscent of Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson (NOT Disney, thank the gods) but with little twists and knots and sudden turns that make the familiar refreshingly strange. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, the final story, is the most mixed of modern and traditional, which I somehow felt weakened the story - a little too much milk in the tea- kinda thing. Consequently, it was my most unfavourite of the lot. But the reviews I've read online seem to think that opposite, that the fifth and final, perhaps most 'original' fairy story is the triumph, the masterpiece. I admit the story is surprisingly erotic. I found myself a little heated on the bus home from work when I first encountered the character of the Djinn, whom I imagined from the description to be bald, and naked, and with an incredibly 'masculine smell', with kohl-rimmed eyes and defined lips, like an ancient Egyptian Scribe, only about 10 times bigger than a human. As are his extravagant genitals (which somehow reminded me of an elephant's trunk? Perhaps because of all the 'folds' references). He regales his 'Aladdin', modern career woman Gillian, with his love tales of 1000 years past lived in Arab palace chambers and loving his masters (or mistresses, as they tend to be). The three wishes Gillian receives and ponders play second fiddle to these stories - they seem rather than the centre of the tale, to be woven deftly inbetween his tales and their evolving passionate and philosophical discussion. Gillian's choices for her three wishes might surprise you, and the end part of the story is perfectly tantalising.

I've chosen not to go into detail about the other 4 stories, mainly because they are the more traditional style and some of them are taken from Byatt's other works, such as Possession. But also I've kept my opinions, thoughts and explanations of the four remaining stories hidden as I'd like to keep the delightful surprise of them for the reader.

They are the type of stories that you can only truly enjoy if you have your very best eiderdown quilt thrown over the top of you on a very comfortable lounge, with the wind quite still outside and the fat rain lullabying you to almost-sleep. you pick up your wine glass, and your chocolate of choice, and become so immersed in the story that you let the wine from time to time dribble down your front. And even when you become aware of your gluttony you don't care, because the feeling is so simply... delightful.

4 stars for the Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye. I wish there were more stories like them. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Oct 24, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've always loved Byatt's fairy tales, which often appear in her novels (see Possession and The Children's Book), so I was excited to find a whole book of them. And these are not only about fairly tales, they are all about the reasons we tell stories and what it means to be inside one. (Of course, that's what all Byatt's books are about on some level, but that's a theme too large for a small internet review.) There are five stories in this book, but it's more like four stories and one novella. I...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2011 Kim Grant rated it 5 of 5 stars

This one got me emotionally, intellectually, and viscerally. Five enchanting fairytales for adults that successfully triggered the magical feelings of childhood while surviving the scrutiny of adult wisdom and modern sensibilities. Clever, very clever, as A.S. Byatt certainly is.

The jist of the djinn, the namesake story? A divorced, past-her-prime, upper middle-aged professor specializing in narratology finds herself in the possession of a genie trapped inside a beautiful “nightingale eye" glas...more This one got me emotionally, intellectually, and viscerally. Five enchanting fairytales for adults that successfully triggered the magical feelings of childhood while surviving the scrutiny of adult wisdom and modern sensibilities. Clever, very clever, as A.S. Byatt certainly is.

The jist of the djinn, the namesake story? A divorced, past-her-prime, upper middle-aged professor specializing in narratology finds herself in the possession of a genie trapped inside a beautiful “nightingale eye" glass vessel given to her by a friend in Turkey. The djinn materializes as her monstrously male, shape-shifting, intellectual match at long last. He is curious, intriguing, smart, irreverent. Predictably, he must grant her three wishes.

As an expert in fairytales, Gillian must suss out this very surreal situation and expertly navigate the path, knowing full well the dangers involved in wishing. Carefully, thoughtfully, and introspectively, she wends her way into a relationship with her genie while navigating her deepest dreams and desires. They play, they plot, they learn. Cautious, wise, and tender, they find something unexpected that bends the truth between reality and fantasy.

The brevity of this book was appealing, as was its physical format: 274 pages in a tidy, 4x6 hardbound package. I am prone to fall for small and pleasing pieces of art whether they be in the form of books, bars of chocolate, etc. This deckled edge beauty boasts old-school Fournier typeface with beautiful engravings opening each of the stories. Nice. In these days of screens, efficiency and speed it felt indulgent to excuse myself to bed early, burrow into velvet-covered goosedown and commence to getting lost with my little piece of art in hand…

But I digress. The tales are intriguing, beginning as expected and then twisting and turning expertly into surprising and comical directions. I shamelessly confess to being rapt – I knew I had been played into falling for the fairytale but didn’t care. What is life if not believing in the unbelievable now and again? Delicious. A perfect late winter treat.
(less)

like · see review

Apr 04, 2010 Abeer Hoque rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-recommend

I'm torn in writing this review. I adored first four of the five fairy stories in A. S. Byatt's "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye": limpid lambent language and the twisting satisfaction of fairy plotlines, so familiar, yet surprising. True almost all of the four had elements which I could critique, like loose ends and jumpy plots (like in Dragons' Breath), or sometimes characters apparently there just as foils (like the woodsman in "The Glass Coffin" or the little thing in Gode's Story), but t...more I'm torn in writing this review. I adored first four of the five fairy stories in A. S. Byatt's "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye": limpid lambent language and the twisting satisfaction of fairy plotlines, so familiar, yet surprising. True almost all of the four had elements which I could critique, like loose ends and jumpy plots (like in Dragons' Breath), or sometimes characters apparently there just as foils (like the woodsman in "The Glass Coffin" or the little thing in Gode's Story), but the language was so divine, I couldn't possibly complain. The colours alone in "The Eldest Princess" were treat enough.

"There were a series of stormy sunsets tinged with seagreen and seaweed green. Later, there were as well as the sunsets, dawns, where the sky was mackerel puckered and underwater dappled with lime green and bottle green and other greens too, malachite and jade... But of course apple and grass and fern looked very different against this new light and something very odd and dimming happened to lemons and oranges, and something more savage and hectic to poppies and pomegranates and ripe chilies."

But the last (title) story, "The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye" stumped me. It was fully more than half the book (the other stories being story-length, and this one more of a novella), and set in the real contemporary world, yet with fantastical elements, which appeared not to change the way people acted or thought or were.

The main character is an English "narratologist" in her 50's, someone we are repeatedly told in the beginning is a being of a second order, thus we are not to like or respect her to some degree. But then the POV shifts to her (and sometimes briefly to other characters just to tell the reader what they're thinking - sloppy). She ends up being a fascinating erudite warm thoughtful person, so I'm not sure what the point was in the initial undercutting of her character.

But all that is minor compared to what the plot does. Long sequences of lectures are recounted, old fairy stories and legends and classics told and retold, visions of death and fate appear (that suddenly disappear halfway through), and countless baffling and abrupt references to narratives and authors from obscure and ancient lore (this felt like a lot like name dropping and jargon). Not that these outtakes weren't interesting, but I didn't understand their function in the plot, and their insertion was very jerky.

There was also an ongoing obsession with ageing (as per women) and female roles in history and folklore that is explored that I couldn't help but imagine was self-referential and mental masturbation only because it was not integrated into the story in any satisfactory fashion. Again, topics I personally find interesting (and that align with my politics), but why here? Or why so clumsily?

This next is perhaps my own bias, but the Muslim references were negative and/or exotified. There was a scene with a hyper fundo Islamic Pakistani man, his bejeweled and sari'ed wife and daughters (with soft laughs and soft hands and tinkling bangles). Also three hijabi women in an audience who just sat there staring defiantly into space.

The djinn plotline was romantic and lovely, but not original other than the way the scenes are described (sexy and beautiful) - her language in this story, when not academic or referential, is yet outstanding.

The whole thing felt like she threw together lectures and research on folklore and narrative and literature, combined that with diary entries and some (romantic) (colonial) thinking about djinns, and stuck it into this book. On its own, maybe it would have survived a bit better (though seriously flawed), but compared to the other luminous fairy stories in the collection, it doesn't do.

I give the book 3 stars: 1 star for the last story and 4.5 for the first four. (less)

like · see review

Jul 14, 2010 Samee rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just encountered Byatt for the first time, and despite her jaundiced view of the Harry Potter books, I have to say she's really a great read. This book contains four retellings or reimaginings of traditional fairy tales and a more realistic novella about a middle-aged professor who encounters the titular djinn on a trip to Turkey. The literary snob in me really appreciates the fact that she's a master wordsmith who also treats fairy tales seriously, but what really won me over was "The Story o...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 18, 2010 Leif Schenstead-Harris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Finding an immaculate copy of the first edition in a London used bookstore - reviewing slip hidden between the pages - I decided to indulge in reading more of Byatt's inventive and refreshing "fairy stories," tales with more than a nodding familiarity to conventions Propp would have argued for, but told with wonderful humour and sensitivity. My chance was amply rewarded: the stories in this little volume are a mix of short and long, serious and light-hearted. I particularly liked the closing tal...more

like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

The collection is a little disjointed - the earlier stories are short and a little confused, though the expressions quite beautiful at times. It wasn't until the very end of the last (most substantial) story - Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye, that words and ideas came together. I think most of the earlier short stories are explained by A.S. Byatt's fascinations - "The Glass Coffin" with glass, suspension of time within glass; "The Story of the Eldest Princess"- of Fate and falling within the narr...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2009 Destiny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: female-authors, fiction

I liked the self-awareness of the stories in this volume--how the characters were familiar with fairy tales, and that informed their actions and decisions in some way. In particular, I enjoyed "The Glass Coffin," "The Story of the Eldest Princess," and the title story for this reason. The emphasis on the act of storytelling gave me a lot to ponder. Also, I love that the title story uses the frame narrative structure--stories being told within the story--but without the neccesity of The Arabian N...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 26, 2010 Nico Our Lady of the Sacred Bonechuck rated it 3 of 5 stars

I want to do a djinn!

1 like · like · see review

Apr 13, 2013 Althea Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this for the Mythic Fiction book group here on Goodreads, but never got around to going and posting about it over there...

A collection of 5 stories - 4 very short, and one novella-length (the title story). The first 4 stories were excellent - but 4.5 stars for the first half of the book, and 2 stars for the second half (actually, it's a little more than half) averages out to 3.

The Glass Coffin -
A humble tailor granted magical gifts, a sleeping princess, an enchanted prince, an evil magic...more

like · see review

Aug 20, 2011 Anne marked it as abandoned · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, fairy-tales

I've finished all stories but the titular one. I have to say that Byatt did a remarkable job at making the stories read like fairy tales, which isn't much of a compliment if you've ever read any fairy tales. They tend to be sparse on description and characterization.

"The Glass Coffin" was a comfortably predictable fairy tale, with a slightly different ending. The "happy ending" takes a different tone that the usual "hero marries the princess" endings in most fairy tales.

"Gode's Story" is one I d...more

like · see review

Jun 30, 2009 Nwm added it

"The Glass Coffin"
Short and uninteresting, the first short story of the collection made me immediately doubt the person who recommended Byatt.

"The Miller's Daughter"
-A sad story that I had difficulty getting into initially. I don't feel as though I understood the underlying message of the story nor any of its allusions well enough to appreciate the story, but it was a decent read.

"The Story of the Eldest Princess"
An interesting take on the princess fairytale, and certainly more engaging than "...more

like · see review

Oct 28, 2007 lynne naranek rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: shortstory, 2007

Another author introduced during my class exploring fairy tales. In this case, A. S. Byatt has modern original fairy tales (as opposed to Angela Carter's modern retelling/resetting of "classic" tales) for us to enjoy.

1. The Glass Coffin: Very similar to the idea of Sleeping Beauty. Nothing too outstanding.

2. Gode's Story: kinda weird story involving a dancer with wanderlust who asks a girl to wait for him, and this girl seems to pine and wither while waiting, and somehow there's a mysterious dan...more

like · see review

Oct 09, 2007 hadashi rated it 3 of 5 stars

It’s a collection of 5 “fairy stories,” although that being said, this is the author who got the award of Number One Partypooper when she snubbed adults who like Harry Potter because it’s so simplistic and the motifs so obvious and the magic so un-numinous. Fair enough, but please. Antonia, we know you’re rivals with your author-sister, and you don’t need to do any literary name-dropping to impress us. But that’s what she does in the titular tale, as it is about a fifty-something stout English n...more

like · see review

Mar 28, 2013 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

As always, Byatt's work is stunning. The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye is a small collection of five stories - more accurately, four short fairy tales and a fifth story that's more of a novella, and follows a scholar in her 50s.

I had already read The Glass Coffin and enjoyed it, but as far as the four short pieces, The Eldest Princess might be my favourite. Her descriptions, dialogue, and characters are beautiful as always. , but it's Byatt's language that is, as usual, the most fantastic. I'v...more

like · see review

May 04, 2012 Anie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fiction, sff

I got this book and Possession out from the library at the same time. Possession, it turned out, was a huge wash for me.

This book, on the other hand. This book is great.

The highpoint of the book is the title story, which starts out a tad slow but develops beautifully. There are certainly deeper themes, but they're not overwrought; it's about someone's story, their journey, not about the themes itself. The language is elegant and rich, the story here is highly compelling, and I was sad when I fin...more

like · see review

May 06, 2013 Diana Sandberg rated it 3 of 5 stars

Four short stories in the form of fairy tales and one longer one. I quite liked the longer one, the others seemed too much like exercises (I’m Going To Write a Story Shaped Like a Fairy Tale). They also shared with many “authentic” fairy tales the quality of being thin on character and rather vague as to point. Since not having a point appears to be something of a feature of modern literature as well, I guess that makes this stuff very up to date.

like · see review

Nov 01, 2011 Leigh rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-with-style-fall-2011, fantasy, fairytales

I read this as part of a reading challenge. The subtitle to this is “A Collection of Five Fairy Stories”. This is not something I would have chosen without the challenge since I prefer novels to short stories. However, the stories are not all the same length. The last one, from which the collection gets its title, is what I would consider to be more of a novella rather than a short story.

The first four stories were just o.k. for me. They were interesting, but I didn’t think they were particular...more

like · see review

Apr 25, 2011 Bihter rated it 2 of 5 stars

strong storytelling. but I was drawn to this book the more because it was written after byatt's visit to turkey for a literary conference (organized by my beloved Istanbul University). those conferences are always a stage for drama, tears and blood. people mate, break up, teachers fall in love with their students and vice versa.

like · see review

Apr 24, 2013 Zhi Xin Lee rated it 4 of 5 stars

A much more sincere and moving read than Possession. Clever without needing to rub it in your face. I really enjoyed the weaving in of tales and fables; happily-ever-after analyses; stasis, death and freud; floating redundant -- and most of all the depth of characterisation that I certainly did not find in Possession.

like · see review

Dec 24, 2009 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wasn't at all sure if I liked this when I started, I read on, poised along the edge of yes and no. And fell to the side of yes, and then I got to the last story, a novella really, The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye. And rang like a bell. It's beautiful and deep and writing I shall return to over the years...

like · see review

Jun 16, 2012 Isla McKetta rated it 5 of 5 stars

A lovely book. I'm finding myself drawn to fairy tales lately and this one bridges modernity beautifully. The title story is especially luscious and I kind of want to turn around and read it again.

For more about how this book speaks to femininity, check out my blog.

like · see review

Apr 09, 2010 Constanze rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, short-stories, fairy-tales, gender-and-sexuality, religion, mythology, djinn

I quite enjoyed this collection of four short stories and a novella. All five stories touched on gender and sexuality, which was unexpected but welcome. They were also all very self-aware, subverting fairy tale tropes left and right. Beautifully written, if occasionally a little rambling. (Granted, the author hangs a lampshade on this in the titular story ...)

like · see review

Jan 30, 2011 Virania Munaf rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: People who love whimsical stories with reality in it :)

Shelves: favourite

I read this in late junior high/early high school. It's a wonderful introduction (more like: MY wonderful introduction) to the exhilarating world of Magical Realism. I absolutely love the inherent poetic flair of A.S Byatt and the rich cultural link in each stories.

Definitely one of my favourites!

like · see review

Apr 28, 2013 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, anthology, fairy-tales, literary

Gorgeous, beautiful book. I love Byatt's language so much, and having that language and that eye turned on fairy tales was a dream come true for me. I can't say much about this book because I really don't have much to say beyond "omg dat language" but it really is truly just beautiful.

like · see review

Dec 10, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

A short collection of original fairy tales, told with sometimes biting irony and considerable literary verve. The title story features a modern-day narratologist who has an affair with a djinn; there are many levels to its reality. My partner and I both loved the book.

like · see review

Jul 30, 2012 M— rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: short-stories, reviewed

Well executed but lacking in magic, and the author seems a bit too fond of her own voice. I liked the idea of the stories better than the actuality.

The Glass Coffin — Plays a bit with traditional quest/adventure choices and a little less with mate selection in fairy tales.

Gode's Story — Lovelorn and dancing; a study in ill-timed waiting.

The Story of the Eldest Princess — I was on board with the unusual animal helpers until we got to the cockroach. Still the best of the bunch.

Dragon's Breath — Li...more

like · see review

Oct 11, 2012 Riccardo Benussi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Purtroppo non ricordo bene questo libro ma la sensazione che mi resta dall'averlo letto �� quella di una poetica dolce e toccante... una sensazione che mi fa venire voglia di rileggerlo, appena avr�� tempo, e di consigliarlo!

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Endicott Mythic F...: * The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye - discussion	10	18	Mar 09, 2013 09:39am

combine
Other Editions (14)

More editions...

Genres

Short Stories

87 users

Fantasy

84 users

Fantasy > Fairy Tales

30 users

Literature

13 users

Magical Realism

11 users

European Literature > British Literature

8 users

Literary Fiction

8 users

Fantasy > Mythology

6 users

Contemporary

6 users

Short Stories > Short Story Collection

4 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears
by Ellen Datlow (Editor)
In the Forest of Forgetting
by Theodora Goss
Saffron and Brimstone: Strange Stories
by Elizabeth Hand
The Innamorati
by Midori Snyder
Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces
by Angela Carter

About A.S. Byatt

A.S. Byatt (Antonia Susan Byatt) is internationally known for her novels and short stories. Her novels include the Booker Prize-winning Possession, The Biographer’s Tale and the quartet, The Virgin in the Garden, Still Life, Babel Tower and A Whistling Woman, and her highly acclaimed collections of short stories include Sugar and Other Stories, The Matisse Stories, The Djinn in the Nightingale’s E...more

More about A.S. Byatt...

Books by A.S. Byatt

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Djinn in the ...

4 trivia questions

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from The Djinn in the Night...

“Once upon a time, when men and women hurtled through the air on metal wings, when they wore webbed feet and walked on the bottom of the sea, learning the speech of whales and the songs of the dolphins, when pearly-fleshed and jewelled apparitions of Texan herdsmen and houris shimmered in the dusk on Nicaraguan hillsides, when folk in Norway and Tasmania in dead of winter could dream of fresh strawberries, dates, guavas and passion fruits and find them spread next morning on their tables, there was a woman who was largely irrelevant, and therefore happy.” — 6 people liked it

“All English stories get bogged down in whether or not the furniture is socially and aesthetically acceptable.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye
avg rating	preview: The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye Goodreads rating: 3.90 (1592 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86895.The_Djinn_in_the_Nightingale_s_Eye?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320439695l/86895.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/86895.The_Djinn_in_the_Nightingale_s_Eye?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A.S. Byatt[/url]

The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website