The Odyssey (Emily Wilson’s translation) by Homer*****

Neil and I read The Iliad in order to read Emily Wilson’s translation of the Odyssey and she did not disappoint. It is such a beautiful, rich story. I love Odysseus, especially because, in my head, he speaks with a Sean Bean accent. He has integrity, resilience and wit. He has conscience and love and all these traits and feelings made the story so much nicer to read.

I liked it more than The Iliad as I found it more poetic, more beautiful and less run by the gods, even if Athena features a fair amount. Like The Iliad, it is surprising what stays in popular culture from the original text: the work is not about Odysseus’s travels. In fact, only a few chapters of that occur and a lot of it happens when he returns to Ithaca. Even if I knew what would happen it was very exciting to read and to encounter the story and characters (Telemachus, Penelope) first hand.

I suppose we should, but we are not yet going to read the Aeneid. For our next book together we have chosen a victorian novel. Finding the Trojan Horse will have to wait!