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sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was a well-written and engaging retelling of Greek heroes, mainly following Jason and the Argonauts. I'm not overly familiar with many of these stories, so I can't speak as to the accuracy to source material. I did notice that the Pandora story went a bit different than I thought it was, but I don't know if I knew wrong or if this was an alternate version. Overall, an enjoyable read.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
3.0
Newbery Honor 1922
Honestly, I didn't finish this one. It is good for what it is, but this has been done so much better in the intervening years. This couldn't quite decide between being a single narrative and a collection of Greek myths, so the narrative was interrupted periodically with a character telling an extended story of a different myth. This kept the story of Jason and the search for the Golden Fleece from being as active as it could have been. Worthy of an honor in that year, but not the one I'd pick up to read a good story from Greek mythology, or to learn more about Greek mythology collectively.
Honestly, I didn't finish this one. It is good for what it is, but this has been done so much better in the intervening years. This couldn't quite decide between being a single narrative and a collection of Greek myths, so the narrative was interrupted periodically with a character telling an extended story of a different myth. This kept the story of Jason and the search for the Golden Fleece from being as active as it could have been. Worthy of an honor in that year, but not the one I'd pick up to read a good story from Greek mythology, or to learn more about Greek mythology collectively.
sparrowlight's review against another edition
5.0
Read this in middle school for a Lunch Bunch club (aka the nerds who'd rather read and talk during lunch than do recess). It was wonderful -- and I just found the edition we read available for Kindle! Woohoo.
tamzy6's review against another edition
2.0
I actually started this a loooong time ago (easily 5 years) but found it a bit boring so I discontinued reading. I picked it up again after recently completing Edith Hamilton's compilation of myths - that helped a lot.
This book by Padraic Colum is supposedly meant for children / YA. Fair enough, as far as Greek mythologies go, they are filled with lusty and violent tales of gods and mortals, and these elements may not be suitable for young impressionable minds. However, even if you redact this, you still have to appeal to your target audience, which I think Colum failed to accomplish. His tales are matter-of-fact, and straightforward; he doesn't seek to excite you. I find it a great pity, because I liked his editorial choice of using the Argonauts as narrative vessels to help weave in snippets of the Olympians. Other than that, it really was quite dry, which explains why I dropped this book the first time.
This book by Padraic Colum is supposedly meant for children / YA. Fair enough, as far as Greek mythologies go, they are filled with lusty and violent tales of gods and mortals, and these elements may not be suitable for young impressionable minds. However, even if you redact this, you still have to appeal to your target audience, which I think Colum failed to accomplish. His tales are matter-of-fact, and straightforward; he doesn't seek to excite you. I find it a great pity, because I liked his editorial choice of using the Argonauts as narrative vessels to help weave in snippets of the Olympians. Other than that, it really was quite dry, which explains why I dropped this book the first time.
betlapointe's review against another edition
4.0
I read this as a read-aloud with my girls. It took us a long time to finish because we only read a little bit a couple days a week. I thought the story would be a straight narrative of the quest for the golden fleece, but after the fleece is found there are multiple other stories of multiple other heroes. It's definitely child-friendly, but a little dry and it's easy to lose track of the characters. Overall it was okay, but I probably would have liked it better if I'd read it alone and faster.
readingthroughthelists's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The Golden Fleece contains a good selection of Greek myths woven in and around the larger frame of Jason’s quest to win the Golden Fleece. But my goodness, was this book not meant to be read aloud. I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered a book less lyrical and chock full of unnecessary archaisms.
The second graders still enjoyed it, but only because I changed so much of the language while reading. Lovely illustrations though.
The second graders still enjoyed it, but only because I changed so much of the language while reading. Lovely illustrations though.
winterpirate's review against another edition
3.0
I remember this book being the one that got me interesting in Greek mythology. Another one read as a child, but still somewhat remembered and somewhat relevant. Of course, like any historical text, it is biased and the stories are not as believable or likable as some different versions of the same accounts, but it served its purpose and at the time it was great fun.
eling's review
2.0
Honestly, this was fine. And the illustrations were really gorgeous. But if I was going to recommend a book about Greek myths for younger readers, I would suggest D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths instead of this one every time. And with that, I'm going to end my spurt of youth reading.