Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Iliad by Homer

27 reviews

siobhanward's review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

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

3.5

NYT Notable Books 2023: 29/100

I'm glad that this was on the notable books list, since otherwise I don't know if I ever would have found Wilson's translation. I loved the notes at the end that clarified what some things meant and why certain translation decisions were made. I will say that the poem was really long, to the point of being frustrating on occasion. The endless pages in book 2 devoted to who was coming to the war and the very detailed run-downs of what people were wearing (including exactly what Hephaesteus was putting on Achilles' shield) did get a bit tiring, but there were some other really solid parts. This book was also incredibly gory, which kind of surprised me, and I loved in the notes when Wilson pointed out that some of the especially gory portions were just not physically possible, which was pretty funny.

Definitely a cool read. I was surprised by certain things not actually being a part of the story (Achilles' death, the Trojan horse), but there was still so much in there that was solid. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mothstrand's review against another edition

challenging dark sad slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Incest and Rape

jemappellecat's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

quipo's review against another edition

adventurous tense slow-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

3.25

A big book about the trojan war, it was kind of a drag in the beginning and middle, but it picks up near the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Murder

syliu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring tense slow-paced

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

2.75

I had a lot of fun reading this, and I’m glad to have experienced some of Homer in this way. That said I was quite disappointed by the actual portion of the legend of the Trojan War presented here.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Rape, Excrement, and Death of parent

ewwa18's review against another edition

adventurous challenging sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder, and War

cthulhu_calamari's review against another edition

adventurous dark slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and War

Moderate: Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Toxic friendship

hjb_128's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and War

Moderate: Incest and Sexual violence

murderousscottishgremlin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.75

This was my first foray into epic poetry and I’m excited to see how the Odyssey compares. Wilson’s translation was concise and accessible, while still conveying all of the drama and lyrical nature of the poem. I found the books dealing with Achilles’ grief for Patrocles particularly impactful. 

“Baby, I am The Iliad, of course you couldn’t read me” - Coming Of Age by Maisie Peters (Homer could never).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and War

Moderate: Sexism

nicoles_reading_corner's review against another edition

dark reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War