Enchanting really is the best word for this. There's a magic that runs through it, connecting the stories, the communities, the mythology, that really brings it all to life. It's rare that in a collection of short stories so many of them would stay with me, but there's a power to the consistency of the writing across the variety of eras that really holds it all together. Rather than being skippable/insufferable, the rhymes and songs between each story supplement everything so well, and having listened to this on audiobook they really shone. I extended walks and specifically went out to listen to this in meadows and fields, along the river and amongst the trees to get the full effect, which I'm not sure any book has made me do before. It's beautiful, clever, and both earthy and ethereal at the same time, with humour and tragedy laced throughout. Highly recommended.