by VictorAmbrus (Illustrator), Geraldine Mc Caughrean (Author), Homer (Author)
By its evocation of a real or imaged heroic age, its contrasts of character and its variety of adventure, above all by its sheer narrative power, the Odyssey has won and preserved its place among the greatest tales in the world. It tells of Odysseus' adventurous wanderings as he returns from the long war at Troy to his home in the Greek island of Ithaca, where his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus have been waiting for him for twenty years. He meets a one-eyed giant, Polyphemus the Cyclops; he visits the underworld; he faces the terrible monsters Scylla and Charybdis; he extricates himself from the charms of Circe and Calypso. After these and numerous other legendary encounters he finally reaches home, where, disguised as a beggar, he begins to plan revenge on the suitors who have for years been besieging Penelope and feasting on his own meat and wine with insolent impunity.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 96
Edition: New edition
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 01 Aug 1996
ISBN 10: 0192741535
ISBN 13: 9780192741530
A real winner. --Children's Bookwatch
McCaughrean's fine retelling of Odysseus' wanderings is a heroic tale in the truest sense of the word. It captures all the drama and bloodcurdling action of the original work while making the story accessible to young people in language that is still vigorous and expressive.... Illustrations by Victor Ambrus complement McCaughrean's style perfectly, their bold colors and lively portrayals displaying all the energy of the text. --Booklist
Captures the flavor and adventure of Homer's famed epic. --Calliope
This serious retelling of the Odyssey, illustrated with lush watercolors and line drawings, is a modern prose version of Homer's epic tale about Odysseus's return from Troy. A good introduction to Homer and an exciting story. --Reviews from Parent Council