Reviews with content warning for Gore - Beowulf

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

Beowulf by Anonymous

23 reviews

chambre1055's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense 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

3.0

Bro 1: Close your eyes, Bro.
*Bro 2 closes his eyes
Bro 1: Now what do you see, Bro?
Bro 2: Nothing, Bro. Suddenly, it all went dark.
Bro 1: Thats how quickly internet language gets outdated, Bro. Hate to break it to you like this, Bro.
💁🏽

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evaphoenix's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny informative fast-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? No

5.0

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xkrille's review against another edition

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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

2.0

I read it for university, and it was fine. I did not hate it, but at the same time, it was not for me. It was interesting enough, and I can somewhat see why it's a classic.

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expertfisherfox's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

A classic. This particular copy had the translation on one side of the page and the original text on the opposite, which was fascinating to look at and compare.

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godraed's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Heaney's heroic translation
proves the poet
a master of the medium

Heaney's translation does a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the original poem. He created a modern masterpiece from the Old English original.

Adventure, grim oaths, monsters, and a window into the worldview of another time.

Gath a wyrd swa hio scel.

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xandra_lyn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

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

2.0

Rating for the translation not the story. It was rather clunky, and often confusing. I actually found the author's explanations on the side to be more confusing than just reading the poem. I've read a different translation of beowulf previously, and that one was better.

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jaan's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

4.75

Beowulf has very quickly become an all-time favourite. The reason I didn't give this audiobook edition 5 stars is because Heaney abridged his own translation, and the verses he dropped are integral to an interpretation I find to be very rich.

I listened to this edition as I read Heaney's 1999 facing-page translation. I LOVED his narration. He was not a very dynamic narrator, but he was slow, steady, deliberate, and he gave the poem a depth I would not have felt if I didn't listen along (Beowulf was always meant to be heard anyway, not read). I cried a little towards the end when Beowulf recalled his service in Hygelac's retinue: "I marched ahead of him, always there / at the front of the line; and I shall fight like that / for as long as I live, as long as this sword / shall last" (2497-2500).

I got 150 lines in before immediately becoming a Grendel apologist, btw.

Beowulf is a poem about many things: grief, predestination, war, self-actualization, etc. It's about the relationship between the Danes, the Geats, and the Swedes, a meditation on what a man's descendants owe to him, to what extent goodwill endures between generations, the punishment a man inflicts for his victim's grandparents' actions. It is about the lives women must piece together betwixt the death and loss and tragedy of war, and the agency they might exercise to prevent further violence (these are the verses missing from Heaney's abridged narration, but existing in his facing-page translation).

Give this story a chance. It helped that I read it with my book club, at my own pace (instead of for a class, during which I would have been rushed by deadlines).

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strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

3.0

I listened to it on audiobook mostly while falling asleep so I missed a lot of it. I really enjoyed the introduction which was mostly the history of the Beowulf. I definitely enjoyed the parts I was tuned in for and plan to reread it in book format.

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shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

5.0

'Such is the feud and emnity, the cruel malice of men, for which I look, in which the Swedish people will come against us, when they learn that our lord is reft of life, who aforetime did guard us against those that hated him his treasury and realm, after the fall of mighty men did rule the sealoving Geats, accomplishing the profit of his people, yea, and before all did knightly deeds.'
Beowulf has always been my favorite epic poem, so having a Tolkien translation is honestly amazing. And reading the addition of Sellic Spell was interesting, although it was a bit off-putting after reading Beowulf. Reading Tolkien's commentary with his son's additions to clarify was amazing as well.

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waytoomanybooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective fast-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? It's complicated

4.0

I had to read this for a college course, and I have to admit that it's one of the better books I've had to read for school! The translation and context provided by Seamus Heaney went a long way in my enjoyment and understanding of the epic poem. It reads a lot like the Greek epics: The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid. It's a classic hero's journey tale: Beowulf battles monsters, avenges the lives of those cut down in battle, confusing family trees where all the names sound the same, and lots of hyphenated descriptions of people and beasts.

It may help to know that if you have to read this for school, I was able to read the whole thing in about 6 hours while taking notes for class, and I'm a slow reader. I hope you find it as easy and interesting to read as I did!

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