Oh My Gods is a good book, albeit with a misleading name. There is nothing modern about these retellings. But the title intrigues people. Whenever anyone saw me reading this book, they'd say "Oh my Gods!" and I'd be like, "what?".

I especially liked the tales of the great adventures that Greek (and a few Roman) "heroes" went on. I put heroes in quotes because none of the heroes were very ethical. Even Hercules did a lot of terrible stuff. But you'll just have to read the book. See, the chapters about the gods were pretty much a long list of all the women they raped. While that may be historically accurate, I just didn't want to read through all of that. By the way, this book is definitely not for children. It has VERY adult content.

I got this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. ( )

A nice little collection. ( )

I gave up on this. It was good, but not really anything new.

A teacher of classic literature decides to make the stories of the Greek and Roman gods more accessible to a wide audience, believing these stories can appeal to the modern reader (with which this reviewer concurs). The stories are written with a light, modern touch, while remaining true to the original story, not trying to move it into the modern world of cellphones and supersonic jets. The author delineates the histories of the various gods and goddesses, and includes many of the most familiar myths such as the Golden Fleece and the face that launched a thousand ships. His telling of the Medea story (and to some extent the story of Helen) betrays a modern sensitivity as he does not go out of his way to make her an evil villainess but rather a woman wronged by a weak man whom she had helped to gain the glory he enjoyed. There is some selectiveness in which stories he leaves in and which he leaves out, as well as some things in the stories that are not quite complete, perhaps because of some disagreement on the sources. He does indicate that he is using the most widely spread versions, though he does reference in some cases what other versions of the story say. Easy to read and accessible. ( )

A good retelling of traditional Greek and Roman myths. Even though the book is textbook-like and written by a professor, most of the stories flow as well as any fiction work. The title is a little misleading; I thought the tales would be contemporary adaptations. Best to read this collection in installments. Overall, nice, clear, and interesting non-fiction writing recommended for anyone who loves classical mythology.

GoodReads FirstReads Review
[author:Philip Freeman|142802]
[book:Oh My Gods: A Modern Retelling of Greek and Roman Myths|12098443] ( )