Ukrainian Folk Tales

One of the best collections of traditional stories I've read in a long time. Many of the themes will be familiar to lovers of folk tales: you'll find several instances of the fates befalling the kindly daughter and the selfish step-daughter here; of contests between talking animals; of the foolish rich and the wise impoverished. You'll also find the tale of a disembodied mare's head inviting an abandoned child to enter it, a girl playing blind man's buff with a bear, mountains of gold and glass, and a flying ship full of fools and prodigies. Both familiar and unfamiliar tales are told in a lively and lucid manner, and the fiction is augmented by brief notes and recipes for Ukrainian dishes mentioned in the stories. This is clearly a labour of love, and a deeply enjoyable book.