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angelinalaramie's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
2.25
My low rating is not a reflection of the book. It did exactly what it set out to do: condense the mythology of Ancient Greece. It is instead a reflection of the narrator who's voice had no emotion
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Gore
astrangewind's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
4.5
When engaging with mythology, particularly with secondary sources or translations, I often find that there's something missing. Greco-Roman myths, when retold, often seem somehow out-of-sorts: the facts of the story are told with no regard to character motivation; the story seems like it could have been solved differently and with less murderous revenge; the story leaves out important pieces; or the exceptionally boring fighting of the Trojan War is given undue attention, when the actual interesting parts of the story are how the characters interact on an interpersonal level.
Not so with this book.
Ahead of each section, where relevant, Hamilton provides an introduction describing from which sources the material comes from and why she made such a decision; as a reader, this provides confidence that the information provided has been deliberately chosen. Furthermore, Hamilton also points out the places where some accounts differ from each other, which accounts are Roman instead of Greek, etc.
Hamilton also provides the character and cultural contexts to the stories. There tends to be a lot of revenge killing in Greco-Roman mythology, and it can be hard to see why. For example: <Spoiler>When Agamemnon sacrifices Iphigenia on the way to Troy, it seems to make sense that Clytemnestra would want to kill him when he returns. However, it becomes even more compelling when Hamilton explains that to the Greeks, killing one of your own blood is a grave offense, an insult to the gods beyond measure. And when Orestes returns to Electra to see his father dead and his mother a killer, it suddenly becomes a truly fascinating moral dilemma; Orestes is required by duty to kill his father's murderer, but in doing so he would commit the grave offense of killing his mother. Faced with this dilemma, his story becomes that much more compelling, and somehow, other sources of mythology don't think this prudent to include</Spoiler>. She humanizes Hercules by spending quite a bit of time explaining how stupid he is, and she provides the reason why the gods are often not portrayed as being cruel, which is that the Greeks preferred stories where the gods were perfect and good in all ways. (Unusually, Hamilton mentions once that Apollo rapes a woman, and uses that as an example.) Hamilton even goes so far as to bring personality to the ancient poets she references: Ovid is verbose and flowery, Apollodorus is dry. Hamilton brings all the characters - having lived on earth or only in fiction - to life. Even when describing the Trojan War as told in the Iliad, as is probably contractually obligated by every modern mythological storyteller, she intentionally skips most of the fighting to focus on how the characters interact, and why they do what they do.
For the most part, I find Hamilton's writing and storytelling to be quite accessible, but I may just think that because I am already familiar with most of the stories she tells. (At the section on Norse mythology, I struggled to keep up.) Unlike other books of Greco-Roman mythology, there's an included Appendix with family trees, as the relationships between gods and mortals can get extremely confusing. There's also a few chapters on Norse mythology, which, although just a primer, serves as an excellent contrast to the cultural interests of the Greek gods when the stories were told.
Despite this, I find that Hamilton left out quite a lot when it comes to certain... unions. I can understand that Achilles and Patroclus may not have truly been lovers, but I find that most depictions of their relationship are underselling their devotion to each other. Hyacinthus and Apollo were in love, which Hamilton glosses over entirely, despite then mentioning Zephyrus's love for the mortal man. (It genuinely seems awkwardly out of context for Zephyrus to be romantically jealous of Apollo if Apollo wasn't the romantic partner of Hyacinthus.) The word "rape" is used in the book as a synonym for "kidnapping," but there was only one instance of a non-consensual mortal-god relationship mentioned as such, even in situations where the mortal (a woman) is running from a god (a man). The story of Callisto being turned into a bear is also dreadfully undertold. <Spoiler>Yes, Zeus pursued her, but he did so by transforming himself into Artemis, and revealed his true form only to impregnate her, at which point Callisto tried to resist. When she appeared to Artemis later, pregnant, she felt betrayed, and banished Callisto, at which point she was turned into a bear. Hamilton's story not only ignores the implied woman-woman relationship, but actual, important parts of the story.</Spoiler> I just find it incredible the absolute butchery authors will perform on their stories to ignore same-sex relationships or non-consensual sex.
Overall, though, I found the stories to be largely accurate, and the inclusion of the character's motivations shed a light on many stories I thought I already knew by heart. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone starting to get interested in mythology.
Not so with this book.
Ahead of each section, where relevant, Hamilton provides an introduction describing from which sources the material comes from and why she made such a decision; as a reader, this provides confidence that the information provided has been deliberately chosen. Furthermore, Hamilton also points out the places where some accounts differ from each other, which accounts are Roman instead of Greek, etc.
Hamilton also provides the character and cultural contexts to the stories. There tends to be a lot of revenge killing in Greco-Roman mythology, and it can be hard to see why. For example: <Spoiler>When Agamemnon sacrifices Iphigenia on the way to Troy, it seems to make sense that Clytemnestra would want to kill him when he returns. However, it becomes even more compelling when Hamilton explains that to the Greeks, killing one of your own blood is a grave offense, an insult to the gods beyond measure. And when Orestes returns to Electra to see his father dead and his mother a killer, it suddenly becomes a truly fascinating moral dilemma; Orestes is required by duty to kill his father's murderer, but in doing so he would commit the grave offense of killing his mother. Faced with this dilemma, his story becomes that much more compelling, and somehow, other sources of mythology don't think this prudent to include</Spoiler>. She humanizes Hercules by spending quite a bit of time explaining how stupid he is, and she provides the reason why the gods are often not portrayed as being cruel, which is that the Greeks preferred stories where the gods were perfect and good in all ways. (Unusually, Hamilton mentions once that Apollo rapes a woman, and uses that as an example.) Hamilton even goes so far as to bring personality to the ancient poets she references: Ovid is verbose and flowery, Apollodorus is dry. Hamilton brings all the characters - having lived on earth or only in fiction - to life. Even when describing the Trojan War as told in the Iliad, as is probably contractually obligated by every modern mythological storyteller, she intentionally skips most of the fighting to focus on how the characters interact, and why they do what they do.
For the most part, I find Hamilton's writing and storytelling to be quite accessible, but I may just think that because I am already familiar with most of the stories she tells. (At the section on Norse mythology, I struggled to keep up.) Unlike other books of Greco-Roman mythology, there's an included Appendix with family trees, as the relationships between gods and mortals can get extremely confusing. There's also a few chapters on Norse mythology, which, although just a primer, serves as an excellent contrast to the cultural interests of the Greek gods when the stories were told.
Despite this, I find that Hamilton left out quite a lot when it comes to certain... unions. I can understand that Achilles and Patroclus may not have truly been lovers, but I find that most depictions of their relationship are underselling their devotion to each other. Hyacinthus and Apollo were in love, which Hamilton glosses over entirely, despite then mentioning Zephyrus's love for the mortal man. (It genuinely seems awkwardly out of context for Zephyrus to be romantically jealous of Apollo if Apollo wasn't the romantic partner of Hyacinthus.) The word "rape" is used in the book as a synonym for "kidnapping," but there was only one instance of a non-consensual mortal-god relationship mentioned as such, even in situations where the mortal (a woman) is running from a god (a man). The story of Callisto being turned into a bear is also dreadfully undertold. <Spoiler>Yes, Zeus pursued her, but he did so by transforming himself into Artemis, and revealed his true form only to impregnate her, at which point Callisto tried to resist. When she appeared to Artemis later, pregnant, she felt betrayed, and banished Callisto, at which point she was turned into a bear. Hamilton's story not only ignores the implied woman-woman relationship, but actual, important parts of the story.</Spoiler> I just find it incredible the absolute butchery authors will perform on their stories to ignore same-sex relationships or non-consensual sex.
Overall, though, I found the stories to be largely accurate, and the inclusion of the character's motivations shed a light on many stories I thought I already knew by heart. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone starting to get interested in mythology.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Infidelity, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Violence, Sexism, War, Torture, Stalking, Murder, Child death, and Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery, Rape, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
vickeyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5
One of my first introductions Greek/Roman Mythology. I learned a lot about the variety of stories in those respective cultures, from stories about heroes to greek goddesses being kidnapped. Generally I found it really fun!! I would love to read this again! Admittedly I did find some stories boring or uninteresting and at times the book a was a little hard to read (at least when I read it at the time).
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Rape
kwichris's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, War, Sexism, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Suicide, and Violence
cinhein's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Murder, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, War, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide, Slavery, Rape, Death, and Cannibalism
vivivi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
4.5
This was a fantastic read! It's especially fun to listen to. The narrator, Suzanne Toren, does an amazing job in bringing the stories to life.
The stories themselves were laid out in a way that was easy to understand, though I think I could hear the parts that were quotes directly from the original translations. It sounded different, but the delivery of the story made it easy on the ears. Kind of like how watching a Shakespeare play helps you understand the content more than just reading the script from a book.
Unfortunately, I zoned out of the last bit about the Norse mythology. I wasn't much interested in them after all the excitement of the Greek myths that took up 90% of the book.
The stories themselves were laid out in a way that was easy to understand, though I think I could hear the parts that were quotes directly from the original translations. It sounded different, but the delivery of the story made it easy on the ears. Kind of like how watching a Shakespeare play helps you understand the content more than just reading the script from a book.
Unfortunately, I zoned out of the last bit about the Norse mythology. I wasn't much interested in them after all the excitement of the Greek myths that took up 90% of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Child death, Violence, Gore, Death of parent, Abandonment, Rape, War, Murder, Kidnapping, Infidelity, Trafficking, Torture, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Incest, and Suicide
Greek myths are dark, and some of the stories are a little horrifying, but the stories aren't long.maryjames's review
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Sexism, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Grief, Suicide, and Misogyny
Moderate: Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Infidelity, Incest, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcohol and Emotional abuse
kendramichele's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
I have fond memories of a worn, frayed copy of this book being passed down to me as a child. Ever since, mythology has been my preferred source of escapism.
The 75th anniversary edition is sturdy, well-designed, and simply gorgeous to flip through. It's the jewel of my bookcase. This version transported me right back to that feeling of being eight years old, sprawled on a blanket in the park, immersed in the realm of heroes and monsters.
A true classic. Nostalgia won today!
The 75th anniversary edition is sturdy, well-designed, and simply gorgeous to flip through. It's the jewel of my bookcase. This version transported me right back to that feeling of being eight years old, sprawled on a blanket in the park, immersed in the realm of heroes and monsters.
A true classic. Nostalgia won today!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Death
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide, Incest, Slavery, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
featherinthewind's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.75
Of course it’s simply just a book of Greek mythology but it was very entertaining. I found myself sucked into the world of Ancient Greece with the way the book uses it words and threads it’s story. All in all, I’d read it again.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Grief, Death, Toxic relationship, Racism, Murder, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Blood, Sexual assault, Incest, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Confinement, Toxic friendship, Slavery, and Violence
ksallaz's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape