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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Very good and very informative, great consulting material for greek mythology. Covers a huge variety of myths and stories. Sometimes it doesn't go into a lot of detail about some kind of important stories (f.e. the Odyssey) and some versions I already knew are missing from their myths, but it's really one or two throughout the whole book. Overall I'd really recommend if you're passionate about this topic.
I've been fascinated by mythology my whole life so I can't believe it took me this long to read this classic. Far more researched and less dry than I was expecting. I'll add it to my stack of favorite Greek mythology books.
[Cross-posted to my blog: paquetdevie.blogspot.com]
I love this book. I have always been interested in mythology, but the way some reference book told them is very dry. These stories live through riveting poems and plays throughout centuries; it is by its very nature theatrical. The Greeks and Romans use the stories of the gods to terrify and inspire all kinds of emotions in their subjects.
So I am very pleased with Ms. Hamilton's Mythology. Ms. Hamilton, while still maintaining a respectable distance with her subject-matter, also inserts her own opinions and views in the stories. She is clearly passionate about her work, knows the stories very well, and cares for the characters. She laments the fates of innocents who were needlessly and absurdly brutalized by the gods. She sympathizes with Medea, the wife who was cast off by Jason, but acknowledges that she was cruel in her actions. Though I like Roman mythology, I LIVE for her distaste for Roman writers (she can throw amazing shade). You can clearly see her opinions and sympathies, but she does so subtly, weaving it in her beautiful prose, so that it does not feel patronizing or preaching.
Though the book focuses too much on Greek/Roman mythology and little on the other world mythologies, I still think this is a must-read for any mythology buff.
I love this book. I have always been interested in mythology, but the way some reference book told them is very dry. These stories live through riveting poems and plays throughout centuries; it is by its very nature theatrical. The Greeks and Romans use the stories of the gods to terrify and inspire all kinds of emotions in their subjects.
So I am very pleased with Ms. Hamilton's Mythology. Ms. Hamilton, while still maintaining a respectable distance with her subject-matter, also inserts her own opinions and views in the stories. She is clearly passionate about her work, knows the stories very well, and cares for the characters. She laments the fates of innocents who were needlessly and absurdly brutalized by the gods. She sympathizes with Medea, the wife who was cast off by Jason, but acknowledges that she was cruel in her actions. Though I like Roman mythology, I LIVE for her distaste for Roman writers (she can throw amazing shade). You can clearly see her opinions and sympathies, but she does so subtly, weaving it in her beautiful prose, so that it does not feel patronizing or preaching.
Though the book focuses too much on Greek/Roman mythology and little on the other world mythologies, I still think this is a must-read for any mythology buff.
Interesting way to contain many of the Greek Mythology and Roman mythologies together in one book. Very interesting to read these and relearn and learn some of the mythologies I did not know about. There is a lot to take in and I'm glad she did as many stories as she did for this book. The last "part" about Norse Mythology was especially interesting after reading the rest of the book to see the differences in the thinking and religions, even if they were taking place around the same time, just in very different areas.
Overall I would recommend to others who would like to learn more about Greek mythology, not sure if there would be a better book to choose from to learn as much in so few pages.
Overall I would recommend to others who would like to learn more about Greek mythology, not sure if there would be a better book to choose from to learn as much in so few pages.
While I don't normally indulge myself in non-fiction books, this one was still a really interesting read. I've always been fascinated by mythology, Greek, Roman and Norse. It was also a really good book to read alongside the Percy Jackson books I've also been reading. It was well written, captivating and generally, a really good read. I definitely recommend this to anyone who has read, is reading or will read any of the books written by Rick Riordan based around mythology or just generally enjoy mythology like I do.
Such a great job explaining in brief detail mythological characters. Super fun and easy to read.
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
funny
informative
slow-paced
The definitive mythology tome. Edith Hamilton’s commentary is clear and often scathingly funny. She reveres and dunks on ancient sources in equal measure.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Incest
The author talked about her sources for the stories. She also gave a "family" tree. Then she told the stories in clear language. Before each story, she mentioned which of the authors she used and why. There was not much about Norse Mythology. Maybe 30 pages. I would have liked more Norse. Then I could have given it 5 stars.