Reviews

The Golden Ass by Apuleius, Apuleius

monchichi's review against another edition

1.0

check out my review below !
https://www.miffyreads.com/book-reviews/all-book-reviews/the-golden-ass

polly_lilith's review against another edition

adventurous reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

jiyoung's review

4.0

Witches, sex, witch sex, donkey dicks, projectile pooping, man-eating ants, piss as a weapon, blood fountains, cuckolds, rabies, murder. What’s not to like? Human vulgarity has thrived since time immemorial, y’all. It is truly fitting that this non-stop debauchathon is the only ancient Roman novel in Latin to survive in its entirety. Last kudos to Apuleius for there has never been as universally and as perennially a relevant question as “do we now have to put up with an ass playing the philosopher?”

quisby's review against another edition

4.0

Some sections were icky and potentially misogynistic* enough in that special late Empire kind of way that I can't recommend it in good conscience. Which is too bad, cuz it's accessible for late Latin stuff. Kind of the grandaddy of the picaresque, so lots of framed stories and a pantheon of dei ex machina. Some of them (like the Cupid & Psyche episode) are phenomenal. The soaring, borderline-rococo climax of that particular episode is book-ended with the somewhat less high-flying: "That then was the tale told by the drunken garrulous old woman to the captive girl."

*Interesting though that Isis ("mother of the universe") is responsible for Lucius' restoration. Unless the whole final book is actually like an über-Boccaccio, with Lucius playing religious cuckold/cult initiate to Isis. So the whole story's a meta-Boccaccio, w/ Lucius + reader alike being cuckolded by Isis like the other 136754 duped men in the inset stories.

flamingo_and_owl_books's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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

3.25

cantordustbunnies's review against another edition

4.0

I was astounded (in a good way) by how raunchy this was! If this was turned into a movie and released to a current audience many people would be scandalized. A few scenes are delightfully reminiscent of porn parodies. Other scenes are somewhat gruesome, and there are even moments of beauty sprinkled in. In fact, part of the whole appeal of this story is that so many different tales are incorporated into one. This is a truly hilarious book, although the ending is a little out of place and a bit self aggrandizing and preachy on the author's part. The story "Lucius or the Ass" has (in my opinion) a much more fitting ending but is an abridged version of the story in which The Golden Ass was also based off of and is missing a lot of details that The Golden Ass includes.

laurenlethbridge's review against another edition

adventurous challenging reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

textpublishing's review against another edition

The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of The Golden Ass

'[A] surprising and substantial collaborative effort.'
Age/SMH

lilirose's review against another edition

adventurous funny 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

3.0

 E' stata una sopresa questa lettura: mi aspettavo un libro impegnativo e "serioso" (quando si parla di classici latini c'è sempre un po' questo pregiudizio) e mi sono ritrovata fra le mani un'avventura ironica e piena di brio, in cui non ci si annoia mai. Le digressioni anche se numerose sono ben inserite nel contesto, quindi non solo non appesantiscono la narrazione, ma la arricchiscono: basti pensare alla bellissima favola di Amore e Psiche, fiore all'occhiello del romanzo. Naturalmente dietro l'umorismo e gli elementi fantastici c'è un intento moraleggiante, come se la trasformazione in asino di Lucio fosse una tappa necessaria di un cammino spirituale, ma per fortuna l'autore sembra dimenticarsene spesso, troppo preso dal piacere di narrare. Non se ne dimentica nel finale purtroppo, che è la parte più debole dell'opera: vanno perdute l'ironia e la brillantezza e diventa decisamente poco interessante, oltre che ripetitivo.
Lo stile è originale, perchè la prosa raffinata e barocca fa da contrasto alle situazioni triviali in cui si trovano invischiati i protagonisti. Invece la traduzione italiana era curata, ma un po' troppo datata e piena di toscanismi.
Nel complesso un'opera leggera e divertente, dallo stile impeccabile. 

angharadg's review against another edition

3.0

eh