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5★
How could I give less to such an inventive interpretation of an old tale in such a beautifully written book?
I was ignorant of the story of the siege of Troy (well, I’d heard of it, but didn’t know much else), and I’ve never read The Iliad (for shame!). Greeks vs Trojans. That story.
No matter. If you’re as ignorant as I, you will still enjoy a re-telling of this part of by one of Australia’s best authors, David Malouf. This is a story with dreams and gods, but with very human hopes and desires. ...more
How could I give less to such an inventive interpretation of an old tale in such a beautifully written book?
I was ignorant of the story of the siege of Troy (well, I’d heard of it, but didn’t know much else), and I’ve never read The Iliad (for shame!). Greeks vs Trojans. That story.
No matter. If you’re as ignorant as I, you will still enjoy a re-telling of this part of by one of Australia’s best authors, David Malouf. This is a story with dreams and gods, but with very human hopes and desires. ...more
I've never read the Iliad but I do believe Ransom was based on a small portion of that book. The snippet chosen for this novel was the ransom paid by Priam to Achilles for the release of the body of Hector, his son. To be honest, the story started out as hard work for me. I'm not sure why, it could be my personal dislike of war and men's chest-pounding. Or maybe it was the style of writing.
I really got into the story in the middle when a local carter, Somax, is introduced. The way Priam and Soma ...more
I really got into the story in the middle when a local carter, Somax, is introduced. The way Priam and Soma ...more
May 13, 2011
Joanne
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
australian-writers
A lovey rendition of the part of the Iliad dealing with Achilles and the death of Hector. It's a short book, but beautifully written. Easy to tell that David Malouf is first and foremost a poet.
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This is an interesting little novel that gives us a different perspective on the well known tale of the Trojan War. Unlike other retellings, there is no mention of Paris, Helen or Odysseus. Instead Malouf focuses his novel on a few lines from the Iliad, an incredibly moving scene which sees Priam (King of Troy) go into the Greek camp to beg the hero Achilles to return the body of his son, Hector saying “I have endured what no one on earth has ever done before—/ I put my lips to the hands of the
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Book club book. Not quite sure we are going to have much to discuss about this one though
Oct 13, 2009
Anne_MB
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2009,
australian-fiction
Dec 23, 2009
Gino
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