Max Rose’s Reviews > The Odyssey > Status Update

Almost done! Really like the chapter where everyone competes to string the bow. Whole time I wasn’t quite sure if they meant drawing the bow back with an arrow or literally attaching the string. Once its Odysseus’ turn though, I understood they were all literally straying to attach the string. Hopefully for the movie they take some liberty and instead of stringing the bow they all attempt to “draw the bow”

Almost done! Really like the chapter where everyone competes to string the bow. Whole time I wasn’t quite sure if they meant drawing the bow back with an arrow or literally attaching the string. Once its Odysseus’ turn though, I understood they were all literally straying to attach the string. Hopefully for the movie they take some liberty and instead of stringing the bow they all attempt to “draw the bow”

Everyone is so dramatic in these stories. So much crying, so many kisses, so much talk about how distraught over Odysseus someone is. Lol

Still 100 pages left, wow.

I actually like some of these chapters with the suitors in isolation, it’s just taken some time getting used to the new pace of the story. This last chapter with Odysseus boxing the beggar and taunting the suitors was pretty fun to read tbh.

I wouldn’t say these chapters are useless, but I wish this amount of detail, storytelling, and character building had gone in to the chapters during Odysseus’ journey instead of his return. The famous journey home is all starting to feel like a prelude to all the drama with the suitors, which appears to be the real story Homer wanted to spend time on.

Finally a great chapter again! Loved Odysseus reuniting with Telemachus. They start plotting how to deal with the suitors and I like how Odysseus asks his son for advice or at least some details about the situation. And you can see both their personalities in the plotting too.

One other thing, many times when the swineherd Eumeaus is mentioned, the book will switch to first person as if talking to Eumaeus. Weird.

Much better than the last chapter but most modern books would be using this time to build up to something big and the momentum would really be churning but the Odyssey is really taking its time.

Utterly useless chapter. Odysseus meets up with his swine herd while disguised and when the swine herd asks him who he is and where he came from, Odysseus tells a made up story with nearly as much detail as he did the exciting tales that actually happened! What are we doing here? 4 pages on a alibi that will never come up again?? Bruh.

Ithaca at last!

Kinda crazy all the famous tales at sea are done now and the story’s only half finished. I really hope the stuff with the suitors is worth it because the stories at sea were kinda skimmed over. Total opposite of the Iliad in that regard.