Reviews

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl, and Sir Orfeo by Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien

mktrox's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

bookswithcesco's review

3.0

I’d like to think that I could enjoy these stories. But the only ones I listened to were Gawain and Green Knight Pearl. It’s a good story, but anything in old/middle-English kills my vibe.

I’m also not a fan of the over Christianization that happens with most old stories as they are translated. These translations were different from others I have read. But all in all it’s not terrible to listen to as a recap.

Pearl really wasn’t my cup of tea though. Not the vibe.

loves_nurse's review against another edition

medium-paced

I cannot rate this collection of stories as I do not have a solid foundation of knowledge about the source material. Its heavy writing and poetry interpretation. 

tanderzen's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

julie_bonjour's review against another edition

4.0

My copy only had Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. I read it because of the Sir Gawain and the Green Knight episode of In Our Time (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001kr8) and it did not disappoint. Also, it is awash with awesome alliteration (always appreciated). ^_^

pepper_winkler's review against another edition

adventurous challenging funny slow-paced

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

2.0

se_ma's review against another edition

3.0

2.5 out of 5

Utter shit except for Sir Orfeo

chlooee's review against another edition

2.0

*rating for pearl*

not as big of a fan of this translation. while the subject matter was interesting and i enjoyed the poetic forms, it felt a bit overwhelming, and really needs your undivided attention.

bhhoover's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

tritlo's review against another edition

3.0

The tale of Sir Gawain is great! Pearl is a bit, meh (not my style) while Orfeo was a bit lost on me, needed some Wikipedia to understand.