Customer Reviews

The Odyssey of Homer (Bantam Classics)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When I was a younger lad, I bought Richard Lattimore's translation, which is a grandiose bore. Then I had the good fortune to read Mandelbaum's Aeneid, which shines. This brought me to Mandelbaum's Odyssey. And it is the ideal Odyssey for scholarship and pleasure:

-The language is simple and strong. Mandelbaum knows his job--he tells the story simply and brings the ancient genius of Homer through with vigor and clarity. Occasionally Mandelbaum goes on a stint of rhyme and that's distracting, but overall the translation is beautiful.

-There's a well-drawn map of Ancient Greece in the beginning that really sets the scene for the wild sea adventures.

-One of the complaints I often hear about epics is that the many characters are difficult to keep straight. Mandelbaum solves this by giving us a comprehensive glossary in the back of the book that explains who everyone is and lists the page numbers of where they occur in the book.

-Another thing makes this a swift read is that, at the beginning of each book, Mandelbaum gives a quick summary of what's about to happen (a fantastic feature for reference and review).

Thus, with the book summaries, the glossary, and the map, you always know where you are in the epic--so while Odysseus wanders, you are never lost.

The Trojan War is over and one of our hero kings is lost. His son (Telemachus) travels to find any information about his father's fait. His wife (Penelope) must cunningly hold off suitors that are eating them out of house and home.

If he ever makes it home, Odysseus will have to detect those servants loyal from those who are not. One absent king against rows of suitors; how will he give them their just deserts? We look to Bright Eyed Pallas Athena to help prophecy come true.

Interestingly all the tales of monsters and gods on the sea voyage was told by Odysseus. Notice that no one else survives to tell the tale. Therefore, we have to rely on Odysseus' word.

Many movies took sections of The Odyssey, and expanded them to make interesting stories those selves.

Not just the story but also the way in which it is told will keep you up late at night reading.


The Odyssey

Troy (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

I have no beef with the translation, but the Kindle edition of this particular book is missing pretty much all of Book XV. If you need this, get the print version off of Amazon -- it's almost as cheap, especially when you consider that they skimmed a little off of the top by removing a chunk of the actual content. It's pretty easy to transfer print to Kindle format, why remove around twenty pages? It's infuriating.

I had tried seveal times over the years to read various translations of Homer, however I found them all terribly boring and could finish none of them. When I discovered Mandelbaum I gave it one more try and the Odyssey came completely alive for me as never before. Highly recommended!

This is a fabulous way to experience the Odyssey. It was meant to be (and originally was) oral. This is a wonderful translation read by a truly great actor (and great reader). Gripping! I highly recommend this version. Good for older kids too.

This book was required for my daughters English class and Homer came in great condition. We are going to keep this one for our bookshelf.

Although Mandelbaum's translation of the Divine Comedy is well-done and highly recommended, I don't think too much of his translation of the Odyssey: it reads stiffly and is very dense going.

If you're gonna read it, I would recommend the Lattimore translation (0060931957), which reads much more clearly and naturally.

This ain't just me: look at the difference in the Amazon reviews.

Another example of employing a format without considering the means by which it will likely be used. The CDs have no internal "tracking" or programs. Thus, if you listen to the book in your car and don't finish the entire disk before turning the engine off, you'd better hope that you have a newer CD player than I possess. Otherwise, the player will default to the beginning of the last track that was played--in this case skipping back to where you were when you started the 45 minute drive. Even if you have a newer player, if the book is being listened too during a commute to your children's school, they would be unable to take the CDs with them to continue the book in another car on the way home.

Aaaarrrgghhh.

Note, however, that the translation and performance struck me as being well done (at least for the first 45 minutes!).

I first read this beautiful epic as a little girl, held captive from start to finish, and then again in my tenth grade English class,so when I discovered it on audio tape, my heart danced for joy! I am also a great fan of Derek Jacobi, so it made perfect sense to purchase this literary gem for my growing collection. Jacobi's narration is as brilliant as the epic itself, and if you listen closely, you will begin to imagine yourself having the same adventures Odysseus had, as well as spending time getting to know Penelope, his wife, and their only child, a son named Telemachus. In conclusion, just like the works of Shakespeare, this beautiful piece of literature was meant to be enjoyed by everybody! Get thee to Amazon.com or thy nearest bookstore and buy a copy!

Unlike many readers of Homer's works, I read this for entertainment purposes only. I did not cripple my enjoyment of the story by evaluating the structure or rythm of the verse although that is one of the marvels of the original. If you are one who is required to read the Odyssey for a class assignment, I believe you will find that this translation (although printed to look like verse) is extremely readable. However, to fully appreciate the story-line, I recommend researching the Greek and Roman gods prior to reading the Odyssey (I found 'Mythology' by Edith Hamilton to be very concise yet comprehensive.) Furthermore, tackling the Iliad prior to the Odyssey is also desirable in order to understand the references to the Trojan War where Odysseus spent the first 10 years of his trials away from Ithaca.

Of the three major works that can probably be described as a trilogy (Virgil's Aeneid being the third), the Odyssey is the most readable due to its 'traveling action'. The Iliad and Aeneid action scenes are primarily battle fields with much description of each individual spear thrust/throw. The Odyssey is much more enjoyable since Odysseus travels all around the Mediteranean with one adventure after another.

Another note is about the ending of this story. I will not give anything away, but as far as the three epic poems mentioned in this review, the Odyssey has a very conclusive end whereas the Iliad and Aeneid come to an end-of-sorts, but there is still much that is left unfinished.