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dreesreads's review against another edition
2.0
Yay I finished!
Disappointing. To me, this book was more magical realism than historical fiction--I suppose those who believe in supernatural magic (as opposed to herbs and knowledge) might not get turned off. And I might have enjoyed it more if she had made up her own characters, rather than using actual people.
Not bad per say, but a very slow read. *yawn*
Disappointing. To me, this book was more magical realism than historical fiction--I suppose those who believe in supernatural magic (as opposed to herbs and knowledge) might not get turned off. And I might have enjoyed it more if she had made up her own characters, rather than using actual people.
Not bad per say, but a very slow read. *yawn*
womanroars's review against another edition
2.0
Probably a 2.5 star rating, really.
I gotta say, I started Metamorphoses by Ovid over the summer and put it down, but if I ever manage to pick it back up again, I am definitely going to see him in a different light. She did manage to find those buttons and push!
The writing was beautiful, but I also got a whiff of trying too hard, which is always pretty fatal. It slowed down the narrative and seemed to be trying to mask some of the deficiencies of the rest of the novel.
One of my main issues with the novel was the repetitious nature of it, how many times am I going to hear about her gazing at him, him gazing at her? I thought maybe he should see somebody about those sweaty wrists of his!
The jump from loving couple to jealous and suspicious lovers was a little too steep for me as well. Really, their first time in public he goes off with another woman? His logic seemed completely screwed up, i.e. not believable, for such a smart guy, and his end goal was kind of ridiculous.
Julia seemed an add-on as well. Barely mentioned at first and then plays a pivotal role? Eh, didn't believe it, and didn't really believe her story, as her backstory was not enough to show her motivations.
It would definitely be a cool project to go through and find all the myths that she interspersed throughout and analyze the myth that it becomes, out of the truth of the story.
I gotta say, I started Metamorphoses by Ovid over the summer and put it down, but if I ever manage to pick it back up again, I am definitely going to see him in a different light. She did manage to find those buttons and push!
The writing was beautiful, but I also got a whiff of trying too hard, which is always pretty fatal. It slowed down the narrative and seemed to be trying to mask some of the deficiencies of the rest of the novel.
One of my main issues with the novel was the repetitious nature of it, how many times am I going to hear about her gazing at him, him gazing at her? I thought maybe he should see somebody about those sweaty wrists of his!
The jump from loving couple to jealous and suspicious lovers was a little too steep for me as well. Really, their first time in public he goes off with another woman? His logic seemed completely screwed up, i.e. not believable, for such a smart guy, and his end goal was kind of ridiculous.
Julia seemed an add-on as well. Barely mentioned at first and then plays a pivotal role? Eh, didn't believe it, and didn't really believe her story, as her backstory was not enough to show her motivations.
It would definitely be a cool project to go through and find all the myths that she interspersed throughout and analyze the myth that it becomes, out of the truth of the story.
abbbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Дочитала наконец-то роман «Певец любви» Джейн Элисон об Овидии, обязательный к прочтению на курсе по исторической литературе от Виргинского университета, который я сейчас слушаю на Курсере.
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Цель у меня, как вы понимаете, любопытная. Возможно, есть кое-какие задумки когда-нибудь попробовать что-нибудь написать самой, но это пока очень эфемерно. Пока что я в принципе хочу понять, как работают писатели, особенно как работают те из них, что пишут исторические романы. У людей из литературного мира считается трудным взять реальные факты и перемешать их с вымыслом, чтобы получилась живая, увлекательная картинка, от которой у читателя осталось бы полное ощущение: «да, так всё и было». Здесь тонкий баланс правды и лжи, того, что было на самом деле, и выдумки. От того, насколько этот баланс выдержан, зависит успех исторического романа.
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«Певец любви» в этом плане хороший пример. Для Джейн Элисон поэт Овидий был кумиром, она изучала его творчество много лет, переводила его элегии, даже жила какое-то время в тех же городах, что и он. Можно сказать, присутствовала некая «одержимость». Возможно, это обязательный компонент для писателя — быть чуточку «одержимым» страной, эпохой и персонажем, о котором ты пишешь. Получилось убедительно.
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Я думаю, что «Певца любви» будет полезно прочитать пишущим людям, чтобы наглядно увидеть, как с помощью мельчайших деталей можно воссоздать давно ушедшую эпоху, оживить давно умерших людей. Остальных увлечёт сюжет со множеством интриг и поворотов. Здесь много магии, переплетённой с искусством. Ведь речь об истории создания легендарной трагедии Овидия «Медея», которая не уцелела и от которой до нас дошло лишь несколько строк.
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Это было захватывающе. Рекомендую.
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Цель у меня, как вы понимаете, любопытная. Возможно, есть кое-какие задумки когда-нибудь попробовать что-нибудь написать самой, но это пока очень эфемерно. Пока что я в принципе хочу понять, как работают писатели, особенно как работают те из них, что пишут исторические романы. У людей из литературного мира считается трудным взять реальные факты и перемешать их с вымыслом, чтобы получилась живая, увлекательная картинка, от которой у читателя осталось бы полное ощущение: «да, так всё и было». Здесь тонкий баланс правды и лжи, того, что было на самом деле, и выдумки. От того, насколько этот баланс выдержан, зависит успех исторического романа.
⠀
«Певец любви» в этом плане хороший пример. Для Джейн Элисон поэт Овидий был кумиром, она изучала его творчество много лет, переводила его элегии, даже жила какое-то время в тех же городах, что и он. Можно сказать, присутствовала некая «одержимость». Возможно, это обязательный компонент для писателя — быть чуточку «одержимым» страной, эпохой и персонажем, о котором ты пишешь. Получилось убедительно.
⠀
Я думаю, что «Певца любви» будет полезно прочитать пишущим людям, чтобы наглядно увидеть, как с помощью мельчайших деталей можно воссоздать давно ушедшую эпоху, оживить давно умерших людей. Остальных увлечёт сюжет со множеством интриг и поворотов. Здесь много магии, переплетённой с искусством. Ведь речь об истории создания легендарной трагедии Овидия «Медея», которая не уцелела и от которой до нас дошло лишь несколько строк.
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Это было захватывающе. Рекомендую.
xallroyx21's review against another edition
3.0
I read this for the Coursera class "Plagues, Witches, and War: The Worlds of Historical Fiction." The story tries to solve the riddle of why Ovid, the most popular poet of his day, was banished by Augustus. Before his Metamorphoses was published, Ovid travels and encounters a women who becomes his muse and brings her back to Rome. Along with this storyline is another of Augustus' granddaughter who is meant to provide a blood heir to the Roman Empire.
I'll start off with what I liked about the book. I really do like mythology and so all the references to Greek and Roman myths were appealing to me. The premise of the story was also interesting and the characters felt like real people. Ovid's flaw was authentic. Though I like descriptive writing, I sometimes lost my way in this one. Maybe I should have read with less distractions around. I had trouble staying focused and found myself just closing the book at the end of chapters. I do think that this could deserve a re-read at a later date.
I'll start off with what I liked about the book. I really do like mythology and so all the references to Greek and Roman myths were appealing to me. The premise of the story was also interesting and the characters felt like real people. Ovid's flaw was authentic. Though I like descriptive writing, I sometimes lost my way in this one. Maybe I should have read with less distractions around. I had trouble staying focused and found myself just closing the book at the end of chapters. I do think that this could deserve a re-read at a later date.
abookishaffair's review against another edition
3.0
"The Love Artist" is the story of the famous poet, Ovid, and his exile from Rome. Not much is known about why exactly he was exiled. Not much is known about what his life was like when he was exiled. The author is able to take what we do know and create a fascinating story about what may have happened to Ovid during that time period.
The book is definitely a quiet one and takes a little while to truly hit its stride. It eventually gets there but it just takes a little bit. It slowly unfolds as we find out about Ovid's exile and the woman that he meets there that will change the course of his life, both personal and creative. He very quickly falls in love with a woman that may have become the muse for Ovid's Medea, of which only two lines survive today. This woman is mysterious. She may even have some magical qualities and she may actually be a witch. Ovid molds her character into the perfect character for his work.
I liked the settings in this book most of all. I still have not read all that much historical fiction set in ancient times and I really find myself appreciating books that have a lot of detail about the setting. I love armchair traveling and definitely appreciated exploring somewhere new.
Overall, this was an interesting look at Ovid's life.
The book is definitely a quiet one and takes a little while to truly hit its stride. It eventually gets there but it just takes a little bit. It slowly unfolds as we find out about Ovid's exile and the woman that he meets there that will change the course of his life, both personal and creative. He very quickly falls in love with a woman that may have become the muse for Ovid's Medea, of which only two lines survive today. This woman is mysterious. She may even have some magical qualities and she may actually be a witch. Ovid molds her character into the perfect character for his work.
I liked the settings in this book most of all. I still have not read all that much historical fiction set in ancient times and I really find myself appreciating books that have a lot of detail about the setting. I love armchair traveling and definitely appreciated exploring somewhere new.
Overall, this was an interesting look at Ovid's life.
pturnbull's review against another edition
3.0
A novel told with great artistry and historical integrity. However, I found it to be excruciatingly slow, with much of the action suggested rather than shown.
kimberlybea's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start off with two confessions: 1. Yeah, I bought this book in part because of the cover art---it's gorgeous! Wish I looked like that! and 2. I'm kind of scared to read historical fiction, particularly ancient history. That's because I'm this close to getting my PhD in ancient history, and most of the time when I read historical novels, I spend so much time looking for errors that I can't enjoy the story! However, with The Love Artist I was able to avoid this problem, partly because the author is a classicist and partly because the story she tells fills in the gaps in known history rather than retelling a story for which there is already plenty of evidence. The Roman poet Ovid, one of the most popular of his day, was exiled by the emperor Augustus for, he says "a poem and an error;" We don't know what the error was, although there are plenty of theories, many involving the emperor's granddaughter Julia, who was exiled around the same time. In The Love Artist, Alison provides a possible explanation, writing of Ovid's obsession with the witch Xenia whom he meets on holiday in Tomis on the Black Sea. Ovid, Xenia, and Julia all come alive as believable characters, if not always likable ones, and Alison's prose style is elegant and sparse. I was impressed that her writing was not overly expository or salacious, a problem I've had with historical novels in the past. The ending did feel a little rushed to me, and I'd be interested in hearing how this novel was received by someone who had closely studied the mystery of Ovid's exile and, contrarily, someone with little to no knowledge of ancient Roman history. I enjoyed it, and was caught up in Alison's fictional world.
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