Nonfiction covering, literally, every single death that has ever happened in the Grand Canyon in recorded history (at least as of 2016, which is when Nonfiction covering, literally, every single death that has ever happened in the Grand Canyon in recorded history (at least as of 2016, which is when the edition I read came out). Each chapter covers a single cause of death � falling, heat stroke, drowning, etc � and the authors provide both fascinating accounts of some of the more spectacular deaths and investigations into the circumstances which tend to lead to death and advice on how to avoid dying yourself. Which ends up revealing the rather fascinating fact that more people have died of air disasters (plane collisions, helicopter crashes, etc) than any other single causes � I guess that means don't take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon! D:
If you enjoy reading about things like or Missing 411 (with less Bigfoot nonsense), this is a book for you. On the negative side, I did find the nearly 600 pages dragged in later chapters, with many of the stories beginning to feel repetitive. However, the heat stroke and dehydration chapter was so evocative I almost had to stop reading due to nausea. Which is a plus, in my opinion! I also came away with many gruesome tales to share on my own trip to the Grand Canyon, and really, what's a vacation without a horror story or two?...more
I'll stick to reviewing Robin Kirkpatrick's translation.
Kirkpatrick is a professor of literature, and I feel thaHow does one review The Divine Comedy?
I'll stick to reviewing Robin Kirkpatrick's translation.
Kirkpatrick is a professor of literature, and I feel that guided his approach to the poem. His footnotes share some traits with both Dorothy Sayers's (religious, focused on poetic imagery) and the Hollanders' (academic, focused on grammar and context), but were most often centered on the story Dante wanted to tell: what was the point of including a specific historical figure? How does a single canto connect to themes in cantos earlier or later? Why does Dante portray his own earlier self as fearful or confused? Of the three translators I read, Kirkpatrick was probably my favorite (though to be honest, it was a close tie) and the one that most often led me to say, "Oh! Now I get it!".
The translation of the poem itself is fine, only occasionally rhyming in English. I quite liked the effect of the rare rhymes � they kept the whole thing feeling more like poetry than prose, but without the contorted syntax of forcing every line into a rhyme. ...more
I'll stick to reviewing the Hollanders' translation.
This is by far the most thorough and academic of the versionHow does one review The Divine Comedy?
I'll stick to reviewing the Hollanders' translation.
This is by far the most thorough and academic of the versions I read; the footnotes are often three or four times longer than the actual canto they're covering. If you want a Dante that will explain every single minuscule grammar choice, review the several-centuries-long debate between scholars about whether interpretation A or B is the most likely, and cite similar phrasings in Vergil or the Bible, this is the book for you. If you don't need five paragraphs on what exact almanac Dante was using to calculate star signs, I'd stick with a different version.
The translation itself was fine, with no attempt at rhyming in English. Which did probably make this the most straightforward and easy to read of any version of the poem itself....more
She's one of the few English authors to actually stick to the terzaHow does one review The Divine Comedy?
I'll stick to reviewing Sayers's translation.
She's one of the few English authors to actually stick to the terza rima (the rhyme scheme that goes aba bcb c), which on the one hand makes this feel more like poetry, but on the other hand can lead to some extremely tortured syntax as she tries to make the rhymes fit the meaning. It was sometimes hard to even understand what was happening.
I really enjoyed her footnotes, especially her interpretations of the "images", as she calls them. Sayers is the only devoted Catholic translator I've read of the Divine Comedy, and sometimes it's very useful to get the perspective of someone who takes this all seriously and wants to make the theology align with a modern perspective.
I don't think I'd recommend her as the only Dante to read, but she's an invaluable interpretator to combine with one or two others. ...more
I didn't love this, the way I fall in love with some classics. On the other hand, I'm glad I read it,Another book that's basically impossible to rate.
I didn't love this, the way I fall in love with some classics. On the other hand, I'm glad I read it, because it's one of those foundational texts that illustrate so much of the work written after it.
Regarding Grossman's translation specifically, I enjoyed it and thought the footnotes were helpful, but I didn't find it very different or better than other modern translations.
Regarding Lathrop's translation specifically, I have the same thoughts as above. The two of them made a nice balance with each other, since sometimes when one was confusing the other would be clear, and vice versa, but I'd be hard-pressed to choice only one as my preference....more
A really excellent overview of Spain during its "Golden Age" (a period I knew far too little about) that ably balances political history with the storA really excellent overview of Spain during its "Golden Age" (a period I knew far too little about) that ably balances political history with the story of painting, writing, and other arts. Written with a verve that pulls in a general reader, but with enough breadth of information to satisfy an academic....more
You may ask: do I need an 800-page incredibly dense historical novel about the 'true person' behind tSO GOOD. My favorite book of the year, probably.
You may ask: do I need an 800-page incredibly dense historical novel about the 'true person' behind the legend of Macbeth that incorporates things like papal infighting over who gets to appoint bishops, Viking family dynamics in Scandinavia, and the creation of a Scottish national identity? BUT YOU DO. YOU REALLY, REALLY DO....more
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