Alfred Molina only does the intro

It's the Iliad. It's great. The introduction is read by Alfred Molina, the main narration sounds like someone else

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A true classic

Looking to be engulfed in an amazing story well here’s the one for you the Iliad by Homer is a fantastic work and inspiring

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Brilliant intro; Fab translation; Great reader

A wonderful translation of Homer's epic poem read by Alfred Molina, but for me the best thing was translator Stephen Mitchell's long introduction on what makes this book such a Classic. Inspirational!

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8 people found this helpful

A wonderful modern translation and performnce

What made the experience of listening to The Iliad the most enjoyable?

The introduction was excellent. The modern translation was stunning and allowed the original poetry to shine through. So much more accessible than the translation i read 30 years ago.

What does Alfred Molina bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

It is always good to be able to put this type of story into context.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no - this narrative is structured around a whole series of battles/skirmishes and there is a limit to how much one wants to digest at a sitting

Any additional comments?

Please bear in mind that this story ends with the death of Hector - if you think you are going to hear about the Trojan horse, you will need to read the Aeneid

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5 people found this helpful

Pitch perfect narration

Pitch perfect narration from Alfred Molina makes this so accessible.
Of course it’s a classic and in spite of the gore and the violence ,the imagery, rhythm and progress of the story make the telling absorbing.
Written in the 7th century BCE it is astounding to learn what knowledge already existed then. It is also informative about the Greek gods and how beliefs from this time fed into the later religions.

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A classic!

I love this Audiobook and have listened to it twice through. It's well read and a good translation.

This book is basically ancient Greek people and gods having a huge ruck.

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Timeless and gripping

I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, of course I had heard of it but nothing more. The introduction helps bring context to the story before it starts as you hear about the main characters. I was gripped from the start and simply couldn’t stop listening, when the story finished I almost felt a sense of grief as I wanted more. The narration is clear and measured. Highly recommended

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Enjoyed Every Minute

Stephen Mitchell has a very understandable way of writing that doesn't male it difficult to understand for the new comer to the classics, and the narration by Alfred Molina was enjoyable.

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This book is actually extraodinary.

What about Alfred Molina’s performance did you like?

The reader is engaging, although occasionally can be difficult to understand, some sections of dialogue are read quickly for effect. The differentiation between the various charecter voices was not especially noticable.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It was gripping and heartwrenching

Any additional comments?

I don't know what I expected, I have read around the Illiad for years. I have read books on the history, I have seen documentaries, I have read novels which feature the charecters, I am a huge fan of Brad Pitt, but for some reason I had never found the courage to read the actual book. I guess I thought in might be dense and complex, or worse, just plain dull. I didn't want to risk disappontment. And then there is the question of which translation to read, there are many. If I choose the wrong one would it put me off Homer for life? I had to do a bit of research, I decided to go for an audiobook so trawled through the samples. The Stephen Mitchell translation appealed the most. It is perhaps one of the less poetic translations but it is clear, vivid and easy to follow. There is also a few introductuary chapters which discuss different aspects of the story, the are concise and interesting and added a lot to my understanding of the story.
This is a great story though, written over 2.5 thousand years ago its themes are still relevant today, I know everyone says that, you can peer back through time and get an impression of real people - there loves and hopes and fears. The horror and gore of the battles is vividly described, and then we a whisked away to a lone woods man felling a tree by a river, or a lion staking a fawn. It is a powerful and emotional book. It is extraodinary for what it is, but also and most importantly an entertaining and gripping read.

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2 people found this helpful

Tedious Brilliance

Would you try another book written by Homer and Stephen Mitchell (translator) or narrated by Alfred Molina?

Stephen Mitchell, Yes, Homer, not so much. Alfred Molina was delightful.

Would you ever listen to anything by Homer and Stephen Mitchell (translator) again?

Stephen Mitchell's translations of the Bhagavad Gita and the Tao Te Ching are amongst my most prized possessions. I would read a shopping list by Mitchell, and bought this book on the strength of that. Unfortunately, whilst the text was beautifully written, I found the fighting and mayhem tedious. It was like a Shoot-em-up movie's car chase that just went on and on and on, and you find yourself going off to the fridge to get another beer. It could handle a good abridging, I suppose. Then again, parts of the story were most touching and wonderful.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Probably the various scenes of the gods discussing the battle and their strategies. Moments of reflection on the part of Achilles were also wonderfully written.

Do you think The Iliad needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I think Homer did that with the Odyssey, didn't he?

Any additional comments?

I was in equal parts delighted and bored stiff. It was the best of books, it was the worst of books. I accept that that is probably just a poor reflection on my cultural development, but there you go. Joe Ordinary, beware.

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14 people found this helpful