robwcote 's review for:

Mythology by Edith Hamilton

3.0

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This was a bit of a disappointment, but that's down partly to my expectations & what I personally would consider a success for a book like this. I will say that is partly owed to this book being pitched as offering great storytelling, and it really doesn't hit the mark in that regard. So I'll assign part of the blame to that, too.

This book has a bit of a weird mix of minor scholarship and basic storytelling that kind of provides a little traditional context for people who are interested in these myths. But if you want to delve into the scholarship as a serious undertaking, you wouldn't rely on this book. And if you just want to enjoy these stories, as I did, you'll likely find the representations within this book fall short of your memories of the stories.

Also, I sort of get why the Norse myths are briefly touched upon in this book, but really, ~20 pages of coverage do them no justice. I would have preferred they just weren't included at all.

All in all, honestly, I would just skip this. Look for better versions of these stories and enjoy those. This may once have been a great read for people interested in myth, but I don't think it holds up.