Old Songs by Amy Jeffs and Gwen Burns review – ancient tales of murder, maidens and magic

These interconnected short stories of love and death, inspired by traditional ballads from the British Isles, are narrated with immediacy and warmth

In the old Scottish ballad, Tam Lin, a girl named Janet is warned by her family not to go near the well at Carterhaugh. There lurks an elfin knight who will take the virginity of any golden-haired maiden who passes through. The next day Janet, who is possessed of golden hair and a rebellious spirit, sets off for Carterhaugh. At the well, she picks a double rose which summons Tam Lin. Janet visits him daily and she learns how he was stolen by the Fairy Queen who cursed him to remain in Elfland as her vassal. Months later she realises she is with child. Refusing to forsake her lover, she hatches a bold and dangerous plan to free him from the curse.

This is just one of the ancient tales featured in Old Songs, a treasure trove of short stories inspired by traditional ballads from the British Isles. Stretching from the Classical period and the early 20th century, these richly imagined stories feature sibling murder, infanticide, kidnapping, abandonment and a man who is turned into a worm by a witch. “Not all the stories are happy and that is the way of the world,” notes author Amy Jeffs in the foreword.

An art historian and medievalist, Jeffs narrates these interconnected tales with warmth, intimacy and a subtle undercurrent of menace. After each story, she provides analysis and traces the ballad’s evolution through literature, spoken word and song. This audio edition comes with gorgeous musical excerpts courtesy of composer and musician Natalie Brice. There is also a digital booklet featuring Gwen Burns’s haunting illustrations.

• Available via Riverrun, 4hr 18min

Further listening

Nesting
Roisín O’Donnell, Simon & Schuster Audio, 10hr 11min
Derry Girls’ Louisa Harland narrates this moving novel about Ciara, a mother who leaves her abusive husband with their two daughters and attempts to start over while navigating a broken housing and social care system.

Vermeer: A Life Lost and Found
Andrew Graham-Dixon, Penguin Audio, 15hr 1min
The art historian explores the life and work of the 17th-century Dutch artist Vermeer in a scholarly work that speculates on the identity of the young woman depicted in Girl With a Pearl Earring. Read by the author.