You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I found the best way to engage with was taking it one book at a time and to listen to it whilst reading along. This text makes you put in the work, but it's worth doing. It's very self important but it's earned the right to be. It's easy to forget that this is not actually an authority on Christian scripture. I loved getting so much of Satan's perspective. It falls off towards the end as the last 2 books are just the bibles greatest hits, and the sheer number of references is almost suffocating, but I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
challenging
sad
tense
slow-paced
dark
reflective
tense
slow-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
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Audiobook--fantastic reader.
Fantastic prose; intriguing evil character, and developed explanation to the story of Adam and Eve. There is so much to this book, from hierarchy to willpower to base emotional reaction. No longer are Adam and Eve and Satan such distant people to today; Milton has made them relatable and this, besides the lyric prose, makes the story so good.
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
It took me a while to settle on a reading format for this — on audio alone, I struggled to correctly parse the sentences in my head, but when I switched to text, I couldn't understand what half the words were supposed to be. Only by listening and reading along did the story become unlocked for me, which necessarily meant that it took longer than usual to get through; I couldn't listen when doing other things and I couldn't read the text as fast as I typically would. But in the end, after exactly one month, I got through it all.
Even though I had to pay extra attention to follow the 17th century language, and I have strong objections to some of Milton's theology (don't get me started on what he says about women), I found it an interesting read for a lot of reasons. For one, it was enjoyable to pick out the many phrases that have ended up as titles of other works or sayings that we still use today. I also appreciated seeing the storytelling techniques that Milton used and the way he adapted and attempted to improve on the epic poem format. It was clear throughout that he was extremely conscious of his audience, both in the references he makes to other epic poems and in the ways he addresses the theological and scientific arguments of his day (either choosing to take a stand or not). I can see why some people have wondered whose side he was really on, as he makes Satan a somewhat sympathetic character, and his explanations for why God does certain things are almost absurdly illogical. But I do think he was in earnest and just simultaneously knew how to tell a good story and also overreached a bit in his desire to tie up all the theological loose ends.
I don't think I would particularly recommend this for a modern-day reader just for general enjoyment, but if you are at all interested in the development of literature or the English language over time, or you want to see what theology woven in story looked like in the 17th century, it's worth making it through this.
Even though I had to pay extra attention to follow the 17th century language, and I have strong objections to some of Milton's theology (don't get me started on what he says about women), I found it an interesting read for a lot of reasons. For one, it was enjoyable to pick out the many phrases that have ended up as titles of other works or sayings that we still use today. I also appreciated seeing the storytelling techniques that Milton used and the way he adapted and attempted to improve on the epic poem format. It was clear throughout that he was extremely conscious of his audience, both in the references he makes to other epic poems and in the ways he addresses the theological and scientific arguments of his day (either choosing to take a stand or not). I can see why some people have wondered whose side he was really on, as he makes Satan a somewhat sympathetic character, and his explanations for why God does certain things are almost absurdly illogical. But I do think he was in earnest and just simultaneously knew how to tell a good story and also overreached a bit in his desire to tie up all the theological loose ends.
I don't think I would particularly recommend this for a modern-day reader just for general enjoyment, but if you are at all interested in the development of literature or the English language over time, or you want to see what theology woven in story looked like in the 17th century, it's worth making it through this.
I was very intimidated by this poem until a great professor (albeit a strange man with a penchant for sixteenth century poetry and Stephen King -- huh?) was able to show me how to get into the poem and discover its greatness.