A review by julicke95
Metamorphoses by Ovid

3.0

Although Ovid is very liberal with his source material to put it lightly, the stories he produces are thoroughly entertaining, ranging from comical to deeply tragic (like the memorable Phaëton). The characters are often not particularly interesting or memorable, but Ovid makes up for it with surprising plotlines, always culminating (sometimes in a somewhat contrived way) in a metamorphosis of some sort. The stories are often only loosely connected to each other and long reading sessions can make one go dizzy with the number of names and epithets, so I'd recommend only reading one or two stories at a time. As far as I can judge, this is a quite good translation. The lyrical language flows nicely and the short introductions before each chapter help put everything into perspective. But, let's be honest, the best part is being able to sound smart by reciting the plots and characters from what is essentially a contrived but enjoyable fan-fiction of Graeco-Roman mythology.