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ant's review
4.0
I enjoyed this far more than I expected in large part due to the re-telling. The tales are not made opaque by the language they were originally expressed in and are thus sheer enjoyment.
h4ndmadeheaven's review
this book is an absolute rollercoaster with some incredible sentences I should hope to quote for the rest of my LIFE. What the fuck just happened?
maniereads's review
5.0
I love the Canterbury Tales, but that Middle English is, for me, a huge downer. My early Brit Lit prof in college made it seem like Middle English was just like modern English, just a little bit different in the spelling. Bull! It may as well have been Swahili for me.
Peter Ackroyd knows his stuff, and does great justice to the tales in his prose retelling. Bawdy and hilarious at times, melodramatic and spiritual at others. The original should obviously still be read and treasured, but this book makes the spirit of Chaucer's intent much more accessible to the lay person.
Peter Ackroyd knows his stuff, and does great justice to the tales in his prose retelling. Bawdy and hilarious at times, melodramatic and spiritual at others. The original should obviously still be read and treasured, but this book makes the spirit of Chaucer's intent much more accessible to the lay person.
mundlecat's review
3.0
okay here's the thing. i've been reading classics one- because i need to for quick recall and two- because they make me look smart. what i have learned is that if i don't really HAVE to read the book then it's torture. if i don't get through a substantial amount of the story in one day i feel lazy. so to finish this off, if i don't actually have to read the book i'm using spark notes.
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