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Review - Grendel
Mar. 19th, 2009 06:12 pmSomeone else's review says:
"But Grendel didn't really do what I expect novels to do: it didn't make me care about anything."
That's pretty much how I feel about John Gardner's book. I'm one for characters, really, and the lack of real character in this book is disconcerting for me. I enjoyed reading it, and it was a quick and easy read, but I failed to really get invested in the story. There's also a limited amount someone can do with this story, if they're sticking to the original text of Beowulf. I did like that it wasn't one of those that twists the story too hard -- we weren't expected to believe that Grendel should be an object of sympathy, etc.
Still, I didn't enjoy this book all that much. I'm at a loss to say what could have interested me more about it, however. It's worth a read to get some different perspectives on Beowulf, especially if you're studying it.
"But Grendel didn't really do what I expect novels to do: it didn't make me care about anything."
That's pretty much how I feel about John Gardner's book. I'm one for characters, really, and the lack of real character in this book is disconcerting for me. I enjoyed reading it, and it was a quick and easy read, but I failed to really get invested in the story. There's also a limited amount someone can do with this story, if they're sticking to the original text of Beowulf. I did like that it wasn't one of those that twists the story too hard -- we weren't expected to believe that Grendel should be an object of sympathy, etc.
Still, I didn't enjoy this book all that much. I'm at a loss to say what could have interested me more about it, however. It's worth a read to get some different perspectives on Beowulf, especially if you're studying it.
