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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's fine. It's a little dense in parts. Definitely not the best Greek myth retellings. Also, on my digital version, it shows James Baldwin the author of Go Tell It On the Mountain and Giovanni's Room. But, this was written by a very different James Baldwin. Same name, different humans.
adventurous
fast-paced
Baldwin's beautiful rhythm and tone bring new life and accessibility to the Greek myths. Loved every word.
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
One of the first stories I read as a child was one with Hercules and Antaeus. Only in the version I read, Antaeus beat Heracles with the help of Pygmies whom he had befriended.
There in Lies the intrigue with Mythology. There are often Multiple versions and Interpretations to tales that have bled into the collective Human Psyche.
Sometimes the stories are so familiar we tend to remember the Version with some incorrect details.More confusing is the blurred lines due to the Merging and borrowing of deities between the Hellenic and Roman Cultures.
The Work in that sense is a Purist interpretation or rather the origin of several common Myths and Gods of Greek History. One could say that there is no mentioning of this civilization distinct from said mythology.
The prose is simple and pleasing to the ears. And well told stories are, told well. A good book which can serve as an introduction to Greek Mythology and God Origin. Since we all know going forwards the stories and genealogy only get more and more muddied :)
There in Lies the intrigue with Mythology. There are often Multiple versions and Interpretations to tales that have bled into the collective Human Psyche.
Sometimes the stories are so familiar we tend to remember the Version with some incorrect details.More confusing is the blurred lines due to the Merging and borrowing of deities between the Hellenic and Roman Cultures.
The Work in that sense is a Purist interpretation or rather the origin of several common Myths and Gods of Greek History. One could say that there is no mentioning of this civilization distinct from said mythology.
The prose is simple and pleasing to the ears. And well told stories are, told well. A good book which can serve as an introduction to Greek Mythology and God Origin. Since we all know going forwards the stories and genealogy only get more and more muddied :)
A nice little introductory book to Greek mythology. Every child should read it, adults could start from here to develop better knowledge of the Greek heroes and gods
Nothing wrong with the stories themselves really, they were fun. What I did not like, were the readers. I listened to this as an audiobook and it was not a great decision.
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A rather clean and easy read of a collection of polished up Greek myths that somehow end up using the Roman names of the gods. James Baldwin has listed out the major players and their stories here - Daedalus, Minos, Perseus, Theseus, a tiny appearance by Hercules... and, unlike most Greek myths you'll find lying around, he sympathizes with the Titans, and paint the Olympian gods as evil. There isn't anything new on offer for anyone averagely familiar with popular Greek mythology, but for anyone who doesn't know the basics, this might be a decent introduction
Why title the book Old Greek Stories if you’re going to use their Roman names throughout?