jchimpius's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating tale that contrasts the decline of Norse and Germanic culture with the need for noble action and modern purity. Beowulf contains vivid descriptions of mythical creatures and battles that truly immerse you. There are detailed explanations of medieval politics that include, battles in Europe, effects of war, causes of medieval war, and the death of kings. Although the poem always retains a certain clumsiness and changes pace at odd moments I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in medieval England, the Viking age or Norse mythology.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
Great poem showing the courage and cowardice of men. Of course, the main reason why I read this was for my class, but I am always amazed at the earlier texts and how much they still influence novels today.
In Beowulf, it is pointed out that he has to fight a creature of the night, a decendant of Cain who is cursed by God. This could be linked to a lot of creatures of contemporary paranormal romance (vampires and trolls for instance).
It is always interesting to me to read these kinds of stories, as they make me more aware of where modern authors might have gotten part of their background for their current stories.
In Beowulf, it is pointed out that he has to fight a creature of the night, a decendant of Cain who is cursed by God. This could be linked to a lot of creatures of contemporary paranormal romance (vampires and trolls for instance).
It is always interesting to me to read these kinds of stories, as they make me more aware of where modern authors might have gotten part of their background for their current stories.
sargar114's review against another edition
2.0
Read this on audiobook (considering the history probably the way to go) and the language was beautiful but served mostly as background noise. However I don’t know if I would have been able to finish if I actually read it so there ya go.
jodiwatterson's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
magis1105's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
giselle7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
robdabear's review against another edition
5.0
I was driven to read this by both curiosity and my childish obsession with old fairy tale type stories such as this grown into more, well, sophisticated reading, I guess you could say. At the beginning of the school year, my English class read a long excerpt, mostly from the battle scenes with Grendel and Grendel's mother, but, going to an all-male, Catholic high school, the only thing the teacher focused on was how many random references there were to God, and how this story, or poem, rather, was probably a medieval commercial attempt to get people to follow the Church.
Needless to say, that was quite detracting, so I decided to go read the full poem. I was not disappointed. Full of epic battles, heroic talk, and those awkward in-between times that are kind of, well emotionally moving, "Beowulf" is definitely a poem to be read. The battles described between several formidable foes that only Beowulf, strongest of the Geats, could conquer, have an excellent buildup and a surprisingly exciting description. As mentioned, there are occasionally powerful moments of in between, from the time Beowulf departs the land of Danes (Denmark), to his final dying words. The poem describes in an epic fashion the adventurous and exciting life and death of the ultimate Hero, Beowulf.
Something to note, this particular translation is very easy to understand and keeps you engaged the full length of the poem. Plus, if you have enough heart and motivation to read the introduction, you might even get a little pre-excited for an already awesome poem. Anyway, yeah, awesome. Way better to just read it than listen to my teacher's opinion.
Needless to say, that was quite detracting, so I decided to go read the full poem. I was not disappointed. Full of epic battles, heroic talk, and those awkward in-between times that are kind of, well emotionally moving, "Beowulf" is definitely a poem to be read. The battles described between several formidable foes that only Beowulf, strongest of the Geats, could conquer, have an excellent buildup and a surprisingly exciting description. As mentioned, there are occasionally powerful moments of in between, from the time Beowulf departs the land of Danes (Denmark), to his final dying words. The poem describes in an epic fashion the adventurous and exciting life and death of the ultimate Hero, Beowulf.
Something to note, this particular translation is very easy to understand and keeps you engaged the full length of the poem. Plus, if you have enough heart and motivation to read the introduction, you might even get a little pre-excited for an already awesome poem. Anyway, yeah, awesome. Way better to just read it than listen to my teacher's opinion.
naima0615's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
pomegranatepanacea's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0