Ratings5
Average rating3.8
This took me back to my teen years when my love for Greek mythology started.
To be clear this book is called mythology but if accurately named should be: A summary of Greek Mythology with a bit of Roman and a tiny side note of Norse Mythology. The title was misleading in that way.
Overall I liked it but didn't care for her very subjective opinions on Ovid or Pindar or Apollodurus everytime she starts a chapter and cites her source of reference.
I've been reading on this collection of myths for almost a month, and I really didn't want to come up for air. A one sentence summary: these stories are the best stories of all time. There are stories about every possible theme—death, work, struggle, sadness, love, hate, war, revenge, retribution. Because these stories are deeply embedded in our culture they reverberate through the modern stories we hear.
This is a must-read for everyone.
Cautionary note: Edith Hamilton isn't afraid to share her thoughts about all the sources she draws upon to write these tales; she is wildly opinionated. And several times I was taken aback when she writes statements (the original copyright date is 1942) aimed at her audience of the time which now feel off-putting.