Reviews

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

risesthesun's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

tdawgg07's review against another edition

3.0

school

kris47's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

katbert's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Literally what is the ending. Hello. Geoffrey im digging up ur grave i want answers

jamic3's review against another edition

funny inspiring lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

nightwillowfox's review against another edition

2.0

I don't know some stories I enjoyed but other's, well most I didn't care for. I understand why I never could finish this book in high school.

arash's review against another edition

adventurous reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

futurama1979's review against another edition

3.0

This is sort of like a dry run for the original text of the Canterbury Tales. Not that I mind that. The prose is functional and heavy, but, most importantly, it serves its purpose: to give the reader a quick retelling of each of the Canterbury Tales, without the poetry.

For me, it's a lot easier to absorb words in older English/Shakespearian English if I have an idea of what they're about first, and it allows me to focus more on the poetry/prose itself, with the worry of figuring out the story gone. So this is good for that; now, when I read Chaucer's original Canterbury Tales, I'll already have an idea of each story going in.

Don't come to this edition if you're looking for outstanding verse, poetic phrases, or a strong authorial voice. DO come to this edition if you want a functional Sparknotes on the Canterbury Tales to make future reading a little easier.

ros_scallydandler's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A reliable translation to support reading the original in. Middle English 

ros_scallydandler's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Not a book one can sum up in a few lines.  Challenging to read in the original Middle English but a wonderful experience and far more rewarding than any translation as Chaucer's greatest strength is in his use of language.