Puck of Pook's Hill - Rudyard Kipling

Puck of Pook's Hill (Kipling, 1906)

It has been a long time since I've read Kipling, and I wasn't sure what to expect from this lesser-known children's book, but I was delighted to find a masterful collection of subtly intertwined stories mixing history, fantasy, and realistic intrigue.

The framing story involves two kids acting out Midsummer Night's Dream in their yard, which happens to be a fairy circle. Puck himself materializes and promises to tell them stories of old England, either from his own mouth or from the mouths of real people from history. They meet a noble Norman knight who came over with William the Conqueror and embraces Saxon life; a Roman centurion guarding Hadrian's Wall against the Picts and Vikings; a Renaissance architect who uncovers smugglers in his hometown; and a money-lending Jew (aren't they all? sheesh) whose wise dealing leads to the signing of the Magna Carta. Each chapter is bookended by poems relating to the story or theme.

I had forgotten how simply yet powerfully Kipling writes. Nary a wasted word in the evocative prose, while the poetry almost created its accompanying music on its own. When I was young, I read The Jungle Books, Captains Courageous, and various short stories and poems for content only - I think I need to go back and reread them to soak in the splendid writing technique. I guess Rudyard didn't win the Nobel Prize for nothing.

The only weakness (other than the anti-Semitic stereotype, though to be fair, the story displays the opposite of an anti-Semitic sentiment) is the framing story.  The kids are fairly faceless and don't do much besides listen, but we get glimmers of childish enthusiasm here and there. The stories are also geared heavily toward British children as a celebration of their history, but they are so well told, any nationality of child (or adult) could enjoy them.

Arbitrary rating: 4 out of 5 enchanted fairy circles