Athena

by John Banville
Athena
book data
63 ratings, 3.78 average rating, 6 reviews (more data...)
edit

published
May 28th 1996 by Vintage

binding
Paperback, 240 pages

isbn
0679736859   (isbn13: 9780679736851)

description
From the internationally acclaimed author of The Book of Evidence and Ghosts comes a mesmerizing novel that is both a literary thriller and a love sto...more






Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.







There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

friend reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

This book is currently not featured on any Listopia lists. Add this book to your favorite list »

other reviews (showing 1-20 of 83)



Eddie
Eddie rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
05/19/08

bookshelves: novels---literature
Read in May, 2008
I have abot 20 pages to go and I'm looking forward to moving on to something more authentic, even if it's not as exquisitely well written as Athena, I don't care. There are so many echoes of Nabokov in Athena I can barely hear Banville at times, though Nabokov rarely if ever got as explicit in his nastiness as sir Banville. I don't mind nasty explicitness, but when coupled with an academic-type grace it can strike me as inauthentic, as a sort of slumming exercise. I have no idea what Banville's ...more
Like this review?   yes   (1 person liked it)
  add a comment

Lisa
Lisa rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
07/19/07

I read this after reading The Sea, which I thought was one of the most beautifully written books I've come across. Banville is an extraordinarily poetic author; he employs unexpected, uncommon, but perfectly chosen words as one would apply just the right amount of paint to a canvas. This is true of Athena as well, apt given the plot. However, I had been expecting a thriller, having seen the novel described that way somehwere, and as a result was disappointed generically. To clarify, I had been e...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Jason
Jason rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/18/07

Read in August, 2007
recommends it for: Nabakov & Joyce Fans; If you like obsession as a subject
It’s not quite “The Sea,” but Banville really is a writer closer to Nabakov and Joyce than most of his contemporaries. It’s easy to see in this novel of obsession, which follows a former felon turned art historian asked to verify the authenticity of a stack of suspicious paintings. Things get complicated, and the narrator falls deep under the spell of a mysterious woman. The language is erotic and sensual even outside of the sex scenes. Various interludes, in the form of brief reviews of...more
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Russ2
Russ2 rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/01/08

Read in May, 2008
Can't wait to start this one!
I am hooked by the very first lines:
"My love. If words can reach whatever world you may be suffering in, then listen. I have things to tell you."
. . .
Now finished, and oh the story he told her! Wonderful reading. Enjoyed every page.
Like this review?   yes  
  1 comment

Pontalba
Pontalba rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
04/23/08

My 5 star rating still goes, although I would have liked a bit more resolution to Freddie's story after this, the third Freddie installment, but that's ok, the echoes of Humbert were enough for me.
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

Jessica
Jessica rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
06/21/07

I love this book. I love this book so much. John Banville is a much under appreciated author, i think. read him. its delicious!
Like this review?   yes  
  add a comment

James
James rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
11/29/08


Tracy
Tracy marked it as to-read
11/24/08

bookshelves: to-read

Boris
Boris rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/19/08


Lesley
Lesley rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
11/07/08


Mojeeco
Mojeeco marked it as to-read
10/18/08

bookshelves: to-read

Steve
Steve marked it as to-read
10/12/08

bookshelves: to-read

Shirley
Shirley marked it as to-read
10/08/08

bookshelves: to-read

Lee
Lee marked it as to-read
09/24/08

bookshelves: to-read

Allan
Allan added it
09/23/08


Ninchen
Ninchen rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/14/08


Gautam Patel
Gautam rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
09/10/08


Jessica
Jessica marked it as to-read
08/24/08

bookshelves: to-read

Audrey
Audrey rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/20/08

Read in January, 2001

Gulden
Gulden rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/03/08



« previous 1 3 4 5





Athena (Hardcover)
Athena (Paperback)
Athena (Paperback)
Athena (Taschenbuch)
Athena. (Broschiert)