Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Odyssey by Homer

48 reviews

hjb_128's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Classism, Murder, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Animal death

Moderate: War and Sexual violence

therealslimkatie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death, Cursing, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Murder, Torture, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and War

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Incest

mariakureads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

I've read a different version of Homer's work but I was intrigued by this one and I have to say that I do love Wilson's translation of this epic poem.
Her use of modern language and choice of iambic pentameter for her translation felt new and contemporary and it was easier to read and visualize for me. This alone was a challenge as she managed to keep the same number of verses from the original Greek!
I never saw the big hero that others did in Odysseus, yes he had adventures and some were heroic indeed, but the man himself ...no I never truly saw it and in Wilson's translation I get some vindication as here we see a complicated man, an unreliable narrator to his own quests, a mischief maker, a doubter of his wife who he left alone for 20+ years while he himself is a huge flirt.
Wilson's translation is quite honestly a great read and a challenging one that makes you wonder about previous translations but even the violence is felt to be more violent and brutal and I can't tell if that's the modernized wording or if it was always there just worded differently so that it didn't come across as such.
All in all, I'm tempted to read Wilson's take on the Illiad.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Death, Blood, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Alcohol, Animal death, and Abandonment

bookishly_'s review against another edition

adventurous challenging medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A

4.5

At over 500 pages, Emily Wilson’s translation of Homer’s Odyssey is a hefty read. It is also immensely engaging and readable, with straightforward prose that definitely captures the sense of a world very different from our own. The only reason this wasn’t a five-star rating is because I’ve heard from people with more familiarity with Ancient Greek that it isn’t the most literal translation, which poses a few issues, but as an act of interpretative literary translation I think it’s incredible. Wilson makes some excellent translational choices that are well outlined in the Introduction and Translator’s Note, which I believe nobody should skip. Honestly fabulous, a much enjoyed reread.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, War, Death, Violence, Murder, Gore, and Blood

itsphoenix's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Rape and Death

caelfind's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: War, Death, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Minor: Sexual content

zbrebis's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional mysterious tense 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

3.0

My notes for Homer is; Maybe workshop this? Odysseus is an unlikable character who failed at every turn, loss 600 men and came back home as a hero after slauthering his wife's orbiters and his "unfaithful" slaves. Athena, find yourself a better hero girl.
Its worth reading if you're into classical studies and ancient Greece, but if someone told you that "every man NEEDS to read Odysseus" I'd just say, skip it?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Grief, Sexual violence, Violence, Slavery, Sexism, Murder, and Death

This whole book is about the use of violence against wit and 500+ people die so there's a lot of death.

athenian_frog's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, War, and Slavery

Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Grief, Confinement, Cannibalism, and Animal death

There are graphic deaths of several characters. A group of women are hung and it is described in the epic with a few disturbing lines. There is a lot of violence in general.

ilovedogs123's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual content and Violence

bones_jackson's review against another edition

adventurous challenging slow-paced

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

3.0

É um livro bem denso e cansativo de ler, e por ser poema, tu avança bem mais devagar do que em prosa(incrivelmente). Me perdo muitas vezes porque além de ter linguagem rebuscada, na minha cabeça eu não consigo formar uma imagem tão boa da história do que quando eu leio um livro normal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, and War