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ida03a's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning of this was very enjoyable, as it first is a "coming-of-age" sort of story about Odysseus son, then we get to see Odysseus journey to his home, where it gets a bit repetetive. The last 100 pages where kind of hard to get through, because it's obvious what will happen, and it takes so long to get there. Still, it was interesting to fully read Homer, which is praised so highly through history.
venla_reads's review against another edition
2.0
An impressive piece of literature and important part of the Western canon, but it just wasn't for me. While I appreciate it, I found the text too boring and repetitive. The phrases "wine-dark sea" and "When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more" might never leave my brain and I hate that. Also I'm not familiar with any other translations - I just happened to own the one by Robert Fagles - so I can't tell if some very questionable choices were made by the translator or if it actually was faihtful to the original work. I found some words and phrases to be waaaayyyy too modern and every-day-language.
I didn't have high expectations, but the main story is interesting, and I'm overall into Greek mythology (thanks to Percy Jackson books), so I was actually disappointed by the book. It just focused on the wrong things and all the recaps and fake stories were totally unnecessary. Going into this I thought the book would be about Odysseus' biggest obstacles (Circe, Calypso, Scylla, the Cyclops, etc.) but those things were covered in like three chapters.
Also none of the characters were particularly interesting, and Odysseus least of all. It was honestly painful how everyone around him seemed to hold him in such high regard - he was just a whiny dude.
I didn't have high expectations, but the main story is interesting, and I'm overall into Greek mythology (thanks to Percy Jackson books), so I was actually disappointed by the book. It just focused on the wrong things and all the recaps and fake stories were totally unnecessary. Going into this I thought the book would be about Odysseus' biggest obstacles (Circe, Calypso, Scylla, the Cyclops, etc.) but those things were covered in like three chapters.
Also none of the characters were particularly interesting, and Odysseus least of all. It was honestly painful how everyone around him seemed to hold him in such high regard - he was just a whiny dude.
isabellab12345678's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
lukeleesizer's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
voldymoore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Definitely earns its place as such a classic, though Odysseus as a character fails to hold up in likeability.
jazflorence's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.5
bruinuclafan's review against another edition
5.0
The Odyssey is the sequel to the Iliad. The Trojan war is over, and Odysseus is trying to get home to Ithaca. What ensues is a series of trials and tribulations, unlucky breaks, and the wrath of the gods that Odysseus must overcome to finally return home. In the meantime, Odysseus's son, Telemachus, sets off in search of any news of his father he can catch wind of. And Odysseus's wife, Penelope, must hold off a coterie of suitors, all of whom want to marry her and take over Odysseus's estate. It's a race against the clock. Who will win!?
I really loved the book. The writing is leaps and bounds better than the Iliad, which was clearly written by a different person, perhaps hundreds of years earlier. The story is exciting, and full of legends we all know and love so well. I would recommend reading the Iliad first, however, just so that the reader understands all the backstory.
I really loved the book. The writing is leaps and bounds better than the Iliad, which was clearly written by a different person, perhaps hundreds of years earlier. The story is exciting, and full of legends we all know and love so well. I would recommend reading the Iliad first, however, just so that the reader understands all the backstory.
lycanbreakfast's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
Holy cow was this hard to read. But I’m glad I did get through it so I can enjoy adaptations and other retwllings more. Don’t ever ask me to read classics again it’s a play it’s just not meant for the read format. Hated the tangents it went on but love the myth as a whole. Hate how much Greeks hated women and blamed them for all their hardships like kill urself