Mythology

Definitely should have been better

I first read Edith Hamilton in 8th grade, because I needed a general overview of a lot of mythology. Though I didn't know it at the time, Hamilton's stories are rather general; they don't include a lot of important character names and events. In that sense she's a bit like Bulfinch. It's good for someone new to mythology but anyone looking for something more comprehensive should look into Robert Graves.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

O.K.

When i picked up the book, I thought "Hmm, I like mythology and I like to read". So, a perfect choice, right? Meh...it was okay, but not great. Don't get me wrong, Edith Hamilton is a good author, but she needs to put some life into her books. Most of the things I read was banal and lifeless. To be honest, the first part of the book is nothing but banter about how she found information and what we're about to read means. This book is intended for anyone wanting to learn more about mythology, but only if you have a lot of time on your hands and nothing to do.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I liked it!

How come everyone is giving it one star? I was in 6th grade when I bought/read this, and this told me all I wanted to know about mythologly. Sure, the names got me confused, but it was a good read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

blew me away........

this book is absolutely perfect. i could not put this one down. it grabs you from the very introduction into a world that only the vast minds of the Greeks and Romans could have imagined. it goes into a lot of depth to get the gods, monsters, mortals, and warriors of all the Greek and Roman stories across to the reader. i highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get a better look into the world of Greek and Roman mythology. the stories are very informative, telling why what happened, whether or not for this reason or that. this book was a completely and outstandingly well-written book.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Wow.........BORING!

For a second i thought reading was fun, except for this book. I was so bored i barely understood it. if u hav 2 read this, just go to sparknotes, it'll save u from extreme boredom, that a fact

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Horrible

I love reading mythology but this book ruined it for me. I had to read it for my 10th grade English class. I was looking forward to reading it until i started it. I didn't like how the book overviewed all the stories instead of telling them. I also didn't like that fact that the author switched between the Latin and Greek names of the gods. Another thing was the fact that she took the stories from different books and mixed the stories. I really wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

It was OK....

Personally i love reading about mythology, but Edith Hamilton made many of the stories very dry, in trying to shorten them all into one big book. So, having to read this book for summer reading, i would probably not read it for pleasure, but i can assure you it will help you tons if you are taking some sort of mythology course. The subjects are interesting. Not so much the book. So it was OK, enjoyable but not great.

love this book!

i love mythology! the more stories i read in this book, the more i grew to love mythology. my favorite story is the one of Psyche & Cupid & how Cupid's mother, Venus (Aphrodite), tries to keep Cupid from falling in love by sabotaging Psyche (which means "spirit"). It is a fascinating book. I definitely give this books 5 stars! :)

Easy read and hard to put down.

Besides some typos and artistic license by the author, this is a great book that covers most of the great classic myths. I would recommend this to anyone as a fun read or reference book.

School reference book

I bought this for my daughter for school. She loves it. it's got good artwork, detailed information and it's definitely a book she will keep into adulthood.

Great Book!

I read this book just for fun, because I've always loved Greek mythology and my friend told me that this book was really good. And so far, out of all of the mythology books I've read, this was my favorite. It includes all of the most popular myths and also some little-known myths. It even has a little about Norse mythology, which I also find interesting.

A great overview!

I really enjoyed this book. It was topical and really focused on the Greek mythos. I would reccomend it for anyone studying myth, as it makes a really nice primer text.

was out of this world...

I enjoyed this book and read it just in time about the characters poseidon, hades ect with the new movies coming out the titans and the lightening thief ect. I knew what they were talking about felt alittle smarter for an old broad...lol.. and it took me to another place..its a good read to escape the real world...

Mythology is the first step!

Mythology is the beginning of it all, and Edith Hamilton lays out everything you need to know about ancient ideals precisely, yet still rich in detail. Understanding Mythology is key in appreciating other works such as Shakespeare, Paradise Lost, even many contemporary works. I definitely recommend Mythology for anyone hoping to expand their grasp of literature.

Dry Writing, Very Hard to Comprehend

I had to read parts of this for school, and let me start by saying, I like Greek and Roman mythology and I find it very interesting. However, this novel does not do the subject justice. All the "interesting" was sucked out of the tales and turned into confusing stories that drone on and on. The text is very small, and I know that is not a very valid argument point, but it factored into my dislike for this book. The sentences are very long and set up strangely. I do not see the purpose of this novel, as it is just retelling the myths in a more confusing way. Hamilton does not translate them into normal speech, therefore rendering this book hard to follow and one often ends up reading robotically, and not comprehending, an horrible waste of time. My advice is, if it is not mandatory you read this, and you aren't a mythology junkie, don't read this.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

unforgettable book

One of my favorite books thru my whole life. Edith Hamilton was a well-versed Greek scholar, and takes everything in her book from the originals. She also gives us constant tastes of those originals. Norse legends thrown in as well. A book filled with wonders, no child should grow up without it.

So glad I found this book again

I owned one of the earlier releases as it was given to me as a gift about nine years ago. Since then, I've moved several times even cross country and somewhere along the line, I lost my copy. When I got into my Greek phase which comes along more often than not, I realized I didnt have it and immediately when to B&N looking for it. To my delight I found it again, same cover the whole nine and was glad for it! This is great to relax with, have a fantasy or two with the fights, the struggles between the Gods and all around good time.... I totally recomend.

Wonderful!

I love this book! I've read it three times.
At first, I was going to get it as a reference book for a few myths and the Greek Gods, but I found that it was wonderful to read for enjoyment. It has a very unique writing style and vivid illustrations. It has every myth I could think of, I love it! I reccomend this book very much if you enjoy complicated storylines and characters, and if you like big words.

If you want to read a boring book, go ahead.

OK, first of all this book is the most boring book I ever read. -_-''
This book is like reading a dictionary in a foreign language.
I had to force myself to read each page. I even feel asleep while reading this. (not a shocker).

Do not read this, if you aren't required to.
It was a waste of my time, and 8 dollars.
If you have to read this book, go to spark notes.

Nice little book

This has greek mythology stories that I hadn't heard of in there. Great stories. Would be a good gift if someone likes greek mythology.