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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
This truly is the perfect Yuletide story, which is why I’ve listened to the exquisite Simon Armitage audiobook during three out of the last four Christmastides. There are so many delights within this sly, splendid story.
Listening to the audiobook of Simon Armitage’s translation is one of my favourite Christmas traditions.
Listening to the audiobook of Simon Armitage’s translation is one of my favourite Christmas traditions.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, magnificent! I was keen to reread this for the first time since a formative British folklore course I took in college, after seeing the gloriously insane movie last summer. I thought Armitage's translation was playful, inventive, yet honorable to the source. Having the Middle English on the facing page provided a great bedrock to bounce against when I wanted to see (faultily) how the original meant an image to come across.
(Spoiler: It's fascinating that ~40% of the movie takes place in one stanza! It's that rich of a source.)
(Spoiler: It's fascinating that ~40% of the movie takes place in one stanza! It's that rich of a source.)
omg i really didn't expect to like this ! i always read the intro first and i had such low expectations but omg ! the translation is beautiful ! the alliteration on every line is just so lovely. and the plot line ! was not expecting such a funky ending from a medieval text
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
While I liked this text more than some other old English texts, it still is not high in my ranking. The plot was cohesive and the writing was relatively understandable. I found the major plot points and overarching themes to be intriguing and the mysticism was also very fascinating to me. I would not recommend this text to an overarching audience, but if you are looking for an old English text that is more approachable than Beowulf, this is a good text for you.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes