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3.19 AVERAGE
3.19 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't finish this book, I got to around three quarters of the way through. After reading the Penelopiad I was looking forward to reading more of the Canongate Myths. However I really didn't enjoy this book very much. Although I like the myth of Samson... I felt that all this book did was provide questions to ask yourself when considering the myth. I believe it is good to ask questions of myths, but the level of literary criticism provided in this book I felt at some points was irrelevant and ridiculous, and at others interesting and thought provoking.
Although some people may find the questioning nature of the book a good thing, I found it to be increasingly difficult to read. I feel quite torn in my feelings towards this book, but I feel more negatively towards it than positively!
Although some people may find the questioning nature of the book a good thing, I found it to be increasingly difficult to read. I feel quite torn in my feelings towards this book, but I feel more negatively towards it than positively!
I really want to meet Grossman because his prose is heart breaking wonderful.
Grossman looks at the story of Samson and gives the story a very close reading. I doubt anyone who reads this book will look at the story of Samson the same way. Additionally, Grossman makes connections to current events, though not in a heavy handed way.
Grossman's look at Samson presents a rather interesting idea of a man who is chosen by who may lack free will. He also takes about dated readings of the story. (For instance, back in the olden days, scholar thought that Deliah moved away from Samson at a critical point in their physical exercise together, and that's why he was wearied until death).
While funny at points, the book is moving. It is a short and quick read. If you have the read the Bible or are interested in religion (or myth), you should read this lovely little book.
Grossman looks at the story of Samson and gives the story a very close reading. I doubt anyone who reads this book will look at the story of Samson the same way. Additionally, Grossman makes connections to current events, though not in a heavy handed way.
Grossman's look at Samson presents a rather interesting idea of a man who is chosen by who may lack free will. He also takes about dated readings of the story. (For instance, back in the olden days, scholar thought that Deliah moved away from Samson at a critical point in their physical exercise together, and that's why he was wearied until death).
While funny at points, the book is moving. It is a short and quick read. If you have the read the Bible or are interested in religion (or myth), you should read this lovely little book.
Let's be clear upfront: this is not a novel. This is a very long d'var torah on the chapters from Judges that make up the story of Sampson. It is, however, quite fascinating. Grossman does a good job of humanizing Sampson and made me go from "Wow, Sampson is a total d*ck" (my reaction when I finished reading the chapters from Judges that open this book) to "maybe he's more complex than that." Grossman's ideas about people going back again and again to relive the source of their initial trauma has a lot of relevance in today's world. This was a worthy read--even if it's not a novel.
"What might Samson’s life have looked like later on if she had been able to look straight into him, to see him as he really was? To fathom what has befallen this foreigner even before he was born: a state of eternal non-belonging. To see a man who tears a lion apart with his bare hands and then melts before the sheer poetry of the honey in its carcass."
Like many reviewers of this book, I originally read Lion's Honey because I was completely blown away by Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad. Also like other reviewers, this book was not what I expected. However, I didn't dislike what I found and actually enjoyed certain parts of it.
This is the kind of book that anyone interested in religion, the Bible as literature, or mythology will eat right up. The book includes the chapters of Judges that deal with Samson's story; then, David Grossman leads the reader on a close reading of the text. I can see why a reader still reeling from Atwood's fictionalized, feminist retelling of the Odyssey may be disappointed by this academic work, but the two are really just completely different animals. Grossman does indulge in some speculation by attempting to read between the lines of sparser details in the text, but it's just important to realize that at its core, this is essentially literary criticism and is intended to take a closer look at Samson and his story.
I was not completely blown away by Grossman's writing - at times, his sentence structure was a little repetitive, mostly because his academic tone required him to constantly use the formal constructs "the reader may see" or "one may conclude" - but it certainly wasn't bad. A few notable passages in this short book really jumped off the page and seemed to cut to the heart of the matter, and those moments were what really made the book worth reading. Grossman revealed the character of Samson (and even Delilah, recasting her as neither a woman tortured by guilt and regret nor a heartless succubus but somewhere in between) to be much more complex and much less heroic than one would initially assume, and he even manages to draw connections between Samson, contemporary Jewish culture, and modern Israel (even going so far as to dub Samson the 'original' suicide bomber).
All in all, I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in mythology or religion, but if you're looking for something as eccentric and fictionalized as The Penelopiad, you might be a little disappointed.
Like many reviewers of this book, I originally read Lion's Honey because I was completely blown away by Margaret Atwood's Penelopiad. Also like other reviewers, this book was not what I expected. However, I didn't dislike what I found and actually enjoyed certain parts of it.
This is the kind of book that anyone interested in religion, the Bible as literature, or mythology will eat right up. The book includes the chapters of Judges that deal with Samson's story; then, David Grossman leads the reader on a close reading of the text. I can see why a reader still reeling from Atwood's fictionalized, feminist retelling of the Odyssey may be disappointed by this academic work, but the two are really just completely different animals. Grossman does indulge in some speculation by attempting to read between the lines of sparser details in the text, but it's just important to realize that at its core, this is essentially literary criticism and is intended to take a closer look at Samson and his story.
I was not completely blown away by Grossman's writing - at times, his sentence structure was a little repetitive, mostly because his academic tone required him to constantly use the formal constructs "the reader may see" or "one may conclude" - but it certainly wasn't bad. A few notable passages in this short book really jumped off the page and seemed to cut to the heart of the matter, and those moments were what really made the book worth reading. Grossman revealed the character of Samson (and even Delilah, recasting her as neither a woman tortured by guilt and regret nor a heartless succubus but somewhere in between) to be much more complex and much less heroic than one would initially assume, and he even manages to draw connections between Samson, contemporary Jewish culture, and modern Israel (even going so far as to dub Samson the 'original' suicide bomber).
All in all, I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in mythology or religion, but if you're looking for something as eccentric and fictionalized as The Penelopiad, you might be a little disappointed.
I have been reading through the Canongate Myth Series, and enjoying the modern day retellings of familiar myths. David Grossman's Lion's Honey is more an essay and analysis of the Samson story and although it was fascinating and well written, this was disappointing. It brought back to me the confusions trying to explain to elementary age students why they would find their favorite fairy tales and myths in the non-fiction section of the library. They struggle with the concept that something that is obviously not "fact" is shelved in that way. It was engaging reading none the less and I especially enjoyed parts of the analysis that Grossman related to current day conflicts in Israel. It is not for everyone, but is recommended for anyone interested in Jewish issues and/or Biblical studies.
This was a fascinating up close look at the story of Samson and Delilah. It wasn't a retelling but the Bible chapters that tell of Samson and then an exploration of what's happening in those chapters. It's surprisingly tragic and unusual.
I didn't like the style in this book in the series as well as the Atwood book that I read. This was too "textbook preachy" for me. I did, however, like the in-depth look at the Biblical story. That was very interesting.