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Jul 09, 2008

Rachael rated it:

After reading Gods Behaving Badly, I began asking my friends if they have a favorite Greek god or goddess. I was trying to determine my own level of geekiness. I suspect the average person today does not have a preference and may not even be able to name more than one or two of the gods. Fortunately for me, most of my friends can not only name several members of the Greek pantheon, but also were more than willing to enumerate the many reasons they prefer their favorite over all the others. H More...

0 comments like (16 people liked it)

Apr 04, 2008

Kelly rated it:

This was indeed Fluff with a capital F. For most of the novel, the pages flipped over like the wind was turning them. It wasn't that it was that suspenseful or anything, it was just such easy, frothy reading that it just fell through your fingers without you really noticing. It did get a bit heavy in the middle, but probably appropriately so, given events. That was the only time it dragged a little.

Essentially: Think of this like a whipped cream dessert version of American Gods. Same More...

7 comments like (16 people liked it)

Jan 17, 2009

Bunny rated it:

I have a serious hard-on for all things involving mythology.

1-17 - I am in love. And lust. And my nipples got a little hard.

Sorry, all of Aphrodite's phone sex got me a little excited.

This book is so clever, and so funny, and I'm insanely jealous that this is Marie Phillips' first book. As a lover of mythology, this books make me laugh entirely too hard.

Alice and Neil were so adorable. I loved how meek and quiet the both of them were. The meek sh More...

3 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 26, 2009

Michele rated it:

Need a good laugh? Look no further, especially if you retained any of the Greek mythology you were taught in college. Author Marie Phillips has given us the gods of Olympus all over again and this time, you'll never again forget just who was the god of what.

That's right, the gods of ancient Greece are alive and well (sort-of) and currently residing in a dilapidated house in the suburbs of London. That's right. London.

The good news is that they've evolved with the times. A More...

5 comments like (4 people liked it)

Jan 28, 2009

Angela rated it:

Gods Behaving Badly is an amusing and irreverent look at the Greek gods in the twenty first century. Many of the gods are living together in a crowded house in London. The gods engage in infighting and sexual escapades even as their powers diminish. Alice and Neil are mortals who become manipulated by the gods. In Neil, the gods find an unexpected hero who does more than rescue Alice.

Gods Behaving Badly is a light, fun read. The personalities of the gods are consistent with the tradi More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Dec 28, 2008

Serena rated it:

Marie Phillips' Gods Behaving Badly is one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. What would the ancient gods of Greece and Rome do in today's 21st Century world? Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love, a phone sex operator; Apollo, the God of the Sun, a television psychic; Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and Chastity, a dog walker.

The gods have weakened since their days on high at Mt. Olympus, and they are all crammed into a dilapidated home in London, getting on one another's nerves. More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 12, 2009

Betty rated it:

Wickedly entertaining, an imaginative first novel for Marie Phillips. Gods Behaving Badly is a unique take on what happens when belief in the Greek gods no longer exists. They move to London. They become bored and disrupt the lives of mortals. Immortal and immoral, Apollo is a TV psychic and all-around tomcat, Aphrodite is a telephone sex operator, and Dionysus owns the Bacchanalia nightclub. A little too much promiscuity for my personal taste, but what else are you going to do with the characte More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Apr 30, 2008

Steve rated it:

Problems associated with immortality have sprung up all across literature. From Dorian Gray to modern science-fiction some of the largest questions that arise from cheating death are the most mundane. Slogging through a daily existence in which everything is doomed from the moment of conception to die is an existentialist nightmare.

Now imagine being a god from an age that lives on only in college classics courses and cheesy television parodies. If this isn’t humiliation enough, im More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 20, 2009

Stuart rated it:

A thoroughly adorable book, particularly if you're a Greek mythology geek like I am. Reminds one of a Shakespearean comedy or a pastoral romp, but with a slacker aesthetic thrown in. The principal characters, Alice, Artemis, Apollo, Neil, Hermes, Eros, Aphrodite, are all very nicely drawn and there are some genuine moments of pathos and poignancy mixed in with a great deal of screwball comedy and some genuinely substantial literary wit. I would have liked more Athena, Hera and the other gods in More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 30, 2009

Erica rated it:

Brilliantly funny, inventive and well written. The Greek gods living (with limited powers) in modern-day London is a great premise, though risky. She successfully avoids cliche though by exploring the human side of these gods, allowing them room for growth in utterly surprising ways and failure in some unsurprising but equally funny moments.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 01, 2008

Lindsay rated it:

This novel opens with so much promise: the Greek gods living in modern London, bored and barely able to sustain themselves. We get some of the classic elements demanded by such a project- rogue love interests, fighting, revenge, jealousy. However the book fizzles at the helm of predictability, unlikable characters, and just plain poor writing. I did not come in with high expectations; I wanted an easy, enjoyable read. Readers definitely get the easy part, but any joy I got out of this novel More...

3 comments like (10 people liked it)

Mar 08, 2008

Emily rated it:

This is definitely not a masterpiece of literature, but it was incredibly entertaining. Phillips does a wonderful job characterizing the Greek gods. They were not over the top, and their personalities and behaviors were very much what I would imagine the gods acting like. The novel is pretty much a greek myth that takes place in modern day London. Hermes carries a cell phone and takes the dead to the underworld on a motorcycle. Charon is the conductor of a subway train, instead of a ferry. If yo More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jan 21, 2009

Anna rated it:

"Gods Behaving Badly" had an awesome concept, an okay delivery, and a flat ending.

I'm an avid fan of Greek mythology, and this book starts out with a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, in reading the book, I felt as though the author had assembled all of the horses for the Kentucky Derby, then put them on the Indy 500 Speedway and said, "Okay, GO!" There just wasn't that much cohesion in the book, and no characters really stood out, which is such a huge More...

2 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2009

Paula rated it:

What did happen to the Greek gods after people began believing in a single deity? It appears that they are living rather seedy lives in London, still keeping the sun and the moon in place etc. I was surprised at how well the premise held throughout the book. It was fun and amusing. I loved having those myths I love resurrected.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 16, 2008

Stephanie rated it:

After reading a short review of this book, I knew it would be entertaining. What would happen if the gods of Olympus suddenly were forced to reside in a shabby home in London? The book gives a good background of Greek mythology while being a quick and fun read.

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 14, 2009

Elizabeth rated it:

A remarkable debut novel that is at once funny, poignant, dramatic, thought-provoking, and absurd, yet oddly charming and appealing.

The gods of Olympus are living in London, their powers diminishing and their spheres of influence humorously modernized. Their interaction with mortals is reminiscent of "Midsummer Night's Dream." Their flawed disorders accelerate the drama until only the power of courage, true love, and faith can make things right. That these emanate from mort More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 24, 2009

Michelle rated it:

This book is absolutely a beautiful portrayal of the Greek Gods at their best. It is set in modern time London where 12 of the original gods live in a tiny, cramped townhouse, dirty and unkempt. Each of the originals have their power, albeit limited because they are getting older and although the world doesn't look up to them anymore, they are desperately needed to keep it turning. Aphrodite (a sex phone operator), Artemis (a dog walker), and Apollo (a TV psychic/medium), along with all the othe More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 30, 2009

Janet rated it:

When I first started listening to this audiobook, I cringed just about every second because of the authors "He said, she said" style of writing. It probably wouldn't be so obvious if you were actually reading the written words, but listening to it is quite annoying. Fake example: "Hello, said Artemis." "Hi, said Apollo." "What are you up to, said Artemis?" "Not much, said Apollo." Okay - I think you should get the picture. It really becam More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Feb 27, 2009

Djrmel rated it:

It's a setting that just full of possibilities: the Greek Gods of Olympus are still around and most of the principles are living in a rundown house in modern London. With characters like Apollo and Athena and Hermes, there's no end to complications and plot twists, right? Phillips does come up with jobs suitable of her cast - Aphrodite as a phone sex operator just makes perfect sense. And if Apollo and Aphrodite live in the same house, they probably would end up having sex with each other, consi More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Feb 04, 2009

Jamieson rated it:

What would happen if the Greek Gods of myth actually existed? What would happen if the Gods lived among us? How would they exist? What would they do? And would people still believe in them?

This is the premise for Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Philips.

The novel is a sheer delight and has cured me of my book reading blues. It tells the story of what would happen if all the former gods were forgotten and lived amongst mortals.

There’s Artemis, Goddess of hunting, More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 21, 2009

Alison rated it:

This story reads like the novelization of a comic book. It's short on thoughtfulness and introspection and long on silly action/romance scenes.

Marie Phillips does provide a funny take on what life would be like for the fading Olympians: slummy home in London, imbalanced relationships, lots of time spent plotting revenge. Some of the gods have to get jobs to maintain their minimal lifestyle, so Apollo works as a TV psychic, Artemis walks dogs, and Dionysus owns a night club. Zeus More...

1 comment like (4 people liked it)

Sep 26, 2008

Jam rated it:

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0 comments like (2 people liked it)

May 05, 2008

Emily rated it:

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0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 07, 2009

Hilari rated it:

~~about halfway through. is it bad that i've fallen asleep twice while reading?~~

The premise is great, the opening is good, but the book really fizzles out before it even gets to the halfway point. The characters are not fully realized and the writing is just plain sloppy toward the end. A very predictable end. In fact, the ending was so predictable, I thought it had already been written several chapters prior. I gave myself an ice cream reward for finishing the thing.

1 comment like (1 person liked it)

Dec 10, 2008

Laura rated it:

I really enjoyed this book; from the very beginning I was attracted to the font. I know it's strange, but I really like certain fonts in books, and I especially like certain styles of question marks. The font used in this book was highly satisfactory. On top of that, the story was excellent. I liked reading about the Greek gods when I was in school, and I especially enjoyed the story about Eurydice and Orpheus. I think this story flowed very well, and had a good pace. The mortals were lovable, a More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 10, 2009

MsMiz (Tina) rated it:

Gods Behaving Badly is about the Greek Gods in modern times. What happens to our Gods when people do not believe in them? They loose their powers. This book is a laugh out loud delightful easy read. It has typical story lines of belief and love with a bit of added mischievousness with very very badly behaved Gods. I have always been attracted by mythology and the Greek Gods, this was a fun reminder about reading more!

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 03, 2011

Isabel rated it:

Most of the Greek Gods have been based in London since 1665, when they bought a large house cheap as the plague had lowered house prices. Most of the family still share the same house, although it is overcrowded and they are forever squabbling and getting on each other's nerves. The Underworld is a dull and changeless place, in which a talent for Scrabble is likely to come in useful in staving off boredom, but Persephone has got used to living there, and is coming back to the London house later More...

0 comments like

Jan 24, 2009

Debbie rated it:

This is more of a 3.5 stars but I couldn't figure out how to do that.

This was a fun book to read. I mean how can you not get into a book in which the first chapter you are told a woman was turned into a eucalyptus tree because she refused to give Apollo a blow job. It was hilarious to see these once all powerful gods having to hold down mortal jobs and yet have no real respect for mortals so it’s a wonder they manage to survive in the world. These gods of course cannot be bothered t More...

0 comments like

Jan 15, 2012

Dale rated it:

It was an OK book. That claim is really based on its introduction to an interesting idea that the old Greek pantheon is real and have fallen on hard times. If that sounds interesting to you, pick it up and give it a try. The book picks up toward the middle as well, so stick with it a bit and it maybe grow on you.

I wasn't sure on the plot for quite a bit as it just seemed to revolve around humorous anecdotes around these weakened gods. Eventually things do start to come together More...

0 comments like

Nov 04, 2011

bookczuk rated it:

I remember studying the Greek gods in Elementary school, and wondering what happened to them. Where'd they go? Marie Phillips has the answer: they went to London, stayed true to character, and adapted as the world changed around them. Cut to modern day, when the Olympians are applying their proclivities to our world (you gotta love Aphrodite as a phone sex operator), still squabbling with each other, and still messing with mortals. Add in two rather hapless humans who get caught up as pawns More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

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