The Odyssey by Homer

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any classic books or any very old fiction books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
User avatar
Arotiwebi-ojo
Posts: 5
Joined: 04 Jul 2018, 19:54
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 3

Re: The Odyssey by Homer

Post by Arotiwebi-ojo »

I have old torn English translation of Odyssey that I read from time to time.
User avatar
rubinelli
Posts: 76
Joined: 25 Dec 2018, 15:30
Currently Reading: Fangirl
Bookshelf Size: 37
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rubinelli.html
Latest Review: Burn Zones by Jorge P. Newbery

Post by rubinelli »

I loved reading The Odyssey in school. I remember I had to read it for my 12th grade literature class. I really liked Odysseus. I thought he was a very interesting hero. The way that Odysseus used his wits instead of brute strength to overcome obstacles inspired me. After finishing The Odyssey, I went on to read the Illiad.
User avatar
spencermack
Posts: 596
Joined: 06 Feb 2019, 16:37
Favorite Book: A Loaf Of Bread
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 46
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-spencermack.html
Latest Review: Love, Grandma by Ann Morris
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by spencermack »

Read this in my grade 9 English class. Thank god my teacher was so good because if I tried to read this on my own, it would have been awful.
Spencer Mack
cadelfavreau
Posts: 44
Joined: 08 Apr 2019, 22:52
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 17
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-cadelfavreau.html
Latest Review: The Sojourners by T. L. Hughes

Post by cadelfavreau »

Both the Odyssey and the Iliad are must reads. That being said, Greek drama from the likes of Aeschylus might be more relevant for modern fiction readers. Seek out the ideal translations. :tiphat:
Kinap
Posts: 41
Joined: 26 Mar 2019, 12:20
Currently Reading: Instant Pot Cookbook #2019
Bookshelf Size: 23
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kinap.html
Latest Review: McDowell by William H. Coles

Post by Kinap »

I absolutely love classics! I have read The Odyssey a few times before and will read it again in the near future! So much was happening that at some points it was too heavy to read. Not as heavy as the Iliad though (in terms of action). This is one those "must read" stories definitely!
User avatar
flaming_quills
Posts: 205
Joined: 16 Mar 2019, 01:53
Currently Reading: Americanah
Bookshelf Size: 42
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-flaming-quills.html
Latest Review: Advent Of Silver by Atilla K. Zengin

Post by flaming_quills »

I loved the Oddesey though it was quite heavy at some points. I didn't finish it the first time I read it but the second try was more fruitful.
User avatar
WaryReader
Posts: 8
Joined: 02 May 2019, 15:48
Currently Reading: Madame Bovary
Bookshelf Size: 31
Reading Device: B00JG8GOWU

Post by WaryReader »

Not sure if reading it is worth it. When I tried reading the Illiad, I really had to look up a lot of things every few lines. However, that might have been the translation. I'd love to have read the Odyssey, but I'm not sure that the suffering you have to go through is worth it.
User avatar
LinaMueller
Posts: 1117
Joined: 09 Jun 2019, 13:22
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 261
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-linamueller.html
Latest Review: The Wingless Fairy by Kye Strothers

Post by LinaMueller »

The Odyssey is the most epic poem imaginable. The Introduction alone is good enough to justify the price of the book. This book is truly a foundational work of Western literature that deserves to be read again and again and again ad infinitum.
Heart! We will forget him!
You an I, tonight!
You may forget the warmth he gave,
I will forget the light.

When you have done, pray tell me
That I my thoughts may dim;
Haste! lest while you're lagging.
I may remember him!

Emily Dickinson
Jennashby_87
Posts: 202
Joined: 15 Oct 2019, 12:33
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 22
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jennashby-87.html
Latest Review: The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings
Reading Device: B07CZMMQPM

Post by Jennashby_87 »

This is one of the classics that I have always wanted to read and just never got around to actually doing. I use to play computer games as a kid that revolves around the storyline.
Nikolas Farmakis
Posts: 786
Joined: 29 Sep 2019, 04:18
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 285
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nickolas-farmakis.html
Latest Review: Cynthia and Dan by Dorothy May Mercer

Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

The Odyssey is an epic novel, and I have the privilege to read it in Greek, as I know Greek. It is always better to read a novel in its original language I think.
User avatar
siusantos
Posts: 249
Joined: 05 May 2019, 06:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 182
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-siusantos.html
Latest Review: E M P Honeymoon by Dorothy May Mercer
Reading Device: B01FJT7N4W

Post by siusantos »

I've read parts of this book as a school assignment, and I loved it then. So I decided to read it again, the whole book. And it made me want to read Iliad as well.
User avatar
Anna2431
Posts: 1
Joined: 29 Jun 2020, 18:18
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by Anna2431 »

I have read the Odyssey twice, and I have found it to be more enjoyable each time! As you grow older and become more aware of the world around you, you can better understand what the characters were thinking and feeling! However, I do not believe Odysseus deserved all of the hype that he got for being a “legend”. Most of the time he needed assistance from the gods and his crewmen to accomplish his missions. A great story for those who are imaginative and for those who like to make their own spin on the stories!
User avatar
yapashley
Posts: 196
Joined: 11 Jun 2020, 02:47
Currently Reading: Crown of Crimson (The Afterlight Chronicles Book 1)
Bookshelf Size: 15
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-yapashley.html
Latest Review: Oblivion Threshold by J.R. Mabry and B.J. West

Post by yapashley »

I love learning about Greek Mythology and the Odyssey by Homer really helped in broadening my knowledge about it. One of the books that I love to read over and over again simply because of its story. I could imagine the struggles of Odysseus during that time to seem insurmountable and he did it all with one goal in his mind. To come back home to his lover. His adventures are never ending!
User avatar
anaplasticCerebrum
Posts: 140
Joined: 18 May 2020, 12:17
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-anaplasticcerebrum.html
Latest Review: Milton at Monticello: Thomas Jefferson's Reading of John Milton by Kemmer Anderson

Post by anaplasticCerebrum »

Wreade1872 wrote: 30 Jan 2016, 20:35 I read the Alexander Pope translation recently, it was pretty bad. Can't speak to the other versions doubt i'll ever bother checking if they're any better.
Most of the other poetry epics i've read are better than this, Faierie Queene, Orlando Furioso, Song of Roland, Sigurd the Volsung and the Fall of the Niblungs, Idylls of the King etc.
I haven't yet read many of the classics you've listed. What makes these epics better? Is it the translation, scenery, characters, themes, or something else?
User avatar
drwcroaker
Posts: 249
Joined: 18 Jun 2020, 12:59
Favorite Author: Stephen King
Currently Reading: Brothas from Anotha Motha
Bookshelf Size: 24
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-drwcroaker.html
Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick
Reading Device: B07XR7CPXG
fav_author_id: 2376

Post by drwcroaker »

I started reading this recently as sort of a companion story while I read This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger who used the plot structure of the Odyssey in his book. I'm listening to the audio version that is narrated by Claire Danes and she does a great job.
We’re gonna need a bigger bookshelf.
Post Reply

Return to “Classic Books”