Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Odysséen by Homer

52 reviews

meganpbennett's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

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

3.0

Many years ago, I helped clean out Dr. Mandelbaum's office when he retired, taking box after box of books to the library to see what could be and what should be added to the various library collections,. Manuscripts, books he'd written, translations. I knew he was a Dante scholar, but I didn't realize that he'd also translated Homer and Virgil (Virgil makes a lot of sense, given the role Virgil plays in The Divine Comedy). 

Like many people, I'd never read The Odyssey. I knew a bit of the story, but had never read the original text. I knew a little bit about the various translators, and was thrilled with Dr Wilson released her translation, but never read it. I've read enough Greek plays and Roman histories to know that I wasn't really a fan of the literature of that time period. 

I finally read it when the library where I work used it as part of our "Read the book, see the movie" series. It's very interesting, but it's also very long. Like a lot of classical literature from the Greek and Roman era, it's a lot of words to describe things that could have been said in one or two. It's hard to get into, since it's in verse, not prose, but once you get into it, it's fun to read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

m4rtt4's review against another edition

adventurous challenging tense slow-paced

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

2.25

confusing. too much action and violence. only read this because of uni 😪

tbh it would've been a lot more confusing had I not spent my childhood with Rick Riordan's books. Thanks to him for making me able to concentrate lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, and Violence

Minor: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual content, and Slavery

admiralsmall's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

It's hard to express how perfect this book is. Wilson's achievement democratises this classic text and makes it not just accessible but also exciting and readable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Slavery, Violence, Murder, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Infidelity, Rape, Torture, and War

shaunnow38's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Blood, and Murder

Minor: Misogyny and Slavery

therowdypi's review against another edition

adventurous 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? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

sky_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful slow-paced

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

2.75

Read this for my AP Literature class and even though my teacher had us skip a bunch of it, it still felt eternally long. There were definitely some interesting plot points and I enjoyed analyzing Odysseus’ character. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and War

lynxpardinus's review against another edition

adventurous

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and War

Minor: Incest, Misogyny, Slavery, and Death of parent

kaitlyng's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

adison_smith's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

This book had gorgeous language and the story itself was very well told. The Odyssey story itself is a very enjoyable story, but the characters make it very unpleasant. I abhor Odysseus. He is a lying, cheating, unfaithful scoundrel who only cares about his own ends and not the consequences. He is a really horrible person. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Odysseus is just an overall annoying character so stay away if that triggers you. Also, women are treated with lots of hypocrisy.

rainyreadss's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and War

Moderate: Rape