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as1aw1tt3nb3rg's review against another edition
Read book 1,2,3 that was enough I got the point
jmmerril's review against another edition
I tried yall. I’m just not smart enough for this one.
ducko's review against another edition
5.0
How does one begin to review such a behemoth? Immortal prose and beautiful text make for an unforgettable read. The notions of sexism other reviews echo are lost on me, I didn't get that read from the text at all. Instead, I got a wonder retelling of Genesis, treating Adam and Eve as actual characters with reverense and an undying love, and Satan with so much evil that it was fascinating.
pronta's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
languagehacker's review against another edition
4.0
Classic Read
Lots of famous phrases had their first appearance in this book. It's an epic poem that took me about 30 pages to realize didn't rhyme. I think the meter might not really do the text much favors either, but a lot of the great prose comes from really pushing against the form, like many great innovators of early modernity did. This is basically just some of the first biblical fan fiction, but that's also like saying As You Like It was just a dumb rom-com.
Lots of famous phrases had their first appearance in this book. It's an epic poem that took me about 30 pages to realize didn't rhyme. I think the meter might not really do the text much favors either, but a lot of the great prose comes from really pushing against the form, like many great innovators of early modernity did. This is basically just some of the first biblical fan fiction, but that's also like saying As You Like It was just a dumb rom-com.
joyflowers's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.75
devannm's review against another edition
4.0
actual rating: 3.5
[collapses onto the floor] I have literally been trying to read this book on and off for the past 17 years and I finally did it!! Although really most of the credit goes to Anthony Olivera because I listened to the whole thing with his podcast The Devil's Party where he reads the whole poem and explains what it is actually happening section by section. I'm also relieved to know that Milton made it borderline incomprehensible on purpose and that I am not in fact as stupid as I thought I was ;) Giving it a technical 3.5 and rounding up to 4 because I'll be real I was mostly here for Satan so a lot of the stuff in the later half of the poem was not super interesting to me but overall it is a very interesting work and I really enjoyed listening to Olivera's analysis of it and getting a lot of historical context for things I would have otherwise missed. If you've been trying to read this and struggling I would definitely recommend checking out his work.
[collapses onto the floor] I have literally been trying to read this book on and off for the past 17 years and I finally did it!! Although really most of the credit goes to Anthony Olivera because I listened to the whole thing with his podcast The Devil's Party where he reads the whole poem and explains what it is actually happening section by section. I'm also relieved to know that Milton made it borderline incomprehensible on purpose and that I am not in fact as stupid as I thought I was ;) Giving it a technical 3.5 and rounding up to 4 because I'll be real I was mostly here for Satan so a lot of the stuff in the later half of the poem was not super interesting to me but overall it is a very interesting work and I really enjoyed listening to Olivera's analysis of it and getting a lot of historical context for things I would have otherwise missed. If you've been trying to read this and struggling I would definitely recommend checking out his work.
lynniethepoohbear's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0