theabee's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
dragonwasrobot's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
lizzybug's review
5.0
This is a perfect book for what it is-- and be aware of what it is if you're going to read it. The Decameron is an odd, profane, irreverent collection of stories intended both to be erotic enjoyment and comfort in the wake of a great plague. It is not beautifully written and the stories are uneven, to say the least. But it is a wonderful medieval celebration of life. Much as Boccaccio's storytellers are a group of friends, I suggest reading this book with others.
lydia_cap's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-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? No
4.0
cathydavies's review
5.0
I really enjoyed the Decameron and may even buy a copy to dip into now and then.
kristenmtan's review
2.0
1.5/5
read excerpts for hum. you know those classics that are revered as so good and some of the best works of human literature but then you read them and it’s so fucking bad that if anyone tried to publish this shit now they probably wouldn’t even get to querying? this is one of them. it’s the same shit over and over again, most of it is heavily misogynistic in ways that i am quite frankly very bored of, and the ONLY redeeming story in this book is day 3 story 1 where all the nuns fuck that one guy.
read excerpts for hum. you know those classics that are revered as so good and some of the best works of human literature but then you read them and it’s so fucking bad that if anyone tried to publish this shit now they probably wouldn’t even get to querying? this is one of them. it’s the same shit over and over again, most of it is heavily misogynistic in ways that i am quite frankly very bored of, and the ONLY redeeming story in this book is day 3 story 1 where all the nuns fuck that one guy.
steven_nobody's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to this translation on naxos audio. I really like the material that falls in between the stories and in between the days - so full medieval details! The songs were sung with Renaissance style music, I suppose, a lute, anyhow. And all the characters had different narrators. One of the readers was Irish so this certainly added a new level of texture that I would not have had if I had read it on my own. As for the stories, I like the cuckolding and horny clergy stories the best. The tragic stories we're also very good. The only real letdown where the noble stories which took up the last day. Otherwise I just loved this experience!
iriswindmeijer's review against another edition
4.0
I only read day one and day ten for school and I liked it! This book is certainly one I'd like to finish :)
provaprova's review
2.0
I had to give up reading this halfway through. The stories are just too awful and didactic and trapped in a moralizing medieval milieu, centering around caricatured one-dimensional characters. However important and key to the history of literature it is, it's not worth reading for any but scholars or historians.