Reviews - The Odyssey | The StoryGraph

7.43k reviews for:

The Odyssey

Homer

3.72 AVERAGE

staceyjl's review against another edition

2.5

adventurous dark

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Give me a retelling any day

eirikdl's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

brianna2048's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional

emiedx's review against another edition

1.0

Do not read this unless you have to like I did. One of the most painful books to read.

meic's review against another edition

4.0

What an amazing privilege is to read this masterpiece, we can say that this epic was revolutionary for the way it’s constructed, starting from the middle and with characters who are not the main ones (ily Telemachus), also bc one of the most intense parts is being told by its main character and not by a bard or muse as it started, giving it a unique touch from what we can call now, an unreliable narrator.
Now i finally understand the obsession Wolfy (@WolfyTheWitch) has with Odysseus, he’s such a charming, cunning and ambiguous funny hero who just wants to go home, back to his family and sunny Ithaca but he and his many ways turn him sometimes, into a victim and sometimes a perpetrator, dragging him away from his objective. There’s also this amazing and humane portrayal of the Gods who play a main role in this, yes, they are almighty and immortal but they quarrel and throw tantrums, which is so fun, still the aspect of fear and respect towards them is always present.
The odyssey might be a dusty epic, full of twist, tons of complicated family trees, and repetitive elements ( “When young Dawn with her rose-red fingers shone once more…”) but that’s what makes it great, it tells us in between this complicated prose a story of survival, of trust, faith, loyalty and mainly, that you can change but despite everything you are still you, like Odysseus changed but still, he couldn’t help but lie to his loved ones in order to protect them (also rhetorical skills bc what the hell, that man was persuasive). I can’t stop thinking about this, thank you Homer.

Also me and my mom are mad at the casting for the movie, she thinks Dev Patel should’ve been Odysseus bc he is handsome and talented and I stand with her!!!