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bookishwendy's review against another edition
4.0
Having recently finished Stephen Colbert's I am an American, this book hit me with a strange "de ja vu" feeling (go figure). Never mind that Juvenal wrote his Satires around 80 to 90 AD in/around the city of Rome. Like Colbert, Juvenal concocts a bombastic, "holier than thou" alter ego narrator who rails on every vice afflicting his contemporary culture, from avarice to homosexuality to the female sex. Although Juvenal the narrator voices his strong opinions in an over-exaggerated way (some times to the point of the reader's irritation) he provides an eye-opening window into Roman society. Effeminate men in see-through robes, women dressing up like soldiers and training in swordplay, noblemen serving themselves lobster and peacock and making their lower-ranking guests eat stale bread--all this disgusts Juvenal. Sometimes his tirades go on a bit long on subjects of less interest to modern readers (out-of-context discussions of now-forgotten politics), and some are flinchingly harsh (Satire 6 "against women"--I suspect the man was never married). For the most part, Juvenal provides an eye-opening and accessible look at how ancient life parallels the modern.
skywalkerem's review against another edition
3.0
While Juvenal is much angrier than Horace about, well, everything, I have to admit that I still do like Horace better. Juvenal does have some fantastic salty lines though.
bibliophilelinda's review against another edition
4.0
Started out really humorous and satirical, but lessens as the chapters progress. I guess Juvenal started making money from his Satires and ended up becoming what he so earlier condemned.
crashedprunes's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
fast-paced
3.5
beth_jwilliams's review against another edition
I can only read so much misogyny until I get sick of it.
magic's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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