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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
medium-paced
My only quibble is that this book isn't what what it seemed to sell itself to be. The back cover description lead me to expect the kind of book that would make Latin more interesting to complete novices, perhaps by pointing out Latin applications and observances in every day life. But most of the book does seem to assume the reader either has some foundation of Latin knowledge, or is able to learn the fundamentals more quickly than should be expected from its brief lessons. I can imagine "Carpe Diem: Put a Little Latin in Your Life" being interesting and informative, but moreso for those with Latin already in their lives.
I was always afraid Latin would involve lots of rote learning and would be too hard to learn and this book confirmed it. It's a very good introduction to Latin but conjugating verbs obviously takes years to master. You're not going to learn any Latin from this book but you'll learn a bit about it.
No, seriously, this book is way more entertaining than you think Latin can be.
Carpe Diem is clear, humorous, and understandable. A great read for anyone interested in Latin or Roman history. Not only does the novel discuss the language itself, but also the history behind it - the history of the Roman Empire. I found it extremely interesting. Example sentences for the grammar actually made me laugh.
informative
lighthearted
slow-paced
Not particularly inspiring, not very funny, mercifully brief. The Latin itself is all correct, though – but as the author says, you are in good hands with Kennedy (and other authors for the non-lingual stuff) if that’s what you want.
If you are a classicist yourself, you might find some of the stereotypes funny (the frequent depiction of classicists in fiction as evil or mad has not escaped me), but the humour itself is nothing to write home about. I suppose someone might get some use out of it as an introduction to Latin, but it reads more like the bluffer's guide than anything else (and yet the bluffer's guide is shorter and more informative).
If you are a classicist yourself, you might find some of the stereotypes funny (the frequent depiction of classicists in fiction as evil or mad has not escaped me), but the humour itself is nothing to write home about. I suppose someone might get some use out of it as an introduction to Latin, but it reads more like the bluffer's guide than anything else (and yet the bluffer's guide is shorter and more informative).
An extremely interesting, succinct, and pithy primer for the Latin language. After I tackle Hebrew and Greek, Latin is now definitely on the list.
#1 most awesome Latin book ever!!! The Latin book that tells you how to conjugate everything (even the tricky little irregular verbs into the tricky little subjunctives), decline everything (including names), and actually be able to understand lawyers in the cop shows, plus history. And of course, all presented in a way that you can actually understand, and that is interesting. (ex: Purple Togas: A History of Roman Emperors) Even the introduction is interesting!!! Great for anyone who likes Latin, doesn't like Latin, or think that a history of dead guys has to be boring.
I wasn’t expecting grammar lessons. I was looking for a lighter approach.