carolina_antunes's review
3.0
It's been almost a year since I started reading this and my overall takeaway from it is that this is a pain in the ass to read. That doesn't mean that the story itself isn't interesting, because it is, but this is supposed to be told orally, and reading just wasn't it.
As I learned briefly in university (which is the only reason why I read this in the first place), the repetitions and the epithets given to each character act as a "checkpoint" for the person telling the story to remember everything and that was one of the things that made me struggle to keep reading, that, and the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of epic poems or poetry in general (only mister Camões and Os Lusíadas have a special place in my heart).
Moving past all that, once you understand what you are reading you can really appreciate it. The values of honor and pride were a very interesting aspect, just like the interference of the gods with the mortals, and the violent and gruesome way the war is described also stood out to me.
I feel like I had a lot to say about this but I just don't remember shit anymore lol.
Side notes: What the fuck is up with the stabbing through the nipples!?
Athena is a baddie and doesn't like daddy Zeus, relatable.
As I learned briefly in university (which is the only reason why I read this in the first place), the repetitions and the epithets given to each character act as a "checkpoint" for the person telling the story to remember everything and that was one of the things that made me struggle to keep reading, that, and the fact that I'm not the biggest fan of epic poems or poetry in general (only mister Camões and Os Lusíadas have a special place in my heart).
Moving past all that, once you understand what you are reading you can really appreciate it. The values of honor and pride were a very interesting aspect, just like the interference of the gods with the mortals, and the violent and gruesome way the war is described also stood out to me.
I feel like I had a lot to say about this but I just don't remember shit anymore lol.
Side notes: What the fuck is up with the stabbing through the nipples!?
Athena is a baddie and doesn't like daddy Zeus, relatable.
georgia_mae's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
tayboud's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
tjmitrovic's review against another edition
my 11-year journey reading this book is finally complete 🙏
ornella_bgt's review against another edition
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
martinafacose's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thomasr417's review
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
4.25
blog_justarandom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0
rick2's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t know how one would hope to review something like this. Wonderful story from the Epic Cycle. Full of the frailties of man and squabbling of the gods.
If I have one complaint, it is the amount of time spent on assorted characters deaths and their titles. These may have been known figures in classical times, and lend gravitas to the sheer quantity and quality of deaths from the Trojan War. But pages and pages are taken up by iterations of:
“Thomacus son of Thomasus, great gardener and goatherd of the island of Thomisai. Born on a summer day under a full moon. Bravest and strongest of Thomasus’ 15 sons. Who once threw a goat over a tree. Was run through the breastplate by a spear intended for Hector, thrown by Johnacus son of Johnasus, bravest of the Aegean giraffe traders. Heir to the Johnasusian giraffe trade of Asia. Whose brother once ate an entire giraffe in a single day.” And similar rhetoric.
I’m sure some great classical scholar has a perfect explanation of why this is. Something to do with the gravitas of ancient titles and rhyming verse structure of Greek. But personally, to an outsider, reading it felt formulaic and repetitive.
Anyways. The Stephen Mitchell translation was generally straightforward to read. The story was fantastic. I hope this is not a gateway drug into more classics as I have far too many books piled around my bed as it is. But, as I feel a strong desire to read more like the Iliad, it might already be too late.
If I have one complaint, it is the amount of time spent on assorted characters deaths and their titles. These may have been known figures in classical times, and lend gravitas to the sheer quantity and quality of deaths from the Trojan War. But pages and pages are taken up by iterations of:
“Thomacus son of Thomasus, great gardener and goatherd of the island of Thomisai. Born on a summer day under a full moon. Bravest and strongest of Thomasus’ 15 sons. Who once threw a goat over a tree. Was run through the breastplate by a spear intended for Hector, thrown by Johnacus son of Johnasus, bravest of the Aegean giraffe traders. Heir to the Johnasusian giraffe trade of Asia. Whose brother once ate an entire giraffe in a single day.” And similar rhetoric.
I’m sure some great classical scholar has a perfect explanation of why this is. Something to do with the gravitas of ancient titles and rhyming verse structure of Greek. But personally, to an outsider, reading it felt formulaic and repetitive.
Anyways. The Stephen Mitchell translation was generally straightforward to read. The story was fantastic. I hope this is not a gateway drug into more classics as I have far too many books piled around my bed as it is. But, as I feel a strong desire to read more like the Iliad, it might already be too late.
connorreid's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0