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Summary: Go For The Sparknotes
Review: If you are buying this book for required reading (which you very well may be since I don't know a single person who would read this if they didn't have to), I feel for you. Truly. I had to read this in school, and let me tell you, it's no picnic. At first glance, The Odyssey looks like a LONG book that no one has been able to understand since 1362, but after you get past all the impossible language, its a very interesting book. There are many themes in The Odyssey that relate to today's world, believe it or not. It's also a very thought provoking study of the society back in Homer's time. For intstance, Odysseus was considered a hero even though he cheated on his wife with some of the goddesses, like Calypso. It takes a lot of time and effort to truly read this book, but it is worth it. Trust me. And if you find yourself having no idea whatsoever what is going on (which is what happened to me), I recommend Sparknotes.com. They'll clear everything up.
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Summary: Beautiful, Lyrical, Compelling
Review: Robert Fitzgerald (and, more intrinsically, Homer) did an absolutely outstanding job. This book ran lightly and effortlessly, filled with beautiful imagery and clear themes. Every line was soaked in poetry, and the characters were fascinating and compelling. One of the most beautiful passages I have ever read was contained in Odysseus return to his wife and the description of their marriage ties. It also raised several interesting ethical questions, which Homer probably did not even consider because they were such an everyday part of Odysseus' society but which are extrmely relevant for modern readers. Why, for example, did Odysseus sleep with basically every goddess he met but hang his maids for their submission to the sexual coertion of his enemies? Was Odysseus' massacre of his wife's suitors, including the ones who begged for forgiveness, justified? What emphasis does pride have on Odysseus' fate? This book is a stunning, elegant, poetic masterpiece that manages to encompass timeless themes and tear-wrenchingly moving moments. A triumph.
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Summary: Great translation
Review: Robert Fitzgerald does an amazing job in both The Odyssey and The Iliad in bringing out the feel of epic poetry and keeping the flow of words smooth and quick. The tale of Odysseus is still exciting many centuries afterwards, and anyone who loves literature will waste no time in attempting to read of it. I have read it once in high school, but only upon a repeated reading years later do I appreciate it much more. Though The Odyssey lacks the tension and philosophical dilemmas in The Iliad, this is still an enjoyable poem, and it is difficult not to be awed by the talent of Homer.
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Summary: "The Odyssey"- two thunbs up
Review: The Odyssey is in my opinion, a piece of literature that will last in the minds of whoever reads it forever. This novel has set the standard for all other epics to this day. Odysseus( the main character) is one of the most memorable hero's ever. He is confident and relies on his instinct. Odysseus is a complicated character. He can be merciful and brutal. Homer has created a character that is more than a hero but a person as well.Odysseus is human just like the rest of us. He has strengths and weaknesses like everyone else. Odysseus is a hero the reader of the story can relate to. He can cry when he is sad and does not hesitate to kill when needed. He can also make mistakes, one of the major flaws he has is his curiosity. An example of this is when he needlessly taunted the Cyclops and revealed his name. This could be considered to be his Kryptonite and Achilles heel.
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Summary: Excellent Translation
Review: If you are looking for a copy of the Odyssey to buy, the fitzgerald translations is the best. Of the various versions I have read, this one does an outstanding job of putting the story into English. The brilliance of Homer is shown in our language through this edition.
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Summary: Another time and another place
Review: This tale, much more human than Homer's Iliad, translated by Mr. Fitzgerald is simply one of the most important literary works in human history. Fitzgerald's translation of The Iliad led me to get this version after beginning Robert Fagles's translation of The Odyssey. I can not in words enumerate the difference in translation. It is a difference of style and artistic touch, and above all, it makes me happy that I am not a translator. It is the little things that Mr. Fitzgerald does that sets this translation apart from the others. The "rosy fingered dawn" of Fitzgerald is a marvel of the power of the gods where sheer beauty and uncontollable emotions result in the beginning of a new day. However, Fagles uses it much more as a literary technique to begin a new chapter. Fagles lacks the raw strength of Fitzgerald's translation and has a much more flowery feel to it. Fitzgerald's simple use of the letter "k" in names where most modern translator's use "c" is perhaps the simplest way for me to make this point. In Fagles's translations of Homer, the great, nearly omnipotent hero of the Trojan War is "Achilleus" while in Fitzgerald's he is "Akhilleus." Call it nitpicking or a focus on too much detail, but the harshness of the "k" in his name reminds me of the bluntness with which Homer tells his story. The gods do what they want and are as moved by whim as they are by sacrifice or an honest man or woman. The gods of the ancient Greeks are remarkably more human than today's pantheon, and thus more believeable. And here too, Fitzgerald's "gray eyed Athena" towers of Fagles's like a god to a human. Certainly, one would have to corrupt the text and err aggrediously to ruin the feeling, emotion, beauty, and gutteral universality of either of Homer's two poems. Yet no one captures the power of it like Fitzgerald. Choose what translation you will, the poetry which is almost singlehandedly responsible for the western literary tradition should affect you as they did Keats, Shakespeare, Joyce, and countless other poets and hacks. If not, check your pulse and burn a hekatomb to Zeus so he won't strike you with his thunderous bolt for your lack of being.
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Summary: The Odyssey
Review: Having read all of the Mary Renault novels of Ancient Greece, I wondered if the Odyssey, translated into prose form, would hold up to them as a novel. I was quite happy to see that it did. The Odyssey offers a look into Ancient Greece, telling the tale of King Odysseus as he prepares for a journey home after years of absence. His Queen, Penelope, has been courted by suitors, who hope to win her hand, and her wealth, as she chooses one for remarriage. But Penelope stalls them for years, in the hopes that her long absent husband is not dead after all, and will one day return to her. Guided by Pallas Athene, Odysseus braves many perils and foes to return to his home and family. A cyclops, a visit to Hades where he is confronted by the souls of the dead, Scylla and Charybdis, who attempt to smash his ship to pieces against the rocky shores, and finally his own people, as Odysseus confronts the men who have disgraced him by attempting to win the hand of his wife, and have all but set up residence in his home. Odysseus stands against all of this and triumphs, finding his son and wife still as devoted to him after a nineteen year absence as when he left them. For any lovers of ancient Greece, the Odyssey is a must read.
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Summary: THIS BOOK IS SOOOOOOOO BORING
Review: This is one of the worst books I have ever read. It is soooooo boring and useless. So if you dont like boring books, dont read the odyssey.
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Summary: An Adventure that's Neverending.
Review: What a GREAT book, a favorite classic of mine. How can you not admire a fearless Greek hero, who is respected, calm, cunning, smart and quick? Odysseus, King of Ithaca, is trying to find his way home after brilliantly winning the Trojan War. Through his journey, he learns more and more about himself. Ever so cool and collected, he never looses ground without learning from it. He gives into temptation, like all human beings, but always, Penelope is forever on his mind and in his heart. She is the one thing that keeps him rooted. No man or God will keep him away from his Ithaca and his wife and son. Its psychological mind games employed by various characters keep it fast paced and exciting, no boring moments here!
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Summary: An Epic Poem and Great Read
Review: The Odyssey, not only being regarded as one of the greatest epic poems of history, is one of the greatest stories I have read. The story is a non-stop action adventure and keeps the reader interested until the very end. A bit confusing at first, because the story begins in what would be considered the middle of the story, I found it helpful to keep Cliff Notes from the library handy until I got the hang of the novel. As I said, the book is very entertaining, combining love and loyalty with action and war, something for everyone. Telling of the adventures of the hero Odysseus and his son Telemakhos, both on a journey or Odyssey to find their identities, the book is an insightful look into the human search for self-knowledge and understanding. However unlike most philosophies, the Odyssey tells of this search and of lessons to the reader in an interesting and excellent way. I can very easily say that this is one of the best books I have ever read, and I suggest it greatly.
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