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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
I wanted to know more about Medusa and never learnt about mythology in school.... Better late than never I guess!
informative
medium-paced
Edith Hamilton gives a comprehensive overview of Greek and Roman mythology. This book starts with a short bio of the author's life and then an introduction by the author. In that intro she explains that these myths were not created or used as a religion. Instead the ancients created gods, goddesses and stories to explain the inexplainable. Particularly natural phenomenon. It was fascinating to listen to these stories with that perspective. Hamilton does an excellent job of bringing the stories to life.
I did tire of the seemingly endless war and murder. Even the logic behind some of the murder made me feel uncomfortable. It was hard at times for me to remember that it was a different time, place and culture. I first read this book for high school English class. That was ages ago and I had forgotten a lot. The last few chapters covered Norse mythology. My impression of that was grim. There didn't feel like there was any joy in those stories.
I did tire of the seemingly endless war and murder. Even the logic behind some of the murder made me feel uncomfortable. It was hard at times for me to remember that it was a different time, place and culture. I first read this book for high school English class. That was ages ago and I had forgotten a lot. The last few chapters covered Norse mythology. My impression of that was grim. There didn't feel like there was any joy in those stories.
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
It didn't really have much of a plot; it was really just a bunch of myths thrown together. That being said, it wasn't bad if you like that kind of stuff. Be forewarned: if, like me, you watched the Disney version of Hercules when you were little and thought that you liked Greek mythology because of that, you're in for a shock when you read the real story. Greek myths are a lot more graphic and don't have as many happy endings as Disney movies.
interesting illustrations but compared to other modern mythology overviews it’s extremely dry :/
These stories are so familiar, so integrated in our life. But the source material is intimidating without some guidance. Where to start?
This book introduces you to the characters and the family histories along with the various authors and their works. You get a sense of what influenced each unique telling.
It is a starting point. Or as much as you ever need to know. Your call. But it condenses a fantastic amount of information into less than 500 pages. And while I'm sure it cuts some emotional corners, the death of Hector is still thrilling, the return of Odysseus still bittersweet; Philomela's weaving is still delightfully clever. I had to go elsewhere to learn how to pronounce a lot of the names, but otherwise it's all there.
This book introduces you to the characters and the family histories along with the various authors and their works. You get a sense of what influenced each unique telling.
It is a starting point. Or as much as you ever need to know. Your call. But it condenses a fantastic amount of information into less than 500 pages. And while I'm sure it cuts some emotional corners, the death of Hector is still thrilling, the return of Odysseus still bittersweet; Philomela's weaving is still delightfully clever. I had to go elsewhere to learn how to pronounce a lot of the names, but otherwise it's all there.
A very thorough overview of Greek and Roman Myths. Worth reading for anyone who's interested in learning all the big stories and some of the smaller ones from these cultures. My only problem...Norse mythology gets merely a single a chapter. Oh well. That's what Gaiman's "Norse Mythology" is for, I guess.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced