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daja57's review against another edition
5.0
A 2018 Book of the Year in the New Statesman, the Guardian, and the Times Literary Supplement.
The story is the story of the Iliad but transposed to Northern Ireland at the time of the Troubles, just before the ceasefire. The Greeks become Republican gunmen seeking to disrupt the fragile ceasefire; Achilles is their famous sniper Achill (aka Liam O'Brien), Agamemnon is Pig, their commanding officer, his brither Dog is Menelaus, Sid is Odysseus, and old Ned is Nestor. The Trojans are the British, holed up in an army base (called Castle William but some vandals have torn down the W so it had become Illiam), with their various allies including the police and the local Orangemen, Hector is Henry, married to Anna, father of baby Max. Helen is Nellie, married to Dog, but now, having become an informer, she is living with Alex, nicknamed Paris. The Olympian Gods are the Higher-Ups, the untouchable politicians, who make decisions and dispose of men's lives.
It is remarkably faithful to the plot, even including the necessary long speeches and some of the Iliad's hideous descriptions of the effects of violence on the human body. But it works! Written using the contemporary Irish slang, translating meals into fry-ups, chariots into cars and even the funeral games of Patroclus into competitions held between men at a wake. This is a clever and even insightful version of a classic epic.
In fact it is better than that. Yes, part of the pleasure of reading lies in the ability to decrypt it. But its immersion in Irishness and Irishisms give it an utterly authentic feel.
Not only is it clever, not only is it well-written, but its transposition into such a visceral context provides a fresh perspective on the original. Spell-binding.
The story is the story of the Iliad but transposed to Northern Ireland at the time of the Troubles, just before the ceasefire. The Greeks become Republican gunmen seeking to disrupt the fragile ceasefire; Achilles is their famous sniper Achill (aka Liam O'Brien), Agamemnon is Pig, their commanding officer, his brither Dog is Menelaus, Sid is Odysseus, and old Ned is Nestor. The Trojans are the British, holed up in an army base (called Castle William but some vandals have torn down the W so it had become Illiam), with their various allies including the police and the local Orangemen, Hector is Henry, married to Anna, father of baby Max. Helen is Nellie, married to Dog, but now, having become an informer, she is living with Alex, nicknamed Paris. The Olympian Gods are the Higher-Ups, the untouchable politicians, who make decisions and dispose of men's lives.
It is remarkably faithful to the plot, even including the necessary long speeches and some of the Iliad's hideous descriptions of the effects of violence on the human body. But it works! Written using the contemporary Irish slang, translating meals into fry-ups, chariots into cars and even the funeral games of Patroclus into competitions held between men at a wake. This is a clever and even insightful version of a classic epic.
In fact it is better than that. Yes, part of the pleasure of reading lies in the ability to decrypt it. But its immersion in Irishness and Irishisms give it an utterly authentic feel.
Not only is it clever, not only is it well-written, but its transposition into such a visceral context provides a fresh perspective on the original. Spell-binding.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book about the struggle for a united Ireland. I listened to it on Audible while I was reading it. What a treat. So authentic.
thanat0s1017's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elaineruss's review against another edition
Abandoned. Nothing wrong with book, just not in right headspace.
kp68's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Enjoyed the story, however a bit too gory for my liking.
quercus707's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely brilliant retelling of the Iliad, remind us once again that nothing has changed in 3000 years.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book about the struggle for a united Ireland. I listened to it on Audible while I was reading it. What a treat. So authentic.
suvata's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book about the struggle for a united Ireland. I listened to it on Audible while I was reading it. What a treat. So authentic.