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BOOK REVIEWS 

Romano, Lilia E. Italian Fairy Tales. New York: Hippocrene Books, 
1999. 16.95 hc. 134 pp. 

Italian Fairy Tales, called a Wonder Book, was originally published 
before 1920, and it represents a sampling of Italian Folklore. This 
"original" collection of eleven stories filled with fairy magic, goblins, 
beautiful maidens, brave youths, giants, and exquisite Italian names 
("Gennareillo," "Giovannion," "Luciella," "Filandoro," and "Cecella") is 
as refreshing as the perfume of orange groves and myrtle trees that 
figuratively waft through its pages. Maria Tatar remarked that fairy tales 
"circulate in multiple versions, reconfigured by each telling to form 
kaleidoscopic variations with distinctly different effects" (ix).1 As I read 
these stories, I found sparkling twists and gentle turns of familiar threads 
with "distinctly different effects." 

The first story, "The Quest of the Bird with the Golden Tail," begins 
with a prince being turned into a pig because his mother, a queen, 
laughed at a lame child. He learned in a dream that his only hope would 
be to be loved by a beautiful girl who would marry him. Of course, this 
is familiar, but there is more. He finds the girl, and with a twist on 
Psyche and Eros, the groom turns into a beautiful young man at night 
when he is with her, and then appears as a pig to others during the day. 
The queen is exceedingly curious about her pig-son's appeal to his 
beautiful bride, and finally intrudes on his privacy. This results in his 
turning into a bird (with a golden tail), and it begins the searching quest 
for him by his beautiful bride who must wear medieval-like iron shoes 
(another familiar motif). She is given three nuts, a chestnut, walnut, and 
peanut, from three kind ogresses she meets on her journey, and she is 
told to "Open when you are in need." The story becomes more 
complicated but ultimately has a happy ending. Though it is "original", it 
is Reconfigured from other tales. 

The text is profusely illustrated with pen and ink drawings and 
reproductions of paintings. The illustrations, by Howard Davie, are 
reminiscent of H.J. Ford, FP Jacomb Hood, and Lancelot Speed, whose 
works appear in Andrew Lang's Fairy Book Series. The pictures provide 
an education in material lore: furniture, clothing, architecture, foods, and 
even a parade celebration are pictured with revealing detail. The second 
story, "Malconseil," is illustrated with a gestural line drawing of Fantina, 
a water-temptress, that has so much energy one can almost feel the wet 
chill. 

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"The Legend of the White Chamois," about a mountain animal 
called the Slarorog, takes the reader to the Italian Alps: "up to the sky in 
a mass of abrupt peaks and deep precipices. . . slopes where only the 
hardy rhododendron and chilly edelweiss grow. . ." (Romano, 30). 
There, on Monte Ricco, spirits of the mountain guard a treasure cove, 
and there the heroic youth risks everything. "Little Goat-Face" includes 
spinning flax, "Luciella" has a Cinderella theme and includes another 
Psyche and Eros-like scene: "The lantern threw out a drop a burning oil 
which fell on the youth man's shoulder, and, awakening with a start. . . 
"Oh why have you done this?" He cried. . .and at that moment 
everything vanished from sight." (58). "Viola," the sixth story, has an 
ogre, a garden, three sisters (the older two surpassed in beauty by the 
youngest), a prince, and a thimble. It is a good story and ends, like many 
of the stories, with a verse: 

They lived in bliss till a hundred years old, 
And so my story is said and told. (70) 

"The Child of the Myrtle Tree" is a story of a mother who had seven 
sons. They pined for a daughter and sister. Soon, the family bargained 
with an old woman for a little girl, and the tale continues. The boys 
become prisoners of an ogre, and the little girl is born out a myrtle tree. 
It is a delightful story enriched by helpful animals. "Filadoro," the next 
story, has another very familiar element: "There was no staircase in the 
house, and Filadoro had to put down her hair for her mother to get up 
and down" (92). "The Fairy Kittens" and "The Three Pomegranates" 
have princes, beautiful maiden, and excellent descriptive passages. The 
last story "Little Good-for-Nothing" tells the story of Rosella, and has 
reminders of Rumpelstiltskin because of secret and mysterious naming. 

The stories are captivating and engaging. For one not familiar with 
European folk tales, the stories would be enjoyable and entertaining. For 
a reader familiar with Western lore and tales, the stories provide creative 
new twists and reconfigurations of familiar themes. These are stories of 
romance, mischief, and adventure suitable for all ages. 

Part of the enjoyment in these tales comes from the descriptive, 
impressionistic prose: "an almost invisible path to a beautiful spot where 
the poplars, the oaks, the chestnut trees, and the beeches joined overhead 
their marvelous foliage" (72), or "thousands and thousands 

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of skeins of the softest silk and finest thread beautifully tied together 
with lovely pale pink ribbons" (127). Often, according to Max Luthi2, 
descriptive prose is kept to a minimum in fairy tales. He stated: "This 
absence of all desire to describe unessential details gives the European 
fairy tale its clarity and precision." (50). But in these Italian gems, the 
author's descriptive imagination was in full force. The tales are beautiful, 
and they are written to be read silently or aloud and enjoyed. 

JACQUELINE THURSBY 

Livo, Norma J. and George Livo. The Enchanted Wood and Other 
Tales from Finland. Englewood, Co.: Libraries Unlimited, 1999. 
188pp. $27.50 

Some Finlanders will tell you that hidden deep in the waters and 
forests of their rugged country are trolls or peikkos, human-like creatures 
who live in clans or families. The peikkos also inhabit the craggy 
mountains and rolling hills. Some are noisy and have tails (Hiisi), some 
are giants (jattilainen), some are dwarfs (kaapio), and still others (keiju 
fairies) are beautiful females who can entice beautiful but unsuspecting 
men. Woven into a collection of nineteen folktales, these characters 
assume tasks and mischiefs that make it difficult (and maybe 
unnecessary) for some believers to separate myth from reality. 

To help charm and engage the rest of us with this ancient and 
complex culture, the Livos have put together a carefully researched and 
accessible text that documents and preserves the folk literature and 
culture of Finland. From the Finnish National Anthem in the beginning 
of the book, to Part IV which includes a helpful reference section, a 
bibliography, and an index, the book is informative, lucid, and engaging. 
Part I describes the folklife of the Finns, and is contextualized by the 
creation myth from the Finnish national epic, Kalevala. The land and 
climate are described, and the complex early history is carefully 
explained. The text systematically explains the adverse climatic 
conditions and how the Finns have occasionally used those conditions to 
their advantage The Introduction in Part I invites the reader into a 
mysterious world. "Come with us to the north woods," it says, "and meet 
the people with Sisu" (5) (Sisu represents guts, tenacity, and/or 
perseverance.) 

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