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A review by sarah984
Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
If you're not a fan of Beowulf the poem (full disclosure that I am not, way too much meandering and masculine posturing) this won't exactly change your mind. I didn't really find it particularly feminist as advertised, aside from a few jabs at how many women in the poem go unnamed and gendering the dragon.
The modern language generally works well, though a few bits did stand out as kind of silly. Overall, it feels like a drunk guy clamouring to tell a story in a bar, which feels accurate to the original. I think I might have liked it more as an audiobook.
The modern language generally works well, though a few bits did stand out as kind of silly. Overall, it feels like a drunk guy clamouring to tell a story in a bar, which feels accurate to the original. I think I might have liked it more as an audiobook.
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Death, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Cannibalism