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982 reviews for:
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, 75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition
Edith Hamilton
3.97 AVERAGE
982 reviews for:
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, 75th Anniversary Illustrated Edition
Edith Hamilton
3.97 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
Although I love Greek mythology, I was just beginning to think how monotonous these myths are. I won't get into the details, but towards the end of the book, you begin to notice that the existing relationships between family members or of lovers seems the same. And they all meet their demise in a very predictable way.
I appreciate Hamilton's attempt at uniting the different myths together; some stories, such as The Odyssey, don't give you the full details, but Edith always seemed to get the reader up to speed. However, I felt like the myths overall were sporadically placed throughout the book; if one myth had an event that happened in another, she'd write it there and then come back to it later when she would explain the whole story. I found this somewhat confusing and always had to remember family trees in order to understand.
I loved that she introduced Norse mythology in there too, and the way she wrapped up the book, explaining where our culture and race comes from, was a nice way to piece it all together.
I appreciate Hamilton's attempt at uniting the different myths together; some stories, such as The Odyssey, don't give you the full details, but Edith always seemed to get the reader up to speed. However, I felt like the myths overall were sporadically placed throughout the book; if one myth had an event that happened in another, she'd write it there and then come back to it later when she would explain the whole story. I found this somewhat confusing and always had to remember family trees in order to understand.
I loved that she introduced Norse mythology in there too, and the way she wrapped up the book, explaining where our culture and race comes from, was a nice way to piece it all together.
4/5 • Es un libro de no-ficción que su propósito es mostrar los mitos tal cuál fueron escritos de manera resumida.
Así que si planeáis leer este libro lo tenéis que tomar como lo que es: una pequeña enciclopedia donde Edith relata los poemas originales en un lenguaje asequible para los lectores actuales.
Mi primera crítica, quizás, es que el libro apenas habla de la Mitología Nórdica y se centra mucho más en la griega y la romana (que esta última es igual con otros nombres, normalmente). Por lo que me decepcionó un poco encontrarme con solo 40 páginas de mitos nórdicos en los que se relata escuetamente quién es Odín, el Valhalla y el resto de Dioses.
Pero si me centro en el resto del libro, puedo decir sin lugar a dudas de que Edith Hamilton sabía perfectamente de qué nos habla porque menciona constantemente las versiones de los mitos y cuál ha escogido ella para contar. Es una guía estupenda para conocer mejor la cultura clásica griega, los héroes, las tragedias, las figuras mitológicas y las divinidades. También te explica cómo la sociedad va cambiando y, por tanto, sus creencias y sus historias se amoldan a eso.
Evidentemente para mí ha sido una lectura muy interesante porque me encanta la cultura clásica, pero entiendo que este libro es para una mente curiosa en el tema. No lo recomendaría a alguien que no le gusta los libros educativos. Porque, al final, este libro es como cuando en el colegio te hacían estudiarte la historia clásica.
Ahora bien, si os encanta la mitología, este libro es perfecto para conocer mejor las referencias que vemos constantemente en otros libros.
Así que si planeáis leer este libro lo tenéis que tomar como lo que es: una pequeña enciclopedia donde Edith relata los poemas originales en un lenguaje asequible para los lectores actuales.
Mi primera crítica, quizás, es que el libro apenas habla de la Mitología Nórdica y se centra mucho más en la griega y la romana (que esta última es igual con otros nombres, normalmente). Por lo que me decepcionó un poco encontrarme con solo 40 páginas de mitos nórdicos en los que se relata escuetamente quién es Odín, el Valhalla y el resto de Dioses.
Pero si me centro en el resto del libro, puedo decir sin lugar a dudas de que Edith Hamilton sabía perfectamente de qué nos habla porque menciona constantemente las versiones de los mitos y cuál ha escogido ella para contar. Es una guía estupenda para conocer mejor la cultura clásica griega, los héroes, las tragedias, las figuras mitológicas y las divinidades. También te explica cómo la sociedad va cambiando y, por tanto, sus creencias y sus historias se amoldan a eso.
Evidentemente para mí ha sido una lectura muy interesante porque me encanta la cultura clásica, pero entiendo que este libro es para una mente curiosa en el tema. No lo recomendaría a alguien que no le gusta los libros educativos. Porque, al final, este libro es como cuando en el colegio te hacían estudiarte la historia clásica.
Ahora bien, si os encanta la mitología, este libro es perfecto para conocer mejor las referencias que vemos constantemente en otros libros.
i think i lost my mind reading this for my summer reading… anyway, i love the myth of echo and narcissus!!
A book in high school that I actually kept and that I've used as a reference for many years.
adventurous
informative
This is one of those books that is a classic staple for a reason. Hamilton does an excellent job sorting out all the major gods' and goddesses' roles, personalities, and stories in a cohesive, entertaining way. Even as a longtime fan of Greek mythology I can admit that all the various familial connections, overlapping stories, and name changes can easily become confusing or tedious in the wrong hands, but Hamilton manages very well, and hits basically all of the really crucial myths that everyone should have a familiarity with (for cultural literacy purposes, and okay--because I say so) and the key points from the Aeneid, Odyssey, and Iliad. For this reason, not only would this book still be perfectly in place on a child's bookshelf, but it would be of service to adults as well who are looking for a refresher. For kids who are getting into the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books (The Lightning Thief, etc.) this is a great, painless source to refer to them to catch them up on just who all these characters are the books keep referring back to.
Although young people will undoubtedly skip right past these little asides, I personally found Hamilton's commentary and explanation about what translations she drew from pretty amusing...she is perpetually doling out backhanded compliments to Ovid for example as well as her other source, saying something to the effect of, "usually his accounts are dry and entirely without any artistic merit whatsoever, but I actually felt that he didn't ruin this one..." or "Ovid was wonderful, a master, etc. However--here I felt he was both mawkish and vulgar here so I went with so-and-so instead." Of course I'm pretty loose in my paraphrasing, but still...
Although young people will undoubtedly skip right past these little asides, I personally found Hamilton's commentary and explanation about what translations she drew from pretty amusing...she is perpetually doling out backhanded compliments to Ovid for example as well as her other source, saying something to the effect of, "usually his accounts are dry and entirely without any artistic merit whatsoever, but I actually felt that he didn't ruin this one..." or "Ovid was wonderful, a master, etc. However--here I felt he was both mawkish and vulgar here so I went with so-and-so instead." Of course I'm pretty loose in my paraphrasing, but still...
An excellent primer for the person who's interested in Greek mythology. All of the major stories and myths are included here, and very many of the minor ones. The organization and pacing is good. Sensible and with a nice flow. The material is also highly entertaining; Hamilton puts the stories together with an obvious passion that is infectious. The audiobook performance is done well, also.
My only objection to the book would be the claim that it covers Norse mythology--40 minutes of the 13+ hour audio book does not scratch the surface of that rich mythos. So if you're a Norse fan like me, you might be disappointed. Regardless, this book is a must-read for anyone with any interest in Greek mythology.
My only objection to the book would be the claim that it covers Norse mythology--40 minutes of the 13+ hour audio book does not scratch the surface of that rich mythos. So if you're a Norse fan like me, you might be disappointed. Regardless, this book is a must-read for anyone with any interest in Greek mythology.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced