Olivia E. CoolidgeCritiques

An anthology of short stories dealing with the high points of Athenian history up to the end of the Pelopponnesian war. Lively.

One of the two, or possibly three, if one counts "The Gallic Wars", historical novels for young adults written by Coolidge. This one covers the start of the Persian Wars and the events leading up to it through the life of Metiochos, the son of Miltiades. Little is known of the historical Metiochos, but that he became a Persian nobleman after his capture seems to be an historical fact. For such a short book, just 256 pages, it covers a lot of politics, and many remarkable events. There are conflicting loyalties, to ideals, to persons, and to cultures, throughout. The final battle is dramatic and grim, and of course, the conclusion is inevitable, because it is famous.

I feel Coolidge was a bit better at novels.

Outstanding and idiosyncratic novel about Agamemnon the mythical king of Mycenae from his childhood to his marriage to Clytemnestra. Set in an historical Mycenae with gods who are just as busy and interfering as those in the Iliad. Suitable for young adults.½

PRGYHWUG

I did not find it as enjoyable as Coolidge's "Trojan War". It seemed to lack coherence.

Spare, terse, and bleak. Starts at the very beginning, with the wedding of Peleus, the father of Achilles, and winds down with the eventual fates of the various heroes after the sack of Troy. Draws from numerous sources; the tale of Troilus and Cressida seems to be the mediaeval version, not any ancient Greek one.

NA

A dramatic history of the golden years of Ancient Athens, retold for kiddos. This Newbery Honor Book from 1963 was fair-to-middlin'. Could have been more engaging (I mean honestly, the subject matter is fabulous all on its own!), if the language wasn't so stilted in places.

Read aloud for my child. There's a mistake about Ajax. Did he commit suicide or was he lost at sea?
But other than that, it's an exciting read for older children.

This book was required reading for summer work one year at my high school. Normally, I love mythology, especially Greek and Roman myths.
I despised this book.
If you have read Greek mythology before, you'll know about the goddess of wisdom and war strategy, Athena. This book called her Athene. It's probably not actually wrong, but I couldn't get over it.
On top of that, I felt that the book was incredibly bland to read. I was bored. Also, the selection of myths in the book left quite a bit to be desired. Overall, not a good read. I'd avoid this book if possible.

A set of portraits, for children, of people Jesus may have had contact with. Clear prose, and revealing the sophistication of the religious and social diversity of the time. Coolidge was a skilled creator of this type of thing.

I had very favourable memories of this book from a childhood reading, and they were not dispelled by a reread. As a Howard Pyle version of Malory set the mental pictures of the Round Table, so did the Illustrations of the Homeric heroes that are found in this book. It's a redaction of a little bit of the Iliad, with some of Euripedes, and Quintus Smyrnaeus' continuation of Homer to provide a clear narrative for a bright child. A satisfactory book.

Making ancient Troy and the associated gods and characters accessible to younger readers is a good reason to pick up this book. While aimed at teenagers and young adults, it's also worthwhile as a hard-to-put-down volume that reads like a soap opera.

Agamemnon, Achilles, Hector, and all are here, with dialogue and exposition made easy for the young reader. I found it fun to read, as a way to re-live Homer's tale all over again and to get in touch with my inner Greek gods.

A good book for a sunny day.

Book Season = Summer

The Trojan War is one of the great tales of Western culture. If you don't know even the bare bones of it, you are really missing an important bit of cultural literacy. Of course, like many of our ancient stories, we never get to encounter the originals, but rather hear someone's retellings. Well, this isn't anything like an original. Because, really, in addition to "The Illiad", there's been all sorts of tales tied in with the Trojan War. So Ms. Coolidge has taken it upon herself to try and blend all these tales into a single narrative. In my opinion, she's done a pretty good job of it. "The Trojan War" is a 251 page book that tells the tale of the War from the judgment of Paris to the return of Odysseus. I'm tempted to keep this one, but in the end, I can only recommend (highly) that you check it out. The bottom line is that as famous as the story is, the Greek heroes are a bunch of arrogant jerks.
--J.

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