Reviews

Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained by John Milton

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nusighba's review against another edition

3.0

"For never can true reconcilement grow,
Where wounds of deadly hate have pierced so deep;
Which would but lead me to a worse relapse
And heavier fall: so should I purchase dear
Short intermission bought with double smart."
Based on the rivalry between Satan and God, angels and demons, the outcast of Adam and Eve, the comeback of Jesus, and a few greek mythologies, "Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained" is a complicatedly beautiful collection of blank verses holding immense depth. It took me a good two months to finish this. I never knew stories could be turned into poetry and still hold the same appeal, or even more.
John Milton sure did address the supremacy of God, his power and nobility, but not as much as he did Satan's rationales. He did not tag Satan as merely, Satan. He talked about him reigning over hell, the Pandamonium, gave him traits other than just being evil, often sympathizing with him, and as the 18th century English poet William Blake said, “The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels & God, and at liberty when of Devils & Hell, is because he was a true Poet and of the Devil's party without knowing it.”
This 17th century style poetry might have been a little strenous for me to understand and almost made me want to give up halfway, but I'm glad I didn't.

blueyorkie's review against another edition

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4.0

The mind that is well-established in its place can turn hell into heaven, heaven into a nightmare.
From what place did it come?

grllopez's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I struggled in the beginning, but I'm so glad to have finished it.

countessvale's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.0

rbreadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

3.5

lancegliser's review against another edition

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3.0

Foremost, I want to make it very clear, this was excellent. The writing was superb, and Milton deserves an era of style named after him. As prose goes, top of the line.

That said... Oww. My head hurts. The unfortunate nature of amazing prose, and wide vocabulary usage is that often times readers become simply weary. Attempting to interact in any long stints was enjoyable, but draining.

I do highly recommend this. Having the stories fleshed out is marvelous, even if fiction. It's well worth some small amounts of time here and there as a casual read. My sympathies go out to readers attempting to parse the entire text in a condensed time span for classes.