Publius Ovidius Naso

A remarkable compendium of Greek and Roman mythology, which - as a work of breathtaking erudition(compiled 2000 years ago!) - is an easy 5 stars. However, the one caveat I had is the sheer volume of rape scenes(and ensuant punishment of victims) in the book. I know, I know - “they were different times” etc etc(I’m never quite sure if I should make my ratings based on an objective appraisal of a work when it was published or my subjective experience of reading it in the present day), but if ever a work were to have a flaw, ‘too much rape’ is about as fatal as it gets.

α - Loeb Library

OK, it took me (on and off) most of a year to get through this one, but so worth it. I'll be revisiting this again and again.

One I started reading I was hooked. I just couldn't put the book down. It's a wild ride from start to end!

A long poem divided into fifteen books / chapters. Ovid uses Greco-Roman mythology with a twist, all around the theme of metamorphose.more