From the Bookshelf of Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)…

The Iliad

Homer

Start date: July 1, 2012

Finish date: July 31, 2012

Discussion: Old School Classics, Pre-1915

Why we're reading this: Old School Classic Group Read, July 2012
[close] Old School Classic Group Read, July 2012

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Old School Classics, Pre-1915

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What Members Thought

Feb 24, 2020 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Timeless Heroes

I believe that most modern readers will find this translation easy to read and follow. The story itself rings with epic heroes and epic themes, and I was surprised at how engrossing I found it. The most difficult aspect of the story is the many, many Greek names. Keeping them straight can be a chore, as there are many characters who bear more than one name (like a Dostoevsky novel), and they are often referenced in terms of the name of their fathers. If you’ve never read the stor ...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Deb rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: literature

When I was in fifth grade, my mom was on the school's Book Fair (remember them?) committee. Knowing I loved Greek myths when a prose copy of The Iliad came in, she grabbed it for me. I won't say it blew me away, but I wanted to be either Athena or Atalanta when I grew up. In fact, I was Atalanta for Senior Day in high school, but that's another story altogether (Senior Day in my high school fell on May 8th, 1970, the day of the Kent State massacre, so I spent a large part of that day at school s ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 Lis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

What an exhilarating read! It's not difficult to see why it's still a beloved classic almost 3,000 years later. It obviously has all the necessary ingredients for a gripping tale: beautiful women, bloody battles, gods getting it on, trailing entrails, and of course the hot favourite, chariot racing.

Also, the next time I pick a fight with someone, I'll be sure to recite my lineage before punching them in the face. ...more

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