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Іліада

Homer

3.8 AVERAGE


It didn't take THAT long, took a pause after 10th Dec and continued on 15th Jan.

book is pretty, cloth-like but has to be wrapped in order to preserve it. For it's internals, the LONG analysis prior to the actual book, was also very insightful.

Reading throughout, although some aspects were intentionally repetitive, Homer has a sense of narrative and internal emotional introspection. The last few chapters, was what sold it for me. God's having beef however human it seemed, was interesting to me bc it was my first intentional dive (head in) into Greek mythos.

Definitely worth the read for Homer's ability describing interpersonal combat sequences, painting a harrowing image of war, destiny, consequences, death and life, human/god politics, belief system, subversion of expectations and more.

I have to admit however, it took me WAY longer than expected bc of the translation and some paragraphs had to reread several times in order to grasp Homer's pov. Glad I am to finish this, Odyssey and Aeneid sometime in the future.
adventurous challenging dark reflective tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Well, I enjoyed this far more than I expected.
What a shock to the senses it was. War, blood, gore, violence, and the ‘glory’ of all that…. But also reflection on lives lost and the utter waste and tragedy of war, the pettiness of human concerns, the bizarre meddling of the gods on Mount Olympus plus a really, really great tale, cinematic and epic.

At times the brutality was nightmarish, at times the gods were hilarious, at times it made me cry. It was superb!

Probably not hugely feminist

Long-winded, but very characteristic of an epic. Lattimore's translation was excellent.

In this epic, the intensity of war is vividly portrayed as it unfolds through the actions of humans, gods, and goddesses alike, each influencing the battle’s course with their own desires, rivalries, and interventions. The narrative captures the grandeur and turmoil of a world where divine and mortal forces intertwine, amplifying the stakes and depth of each conflict.

Just discovered this really underground writer called Homer. You probably haven‘t heard of him but I‘m pretty sure he‘s going places.
adventurous challenging slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Loveable characters: No
adventurous challenging dark sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
adventurous challenging dark inspiring tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes