Define Regarding Books The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
| Title | : | The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold |
| Author | : | Robin Waterfield |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 320 pages |
| Published | : | January 5th 2012 by Quercus Publishing (first published December 1st 2011) |
| Categories | : | Fantasy. Mythology. History. Nonfiction. Reference. Greek Mythology. Classics. Literature |
Robin Waterfield
Hardcover | Pages: 320 pages Rating: 3.82 | 1052 Users | 62 Reviews
Narrative In Pursuance Of Books The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
Upon finally completing this book, I can wholly say that I have mixed feelings about this.One point I would just like to throw out there is that I felt like reading this took me a very long time, so that is saying something in itself. I obviously was just not feeling entirely compelled to pick this up at every oportunity I had.
The main issue that I found with this book, and probably the cause for the book to miss out on 2 stars, was that it was extremely biblical in the way it was written. ''Come all ye muses'' is a loose example of what I mean, where I felt like the writers were trying to transport me to the times, which would have been cool if it had not have been in such a preachy way. There are a ton more examples that I cannot be bothered to find again. This aspect made me feel like it was a bit biased in the descriptions of the gods and the accounts of heroes, which would have been fine in a regular fiction book, but because this gives the lure of a somewhat factual account in the content it provides, that was not acceptable.
The second and last MAIN flaw, and the last I'll mention, is I feel like somethings were misreported or spelled. The first example of this would be that Cronus is spelled differently to how I usually see it 'Kronus'. But in saying that, my only other point of reference would be from the Percy Jackson books, and let's be honest, they're complete works of fiction! This then could just be a different way of spelling it, that years of translation has altered. The second example is ''The Caucasin Mountains''... Lol, what? (Okay, I will admit I thought it said Caucasian, as in white, for the longest time xD)
I searched this up & all I got was ''The Caucasus Mountains''. So maybe this is an actual error, or it could be that it was once named differently.
The points I liked about this book is that it's writing was packed full of descriptions that were vivid. It included a lot of wondrous works of arts (which were sometimes featured on irrelevant pages). It definitely provides a detailed retelling, if somewhat biased, of the most famous Greek Myths. The biblical aspect comes to play once again, but as a strong point, because it gave a lot of power to the end. If there is one thing I have learned from reading this, it is that you should learn from other's mistakes.. If someone has angered the gods in one way, don't try it and hope to gain some sort of satisfaction. (my example being both Lycaon and Tantalus trying to test the gods by serving them human flesh).
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! ^_^
Gén
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| Original Title: | The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold |
| ISBN: | 0857382888 (ISBN13: 9780857382887) |
| Edition Language: | English URL http://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/book/The-Greek-Myths-by-Robin-Waterfield-and-Kathryn-Waterfield-ISBN_9780857382887 |
Rating Regarding Books The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
Ratings: 3.82 From 1052 Users | 62 ReviewsEvaluate Regarding Books The Greek Myths: Stories of the Greek Gods and Heroes Vividly Retold
A book of sub-300 pages shouldn't've taken over 2 weeks to read. Unfortunately this one did.The stories themselves were fascinating; the labours of Heracles, brave Theseus challenging the Minotaur, the epic Trojan War. The problem was with the writing which was pretentious and, frankly, odd. Phrases like "Come all ye muses tell us the story of..." just came across as try-hard. The Author(s) clearly know their stuff, but their writing was abject.I felt the order of the stories wasnt right making me feel like I was jumping backward and forwards. Also, not the fault of the writer at all but a lot of it was just too weird (everything has sexual intercourse with everything, repressed society??)
It is undoubtedly one of the most interesting works about Greek mythology. Well-narrated in a cohesive manner, the stories surely leave reader wanting for more. Loved it!
Upon finally completing this book, I can wholly say that I have mixed feelings about this.One point I would just like to throw out there is that I felt like reading this took me a very long time, so that is saying something in itself. I obviously was just not feeling entirely compelled to pick this up at every oportunity I had.The main issue that I found with this book, and probably the cause for the book to miss out on 2 stars, was that it was extremely biblical in the way it was written.
The Greek Myths by Robin Waterfield and Kathryn Waterfield presents the tales from Greek mythology as one story, told in clear, flowing prose, which is why I found it interesting and enjoyable to read. It begins, conveniently, with the tale of the creation and ends with the tale of Pandora and the box. Some of what I read was entirely new to me, which was stimulating, and some of it was familiar, like the tale of Jason and the Golden Fleece, Theseus and the Minotaur and Perseus and Andromeda. It
a bit disappointing, I expected more after reading the first chapter. The story of Prometheus was beautifully written and I was waiting for more to come. Unfortunately, the rest of the book felt more like an encyclopedia, collection of summaries about Gods and heroes and not well connected. I lost sight many, many times trying to follow who was who and who has children with who, and so many names and places were mentioned in the same paragraphs that it got confusing. It's not a contest of who
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