Reviews - The Odyssey | The StoryGraph

7.25k reviews for:

The Odyssey

Alexander Pope, Homer

3.72 AVERAGE

regnet's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

eliottavedis's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous challenging slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

biblioslut's review against another edition

4.5

This was self-mandatory, not just because it is THE OG epic adventure story, but because there’s something to be said about reading an ancient classic, and Emily Wilson’s translation made it incredibly enjoyable and accessible! It’s rich, full, but not complex, and you’ll discover many themes still relevant today, as well as recognize Homer’s direct influence across lifetimes of creative mediums.

seeyf's review against another edition

5.0

I was fortunate to have taken a class with Emily Wilson as freshman in college. It was on Milton’s Paradise Lost, and we had to write 700 word essays on five or fewer lines, which I remember struggling with but at the same time I also appreciated how much can be uncovered through a close reading of the text. Thus, I am well aware of the all the effort and analysis that must have gone into this work, especially with the constraints of sticking to the same number of lines as Homer, and setting the text in iambic pentameter. Much has been said about the modern choice of “complicated” for the Greek word “polytropos”, or how her translation uses the word “slaves” instead of euphemisms to hide this uncomfortable fact of Homer’s world. However the ultimate impact of all these careful choices and decisions is to give us a fresh and direct telling of this ancient tale, and allow us to compare the world of the Greeks with our own.

bradleyburr's review against another edition

4.0

You know these classics are pretty good to re-read once in a while. This book is fundamental to understanding the history of culture. It is not boring. It is pretty interesting.