Reviews

My first time reading Beowulf, and I'm glad I picked Headley's transition as a starting point. It's immensely readable with great verses that would fit right in at a poetry slam. At times some of the verbiage feels a bit too much like a teacher sitting in a chair backwards and trying to convince students that "Beowulf is hip!! Bling! Hashtag blessed!" But hey, I can appreciate that angle. Reading this version made me curious about checking out other translations.

drapetomaniac's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

camillewithasea's review against another edition

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5.0

Classic story, although I hated it the first time I read it. Don't bother unless it's Heaney's translation. He's a lovely poet with a great sense of modern language and rhythm that makes it easy to read and understand.

lukasstock's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

maddieraneyy's review against another edition

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5.0

It feels weird trying to give a review to one of the very first fictional stories. Stephen Mitchell has given us a translation that is compelling, accessible and true to the meaning of the original text. It’s a short read and certainly worth the time just for the sake of its historical significance.

katiemauer's review against another edition

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

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