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sophiagerneck's review against another edition
4.0
A cute story of young, innocent love. And it was a super quick read, I adored every second of it !
anna_04's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.5
mono_86's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ryner's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
In this delightful short tale from ancient Greece, in fact one of the oldest existing novels, Daphnis and Chloe are both foundlings raised by foster families in a pastoral community and spend their days tending their goats. As they come of age they find they are attracted to one another, but being complete innocents they aren't sure how to act on it. Luckily, fate and the gods ultimately come to the rescue!
I have to say it was a really amazing experience to read such an old work which, incredibly, has survived more or less intact for nearly 2000 years. This translation is surprisingly readable today, way more accessible than a lot of stiff and formal older works. And, it's a cute and heartwarming story to boot — highly recommended!
I have to say it was a really amazing experience to read such an old work which, incredibly, has survived more or less intact for nearly 2000 years. This translation is surprisingly readable today, way more accessible than a lot of stiff and formal older works. And, it's a cute and heartwarming story to boot — highly recommended!
shivani_maurya's review against another edition
3.0
A goatherd and a shepherdess fall for each other. The only problem being: They don't know that. Yea, they don't know what to call this "disease", when seeing each other makes parting very hard..when seeing one get the attention from other suitors, makes the other unhappy..when one gets kidnapped, the other goes and wails at the gods to bring them back..or when they are given the advice to sleep with one another and get it out of their system, they do just that..literally. Not joking. They lie down next to each other and take a nap. Ladies and gentlemen, a true classic indeed.
Throw in some adventures with divine benevolence and we have an entertaining story of adolescent love. The protagonists struggle with their gradual discovery of sensuality and awaken to sexual pangs, which they take for symptoms of an ailment, not knowing better (there were no birds and bees lessons then, I guess). They revel together in their exploration echoing the tender advances of love. In following their journey across uncharted territories of love, with purest of intents at heart, the plot steers clear of any moral judgements or stigma associated with hetero and homoerotic sexual explorations. And surprisingly comes off as an entertaining short read.
Daphnis and Chloe presents an innocent, simplistic yet touching take on love. It is quite short and doable in a sitting.
Throw in some adventures with divine benevolence and we have an entertaining story of adolescent love. The protagonists struggle with their gradual discovery of sensuality and awaken to sexual pangs, which they take for symptoms of an ailment, not knowing better (there were no birds and bees lessons then, I guess). They revel together in their exploration echoing the tender advances of love. In following their journey across uncharted territories of love, with purest of intents at heart, the plot steers clear of any moral judgements or stigma associated with hetero and homoerotic sexual explorations. And surprisingly comes off as an entertaining short read.
Daphnis and Chloe presents an innocent, simplistic yet touching take on love. It is quite short and doable in a sitting.
whitecat5000's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
3.0
I kept waiting for a bad ending, which almost all other Greek stories I've read seem to have. Pleasantly surprised that this had a happy ending. Maybe one of the first ever romances written?
kristenbeck's review
3.0
Read this book for my Greek class. It is a love story (Greek style so there really are no boundaries if you are familiar with mythology). I liked it enough but didn't love it.
gcondren's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
weeptchi's review
5.0
Amazing book, well translated, explained and executed. Well worth a read. Ideal as an entry point to Ancient Greek literature.