Reviews

An Iliad: A Story of War by Alessandro Baricco

lawrieytheymock's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

4.0

elenamolinariiiii's review against another edition

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3.0

Omero campione di uso di cliffhangers e di descrizione della toxic masculinity

chicokc's review against another edition

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5.0

Alessandro Baricco, se enfrascó en contar la historia ya conocida de la guerra de Troya pero con una gran diferencia: le quitó las intervenciones de los dioses.

magiquake's review against another edition

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reflective medium-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? No

4.0

mmartyy's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

vessy's review against another edition

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5.0

Excelente reinterpretación (recuento?) De la Ilíada, se me hizo muy interesante y rápido de leer y encontré algo muy bello en todo lo escrito, aunque lamentablemente pensé que era una traducción más fiel y medio q siento que me falta la otra mitad de la historia, pero excelente en fin

_persephone19_'s review against another edition

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5.0

È un’Iliade ridotta, più “semplice”, ma è delicata, e mantiene tutte le emozioni che suscita la prima volta che viene letta.
Una scrittura delicata, semplice, che arriva dritta al cuore della storia. È una versione che ho amato

moscar31's review against another edition

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2.0

Está bien a secas. Las voces narrativas son todas iguales y por ahí está muy descuidado lo que podrían o no saber los narradores. A lo mejor en su italiano original la prosa es mejor (y la experiencia de lectura en voz alta es más satisfactoria que su mera lectura como novela).
El texto pierde mucho (sobre todo la tragedia de los destinos de Patroclo, Helena, Héctor y Aquiles) sin las intrigas olímpicas. Lo que más vale la pena son las ideas en torno a la Ilíada que Baricco expone en su nota introductoria y en el pequeño ensayo final del libro. Le pondría 2.5, pero Goodreads no me deja.

cameronicohen's review against another edition

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4.0

Right from the start, the book captured my attention. It was told from the perspective of a woman captured from Thebes, Chryseis, who at first seemed but another minor character. While true, the fight regarding her almost lost the war for the Achaeans. This chapter, told from the perspective of an observer, was one of my favorites. It allowed the reader to see how others viewed main characters such as Agamemnon and Achilles.
Other chapters allowed the reader to view the minds of the main characters. A particularly riveting one was that told from the perspective of the River, a favorite among others who read this book. The River’s ideas and thoughts about war were refreshing to hear after long battle sequences. Some chapters, however, failed to live up to these standards. Many chapters sounded the same and dragged on, despite the change of first person. The battles were descriptive but did not grab at me the way other books have. To me, it seemed more like a list of who had killed whom.
However, my favorite chapter was the last one, told from the perspective of a harp minstrel. The book jumps ahead in the future, to after the war, where Odysseus has landed shipwrecked on the Phaeacian’s island. In their great hall, a harp minstrel sings of the Fall of Troy. As Odysseus cries in the background, the King asks for the stranger’s name. In response, Odysseus declares, “I am Odysseus. I come from Ithaca, and there, one day, I will return.” For those of us who have read the Odyssey, this chapter was very exciting. I had read this exact passage, told from Odysseus’s view and the entire song is skipped. Hearing the reason behind Odysseus’s suffering allowed me a new perspective.
Some reviewers complained that the language in Baricco’s version does not match that of Homer’s original. I believe what they misunderstand is that an Iliad was not supposed to be a copy of the Iliad. Baricco simply shortens the Iliad into a version, which gives a nice overview of the original.
Overall, this book inspired me to look at the Odyssey and life in new ways. A good read I would easily recommend to others.

sylviaisme's review against another edition

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2.0

Così recita l'enciclopedia Treccani:

gigióne s. m. (f., non com., -a) [accr. di Gigi, ipocoristico di Luigi]. –

1. Originariamente, nel gergo teatrale, scherzoso appellativo usato nel piccolo mondo di artisti che vivevano ai margini del teatro lirico milanese per designare una caricaturale figura di cantante sfiatato, soddisfatto di sé, vanaglorioso, sempre pronto a ricordare immaginarî trionfi, incline a un abbigliamento pretenziosamente originale e alle espressioni toscaneggianti (l’attore milanese E. Ferravilla ne fece uno dei tipi più riusciti delle sue interpretazioni). Il termine passò poi nel linguaggio teatrale a designare attori, anche di merito, che tendono a strafare, o a raggiungere facili effetti scenici.

2. Per estens., nel linguaggio com., persona di scarso merito ma di grande presunzione e vanità, che cerca di ottenere ammirazione sfruttando con teatrali esibizioni qualità e risorse esteriori di facile successo: essere un g., fare il gigione.

Sintesi di questo libro - pretenzioso e ridondante - così come del suo autore.
P.S. Baricco non è milanese, è torinese. Ma tutto il resto lo descrive egregiamente.