A review by jarvvis
The Odyssey: A Norton Critical Edition by Homer

adventurous emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.5

It feels weird to review The Odyssey like it’s any other book, instead of the textual version of any hundred stories you may have heard at one point or another, but I shall try my best. I did, in fact, read this for school, for after hours Classics specifically (god save me), and mostly what I remember is fighting sleep while our teacher read in her soft Greek accent, warm in my coat for the first time all day. It’s good, the Odyssey is very good. It’s a great sprawling epic, but mostly what sticks with me is the simile used when Eumaeus and Telemachus reunite, Argos waiting for 20 years to see Odysseus one last time before dying, Telemachus unable to fight tears when people talk about his father, the very interesting anti-war sentiment littered throughout. It’s human, is what I’m trying to say, and that’s such a beautiful thing to be.