Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Beowulf: A New Translation by Maria Dahvana Headley

5 reviews

evaphoenix's review against another edition

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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Gore, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence

Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, War, and Violence

Minor: Rape and Slavery

godraed's review against another edition

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War and Violence

Moderate: Death, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, Gore, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Grief

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Injury/Injury detail

jessthanthree's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Violence, Cannibalism, and Murder

roadki77's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

Plot holes aplenty. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism and Alcohol

sarah984's review

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.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Blood, Cannibalism, Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, Slavery, Suicide, and Violence