I don't even know how I first came across this title but I added it to a list of possible books to read for a classics challenge I'm participating in.I don't even know how I first came across this title but I added it to a list of possible books to read for a classics challenge I'm participating in. I had to read Beowulf and The Epic of Gilgamesh in high school so I wanted to read some epics from other cultures. Somehow I found The Ramayana. Then I realized that this version is a "shortened modern prose version." I'm not a big fan of abridgements so I looked into that a little more. The original is, as I understand it, thousands of pages long. I'll never read that much epic poetry. At least this version is adapted by an Indian author who grew up listening to his family tell these stories.
I'm glad I read it. I was familiar, at least by name, with some of the gods mentioned--Vishnu, Shiva, Hanuman, Brahma--but completely unfamiliar with Rama's adventures. He defeats monsters and demons, saves those who need saving, and just sort of generally sets the world to rights.
This version feels like a "good parts" version, to appropriate a phrase from The Princess Bride, and I decided that I'm okay with that. I felt that I got the action and pertinent bits of the story while eliminating too much unnecessary description. The author sets the scene beautifully then moves on with the plot.
I enjoyed familiarizing myself, at least a bit, with Rama and Sita, Lakshmana, Ravana, and Dasaratha. ...more
I loved Jennifer Wright's book, Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them. I loved her humor in tackling a pretty grim subI loved Jennifer Wright's book, Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them. I loved her humor in tackling a pretty grim subject. She brings the same humor to this examination of some spectacular break-ups.
She shines a light on the following couples: 1. Nero & Poppaea 2. Eleanor of Aquitaine & Henry II 3. Lucrezia Borgia & Giovanni Sforza 4. Henry VIII, Anny Boleyn, Catherine Howard 5. Anna Ivanovna 6. Timothy Dexter 7. Caroline Lamb & Lord Byron 8. John Ruskin & Effie Gray 9. Oscar Wilde & Lord Alfred Douglas 10. Edith Wharton & Morton Fullerton 11. Oskar Kokoschka & Alma Mahler 12. Normal Mailer & Adele Morales Mailer 13. Debbie Reynolds, Eddie Fisher, Elizabeth Taylor.
There are a few non-celebrities in the list and I am curious how they ended up in the book. I guess their break-ups were bad enough to save them from complete obscurity?
The book is funny but the author walks a very fine line between snark and being respectful of the fact that these were real people enduring real heartbreak. She crossed the line a time or two early on but it's possible that I hadn't quite settled in to her style yet. She was generally pretty sympathetic to the wronged party (Wilde, Boleyn, etc.) but she was merciless toward the transgressor.
Here are a few of my takeaways.
Celebrity relationships sensationally imploding is not new.
Humans are ingenious when it comes to finding ways to make each other miserable.
You have to reluctantly admire the sheer audacity of some people. I'm particularly thinking of Lucrezia Borgia standing before a panel of men (priests?) and swearing that she was a virgin while very obviously about eight months pregnant.
Thank goodness divorce is an option these days.
And finally, here are a couple of quotes that stood out to me.
"But then, in any era, the persecution of homosexuals is nonsensical. Anyone who reads the Great Commandment and comes away saying, 'Gays will burn in hell' has missed an essential message."
And the author quotes this statement from the Buddha, "In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you."
Highly recommended if you're in the mood to take a diverting look at some catastrophic relationships....more
Circe is the oldest child of the Greek god Helios and the sea nymph Perse. Everyone, including Circe herself, believes that she and her siblings lack Circe is the oldest child of the Greek god Helios and the sea nymph Perse. Everyone, including Circe herself, believes that she and her siblings lack divine power. She spends her childhood creeping around the edges of godly feasts and trying to avoid the torments that her younger brother and sister devise for her. When her mother gives birth to another son, Circe bonds with him. Aeëtes eventually leads her to believe that maybe they aren’t quite as helpless as they appear. When Circe accomplishes a couple of dramatic transformations via magic, the other gods realize she and her siblings are witches. Circe bears the brunt of the gods� punishment and they exile her to the island of Aiaia for all eternity.
I’ve read so many glowing reviews of this book but copies are never available at my library. I finally bought my own book to see what all the fuss is about and I’m so glad I did.
Circe is every woman who has been treated as “less than� because of her gender. As a child, she accepts that everyone overlooks her. She’s not as beautiful as the other nymphs, so why would anyone pay attention to her? She’s starved for attention though, and makes some terrible decisions. But those decisions lead her to discover that she has magic. Her exile gives her room to discover more about her powers and hone them. Watching her grow into her divinity and carve her own space in the world felt empowering to me.
But Circe also has more heart than other gods. Mortals fascinate her, even as a child. When some try to worship her, she rejects their adoration. While other gods view mortals as play things or simply don’t really notice them at all, she’s eager to learn more about their world and how their minds work. In addition, other gods never even realize that they’re capable of making mistakes. Circe not only acknowledges her errors but tries to make amends. A static life seems boring, but growing and changing and trying to improve? That’s the life Circe lives.
I also enjoyed reading about Greek heroes as regular people. Sure, they’re wilier and and stronger than most but at the end of the day, they’re just humans. Daedalus’s suffering began long before he tried to fly. Odysseus is impatient and quick-tempered and regrets some of his decisions in the war, although he would repeat them if he had to. I liked seeing them on a mortal scale.
I highly recommend this. In some ways, it’s a fairly quiet book; but I found Circe’s transformation from an unassuming girl to a powerful force both engrossing and satisfying....more
Gareth Hinds undertakes the task of adapting The Odyssey, the tale of Odysseus's long journey home after the Trojan War, into graphic novel format.
I wGareth Hinds undertakes the task of adapting The Odyssey, the tale of Odysseus's long journey home after the Trojan War, into graphic novel format.
I wish this had been around when I was wading through The Odyssey in high school (and maybe college? I can't remember). I don't know what translation we read, but we needed a translation of it. I think most of us had only vague ideas about what was going on, and we probably only figured those out after the teacher spoon-fed them to us.
The Odyssey is perfect for this format. It's a very visual story, with the sirens and Scylla and Charybdis, a journey to the underworld, the cyclops, and Circe's spell. I did like the illustrations, although they veered a little too close to the bulging muscles and gravity-defying breasts that most people think of when they hear the word, comic. Still, it's a manly tale, so they fit.
I was a little surprised by the translation. I expected the writing to be very modern, but it's not. It's still very readable but formal at the same time. From page 4, Zeus speaking to Athena:
"My child, what strange remarks you let escape your lips. Could I forget that wily hero Odysseus? You know I bear him no grudge--but Poseidon does, hates him for blinding his son Polyphemus the Cyclops. But come now, let us take up the matter of Odysseus's return. Poseidon must relent; he cannot thwart the will of all the other gods."
I had forgotten much of what happens in the story, so it felt a lot like I was coming to this for the first time. I enjoyed it more in this format than I ever have before.
This is a fabulous (re-)introduction to this timeless classic. Teachers, take note and have some mercy on your classes. This could at least be a companion to the "regular" novel....more
Do you ever find yourself reading along, and when you come to a reference to ancient Greece or Rome, you start scratching your head? With sort of a, "Do you ever find yourself reading along, and when you come to a reference to ancient Greece or Rome, you start scratching your head? With sort of a, "I think I heard something about that somewhere, but I don't remember much about it" kind of thought?
This is the book for you.
Caroline Taggart has put together a short (169 pages) primer/refresher for all that ancient stuff that you used to know but that has fallen by the wayside. Or maybe you never learned it in the first place.
For such a short book, Taggart has packed a surprising amount of information into it. Topics covered include language, mythology, philosophy, history, the arts, the sciences, and a few more things. You won't read the book and be an expert by any means, but you will certainly have a decent base of knowledge to work from.
The book might sound boring, but Taggart's style is actually pretty fun. "Atlas was inhospitable to Perseus (see page 47), who used the head of Medusa to turn him into a mountain range in North Africa, which takes almost as much talent as cutting someone's head off while looking at their reflection in a shield, and makes me think that Perseus could have taught David Copperfield a thing or two." She also occasionally mentions modern-day references to these ancient stories. "The first famous figure to emerge from this was Draco, who has given his name to very harsh measures in any context, as well as to a character in Harry Potter who provokes the audience to hiss whenever he appears."
It's very good for what it is, but after suffering through a 10th-grade English teacher who seemed to think that World Literature meant Greek and Roman Literature and a Greek and Roman Culture class in college, I think I've absorbed all I'm going to absorb on the topic. I won't say that there was nothing new in this book for me--there definitely was--but it wasn't anything that I'll ever remember. The cross-references (see paragraph 5), while a good idea, got distracting on a straight read. They would be invaluable if you were just looking up a quick little reference though.
I do recommend this for anyone who wants to fill in the gaps in their classical knowledge, because it really is a fun book, but it might be a little too basic for someone with a decent working knowledge of the Greeks and Romans already.
Thanks to the publicist for sending me a copy for review....more
When Cleopatra and Marc Antony are defeated by Octavian, their children are taken to Rome, where Octavian can make sure they don't become rallying poiWhen Cleopatra and Marc Antony are defeated by Octavian, their children are taken to Rome, where Octavian can make sure they don't become rallying points for those who might oppose his rule. Their daughter Selene is never happy in Rome and constantly looks for ways to win her family's way back home.
This book jumps right into the action as Octavian conquers Alexandria and thus Egypt. It grabbed my attention right away and held it until I finished.
I really enjoyed the way that Moran brought these historical figures from so long ago into such a vibrant reality for me. I even cared about (or hated, as the case may be) the minor people from history that I hadn't heard of before. Selene herself is just a great character. She's smart, strong, independent, loyal, free-thinking, and far from perfect. Who likes perfect characters anyway? She acts without thinking sometimes and gets herself in trouble. I did occasionally get confused by the names. There were Octavian/Octavia and Antonia/Tonia. In the author notes, Moran said she actually changed some of the names to make it less confusing. I guess Octavian and Octavia are so famous that she didn’t feel like she could change them, but I frequently had to stop and try to remember which one was the emperor and which one was his sister.
I know people got married younger and didn’t live half as long as we do now, but these kids felt entirely too old. Selene and Alexander are supposed to be 11-15 years old when this takes place, but they honestly felt about a decade older to me. Moran addressed this in her Afterword, saying that they had been so highly educated and trained to rule practically from birth that they would feel precocious to us. I can buy that. I would just get pulled out of the story frequently, thinking how no 11-year-old girl would be trying to think about how to regain her kingdom, or planning how she’s going to rebuild a city. It might be accurate, but it was hard for this modern reader to get past it.
I do wish that Moran hadn’t combined some human-rights acts into a fictional character called the Red Eagle. I really don’t read non-fiction, so historical fiction is how I get my history. I’m more likely to remember the Red Eagle than the fact that he wasn’t real.
I found this to be engrossing historical fiction about a fascinating period in time....more
JG (Introverted Reader)
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