What are you reading?

[Martina]

I was disappointed in Song of Achilles. I was upset not with the heartbreak, but with the projection of current values and ethics onto Achilles and the Greeks. The author has a BA and an MA in Classics. So she did it on purpose, and I guess most historical fiction does that. But it bothered me. It reminded me of the endless number of undergraduate essays on Odysseus as a hero, droning on about whether his lying made him less heroic. The most cursory review of Ancient Greek culture would tell you that the Greeks thought that kind of tricksterish deception was admirable, the hallmark of a hero.

It bothers me watching Victoria, also. The fine ethical concerns the TV character debates would have been laughable to the real Victoria. It's entertaining. It's relevant to current questions we ask about leadership and politics, but it's absurdly irrelevant to Queen Victoria and the politics of her early rule.

I have Circe, but haven't read it yet. A friend tells me it is a much more satisfying book.

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

I am currently obsessed with Audible books. I was listening to The Tale of Achilles by Madeline Miller and have found myself so emotionally invested in the two main character's relationship that I had to stop listening when I realized something negative was going to happen. It has been almost three weeks and I still can't get myself to go back. I went back to read some reviews of the book and found other people have experienced the same thing. Such a great book.

While I continue to avoid the above story, I am going to start her other book Circe.

I realized that when I read books I skip over parts where there seems to be a lot of description because I rush to get to the point (and inadvertently miss out on a lot of information), so when listening to someone read through it all, I find myself getting enveloped in the scenery I would normally ignore. It makes my hour commute to and from work fly by and I have less road rage. Win - win.