“Difficult review to write. I believe that a reader has a certain obligation to, somewhat, set his own expectations of a book prior to reading it. My expectations of Aesop's Fables were set by my reading various professional reviews resulting in thinking that each "fable" would be a complete story. My mistake. In addition, my childhood memories of some of the fables were that each story not only held a moral but was a full narrative of some kind of event. Obviously those books had been augmented. Also, my (apparently incorrect) definition of fable was (prior to reading this book) that, again, it was a "complete" story whose goal was to teach a moral lesson.
These expectations led me to be very disappointed in this offering. Each "story" is more a very short paragraph.
The book/collection is a classic and I certainly appreciate the history of it and the role it has played in generations of readers especially children. However, I really didn't like reading this and had to force myself to finish it.
Again - readers have some responsibility in setting their own expectations. I acknowledge and accept my own failings in that responsibility.
Just didn't care for this at all. Perhaps this review will help future readers set expectations more appropriately by learning from my mistake.
That, in itself, is a fable, no?
DL”
