jmatkinson1's review
4.0
The tales of Greek mythology are legend and have different interpretations depending on the writer at the time. What Garland has done is to try to write a very accessible introduction to these tales. The stories are often in the first person and with a very modern inflexion which makes the stories easy to read. Each is short and succinct. This is an idiosyncratic approach which may horrify purists but also bring a wider readership.
nikkisbooknook's review
4.0
A great way to introduce teenagers (or even just interested adults) to the magical world of Greek Mythology.
Over 30 figures are explained in a few pages. Everything is very easy to read and is almost like a mini autobiography - each is "narrated" by the character involved. There is plenty of humour as they share their plight with you!
The author shows that there are many versions of these myths - some vary over time and others from area to area, so there is no true, definitive version.
I hated leaving all these well-loved and well-known figure to venture back to reality!
Over 30 figures are explained in a few pages. Everything is very easy to read and is almost like a mini autobiography - each is "narrated" by the character involved. There is plenty of humour as they share their plight with you!
The author shows that there are many versions of these myths - some vary over time and others from area to area, so there is no true, definitive version.
I hated leaving all these well-loved and well-known figure to venture back to reality!
kirstyreadsthings's review
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for this ARC!
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Greek Mythology and have read so many book relating to it, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this book.
So this is an anthology of all the Greek myths we know and love with a bit of a twist, they are all written from the point of view of the gods. A first person narrative isn't something I have come across when it comes to a collection of myths, and it was quiet a refreshing change. The changing narrative is cleverly done between each character and real personalities start to develop for each character.
As someone with a bit of knowledge into Greek Mythology I was able to follow along rather easily, however someone with little background may struggle a bit. This is not to say that this book is complicated, it's just Greek mythology as a whole is complicated (what do you expect with the family trees) and there isn't much to help accommodate this within the pages.
I also found this book very witty and I did laugh out loud at some points. Garland has done a great job of pulling in modern colloquialisms to bring these old myths into the 21st century.
The drawings however, greatly confused me. Sure they were in a style that sort of matches that of the ancient Greek period, but the sketches in this book seemed out of place and a bit odd to be truthful.
All in all a great book on Greek Mythology with a funny twist.
It's no secret that I am a huge fan of Greek Mythology and have read so many book relating to it, so it was no surprise that I enjoyed this book.
So this is an anthology of all the Greek myths we know and love with a bit of a twist, they are all written from the point of view of the gods. A first person narrative isn't something I have come across when it comes to a collection of myths, and it was quiet a refreshing change. The changing narrative is cleverly done between each character and real personalities start to develop for each character.
As someone with a bit of knowledge into Greek Mythology I was able to follow along rather easily, however someone with little background may struggle a bit. This is not to say that this book is complicated, it's just Greek mythology as a whole is complicated (what do you expect with the family trees) and there isn't much to help accommodate this within the pages.
I also found this book very witty and I did laugh out loud at some points. Garland has done a great job of pulling in modern colloquialisms to bring these old myths into the 21st century.
The drawings however, greatly confused me. Sure they were in a style that sort of matches that of the ancient Greek period, but the sketches in this book seemed out of place and a bit odd to be truthful.
All in all a great book on Greek Mythology with a funny twist.
marionm's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
3.5
Greek Mythology: Gods and Heroes Brought to Life by Robert Garland
Thank you to Pen & Sword History and Netgalley for this copy
This was a very interesting book! A voice is given to the Gods/Goddesses and Heroes as they tell us their stories. It is a nice way to be introduced to Greek Mythology as each of the stories are quite short and in a specific order: the character introduced at the end of a story is the one narrating the next one.
As someone who does not know much about Greek Mythology yet, I found the writing style easy to read and the humour was a bonus. Only some expressions seemed a bit out of place sometimes. A lot of information is given and I wish my brain could remember all of it, even though I don’t mind forgetting some of the gruesome details😅
The author explains that these stories can be told in many different ways depending on the person writing them and so, got me interested in reading more to compare them.
I do recommend this book to beginners (like me) as well as non-beginners looking for a new approach to the myths✨
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