In her prologue to the story of "Atalanta: The Fastest Runner in the World," author Priscilla Galloway deals with the problematic start of the tale, in which the law of the civilized Greeks allows a father to have his infant daughter abandoned on the side of a mountain. Her thoughtful explanation of how myths functioned for the ancient Greeks and how we should look on these stories today speaks well to Galloway's credentials for telling the story of the mortal woman who became a hero. Galloway covers Atalanta's entire life, from being raised by a bear after being abandoned on the mountain, her heroism at the Great Calydonian Boar Hunt, the deadly race by which she tried to avoid marriage, and her final fate. This is an ancient tale, but it is told with vitality by Galloway.

Atalanta is a fascinating figure in Greek mythology because she is caught in a conflict of will between goddesses. On the one hand she has pledged Artemis never to marry, a vow that keeps her both pure and strong. But in doing so she refusal to love inspires Aphrodite to help Melanion to win Atalanta as his bride. Galloway gets into what Artemis thought about Atalanta's change of heart. For me this has always been something of a tragic tale because in all of Greek mythology it seems the least objectionable characters are usually the virgin goddesses (Athena, Artemis and Hestia), although certainly they have their moments. Atalanta is their mortal representative and it is perhaps inevitable that she should be brought down by stories that were, after all, written by men. The stylized artwork by Normand Cousineau manages to be quite modern while giving a sense of the ancient art we have seen on urns and temples.

Every teen and pre-teen girl should read this book. It's not like other teen books, and that's one of the reasons it's so good. Emily doesn't really have a boyfriend, she doesn't go to a big high school where she's the most popular and pretty girl, she never says "as if," and she doesn't wear clothes her parents would be ashamed of...in fact, the book is set a long time ago in a place called Prince Edward Island, the author's favorite place in the whole world.

Anyone who has not read this book is missing out on making a new friend -- Emily seems so much like a "real" person, and is explained so well, that you will feel like you have made a new buddy in the process of reading this book. By the author of Anne of Green Gables.

I adore Anne, but Emily is a Kindred Spirit. I've read all of L.M. Montgomery's books, and this one is, without doubt, the very best. And yes - it IS better than Anne of Green Gables.

Emily of New Moon has all the elements of a well-written novel. It has tragic scenes that aren't overly dramatic: the quiet death of her father makes me cry no matter how many times I've read it. It's inspiring: even as a young girl, she struggles with ambition. It's endearing: who could forget the happy, childish adventures of Emily and Ilse? Most of all, it has a sense of humor! (Though, I must point out, LMM's funniest scene ever is in Emily's Quest, where she reads the reviews of her first novel.)

People love Anne because of her sweetness. Emily isn't sweet--she's real. As the narrator writes (I'm paraphrasing) "Many people liked her, many disliked her; no one was ever wholly indifferent to her." My very favorite book.

And yes, like others have said, it's better than Anne.
The Emily series( New Moon, Emily Climbs, Emily's Quest) trace Emily Starr's voyage through adolescence to early adulthood.
It's probably best for older readers as it contains references to sexuality and the supernatural that may be inappropriate for kids or just not appreciated by the younger reader.
I've read almost everything by Montgomery that's published(except for two books), and this is, in my opinion, the best series. Anne of Green Gables is a tour de force of a book, but the series as a whole isn't that great. The Emily series is a sheer masterpiece that's not to be missed, especially for older readers. I read it when I was twelve and read the entire series every year.. it's better every time. Don't skip this one... trust me.

An earlier review made me think this book was about a little girl with male homosexual parents. I bought the book as a gift for a family with two homosexual fathers. I was disappointed to find that the book is NOT about a girl with homosexual parents. It is about a little girl whose parents have divorced and her mother is remarried: her "two daddies" are her biological father and her stepfather. The book explores Jennifer's attempts to maintain relationships with both "fathers." It is a nice (not amazing) treatment of this topic.

Galloway conveys the difficult subject of this alternative lifestyle in a way that children can understand without feeling singled out in the world. Children should not be persecuted for their parents' choices. Galloway illustrates to children that are still okay even though their parents are often judged as not. This book is enjoyable, understandable and easy enough to read so children can read along as well. Every parent, homosexual or not, should buy this book and read it with their children. I believe that even a simple act like this can help end the fight against homosexuals.

snake dreamer holds a great idea for a story, but due to a combination of many things (annoyingly overused exclaimation points etc...) it was sort of unpleasant. now i'm a sucker for a good medusa myth, but some of this was unbearable. it could have been written a bit more magically and much more artistically. however, i did read the last 160 pages in one night, so i gave it three stars for that excitement.

If you have ever visited Greece or Italy, you know that, in spite of their modern veneers, the ancient past often still lies very close to the surface, if you have just a little bit of imagination (at one point Perse even warns: "here the old times not dead"). The old gods never truly disappeared, and you can still imagine Ulysses' ships on the horizon. Here Ms. Galloway has written a brilliant psychological thriller set in modern-day Greece on a remote island clinic run by two Greek doctors obsessed with dreams and snakes ... could these two women really be the immortal Gorgons? By the way, the idea of Medusa as a tragic heroine is completely consistent with the Greek mythology. A highly recommended companion to this book is Bernard Evslin's "Medusa", which has dazzling artwork and also tells of Medusa's life story. A highly interesting femininist slant also pervades this book, asking us to question whether Perseus and the other macho Greek heroes were really as "heroic" as they seem. You can decide for yourself whether Dusa is simply had a fantastic hallucination or whether she really did encounter powerful beings from another age.

I read this anthology in hopes of discovering new depths and interpretations of familiar fairy tales. Dark interpretations are usually quite insightful and I thought that this would be an entire collection of chilling and clever retellings.

Nope.

Truly Grim Tales are simply not a lot of fun to read, though (or perhaps because) they certainly live up to the title. The emphasis seems to be purely on making the tales grim, rather than adding new perspectives. I found the resulting stories to be leaden and often revolting, rather than fascinating. Unless you enjoy grimness for the sake of grimness, I would advise skipping these tales in favor of Patricia C. Wrede's remarkably clever and creepy retelling of an old ballad, "Cruel Sisters" (in The Book of Enchantments) or Vivian Vande Velde's equally clever Rapunzel retelling, "Straw into Gold" (in Tales from the Brothers Grimm and Sisters Weird). For dark novel length retellings, Donna Jo Napoli's Zel (Rapunzel) and The Magic Circle (Hansel and Gretel) are a must.

I've always relied on the likes of Angela Carter, Datlow & Windling, and Tanith Lee (among a myriad of others) to feed me my daily dose of fairy tale interpretations, but Priscilla Galloway has prepared such a sumptuous offering of delightful shorts that I've added her to my collection of favorites. You have to applaud the gorgeous Rapunzel tale told from the birth-mother's point of view and set among the Bedouin peoples. If not, try the Cinderella story told by a heartbroken Prince with an undeniable foot fetish, or a Jack and the Beanstalk story in which giants must grind 'pygmy' bones for their bread to curb the effects of a fatal genetic bone disorder. My favorite of them all, though, is the retelling of Hansel and Gretel from the witch's/stepmother's point of view...delightful, dark, and desperate. The writing flows well, perfect for an early teen to adult audience without being either condescending or insultingly simple. Give it a chance, and you won't be disappointed.

Ms. Galloway is able to put an interesting and very entertaining spin on the retelling of classic tales, we've all heard as children. Her unique writing style is both humerous and captivating. I found her Truly Grim Tales to be an imaginative and unique collection. I would highly recommend it to any young adult who enjoys, mystery, science fiction, horror or folklore.