Sunday, August 23, 2015

Looking At Odysseus And His Travels With Fresh Eyes - "Odysseus - Book One - The Oath" by Valerio Massimo Manfredi



Valerio Massimo Manfredi has offered up a wonderful gift to anyone who embraces the power of the story of Odysseus.  He has taken the epic poems and converted them into an action-filled novel.  This first volume follows Odysseus from his boyhood in Ithaca to his long engagement on the beach in Troy as he and other Greek kings and their armies laid siege to the great walled city in order to restore Helen to her husband, Menelaus.

Professor Manfredi is a consummate story teller.  I felt as if I were seeing the islands of Greece and the coast of Turkey with my own eyes as he narrates the travels of Odysseus and his journey from boyhood to manhood to kingship.   Even though I know the story well and was aware of the outcome of the hero's adventures, the writing had me flipping pages to see what would happen next.  Such an innovative approach breathes new life into the old classics and makes them accessible to a whole new generation of readers.

I have already ordered my copy of "Odysseus - Book Two -The Return."

Enjoy!

Al

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