careinthelibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, War, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Kidnapping, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Sexism, Rape, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Trafficking, and Sexual assault
katee17's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I fucking love the iliad which is my nerdiest opinon ever but I genuinely love it
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Violence, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery, and Sexual violence
bookshelfmonkey's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Violence
gabriella_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The scene with Andromache and her son had me fighting for my life. Also who doesn’t love some Patroclus and Achilles love?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Murder, War, Violence, Pregnancy, Grief, Sexism, Abandonment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, and Death
emmonsannae's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-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? Yes
4.5
There's not much to say about this that hasn’t already been said by someone smarter. I did enjoy seeing how this is the prototype for so many of our later stories in some form or another—war and battle, carrying the past, wrestling with fate and duty, being doomed by the narrative and fighting in spite of it. There is something uniquely enduring about these stories that has imprinted itself on our collective consciousness, in the way we instinctively recognize the heart of them even if we haven't read them before (which was a cool experience for me). I did love it. It wasn't an easy read, but I enjoyed reading it. I found Fagles' translation very readable and beautifully phrased.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, War, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death, Grief, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence and Slavery
henrygravesprince's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Slavery and Rape
Minor: Death
flynnn's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, and War
not_remi's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Torture, Mental illness, War, and Sexism
earthtokb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
this is one of the more readable translations of the illiad, which I’m grateful for. Still, I had to read it alongside a podcast to really grasp the plot. though the illiad is regarded as a classic (since it was orated & then written so long ago), it’s… not a well written poem lol & the characters are v hard to root for! all the acheans had sex slaves, dudes were in a war for 9+ years over someone else’s marital problems, the descriptors don’t quite make sense (ex: saying “swift runner achilles” when achilles isn’t even running), and the list goes on! I see the merit in continuing to teach it, but I think we do lots of damage to the rep of poetry when we teach this like it’s great poetry when it is moreso a marker of its time/one part of the rich history of what poetry has done over time. that’s just me, though! appreciate fagles for making this poem readable to a contemporary audience, but I really hope we question what is considered a “clasdic” over time. Also, boo to pro-war propaganda!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, War, and Violence
counterfeitnickel's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Translation is beautiful and accessible to modern readers.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War