Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Beowulf: A New Telling
Book Review: As dreadful as Grendel himself
Summary: 1 Stars
Rather than offering my own opinion of this book, I will give you a few brief quotations describing the major characters and allow you to decide for yourself if this book is worth reading. Author Robert Nye describes the character of Beowulf as "weak and sickly" in his youth and "below average size" as an adult. He also describes Beowulf as "short sighted." He claims that Beowulf "admits to his weaknesses" and is "not given to boasting." This begs the question: what Beowulf is Nye talking about? The real Beowulf, the one that we know from the epic 7th century poem, was none of these things. We are told that he was neither small nor weak, but rather he possessed the strength of 30 men ("thirty men's might in the grip of his hand").This is how he was able to overpower his adversary, the demon Grendel, when no other man could challenge Grendel. The original Beowulf boasted quite often. Apparently, Robert Nye has his own idea of how a "hero" should behave. Instead of arrogance in Beowulf we see humility when he says, "He was a better swimmer than I" in reference to his dramatic swimming race against Breca. The problem here is that Beowulf did not lose this race with Breca. He won! But Nye's Beowulf cannot be all-powerful and still be humble, meek and peace-loving. We know from the original story that Beowulf cut off Grendel's head after he was dead, so he could offer it to the Danes as a trophy. This action was apparently too harsh for Nye. Instead, he tells us that Beowulf cut off Grendel's head in self-defense after Grendel momentarily came back from the dead!
The character of Unferth has also been dramatically altered. He is portrayed as both pathetic and evil, a drunkard full of contempt for Beowulf and his people. As such, his words carry no weight and he really serves no purpose in the story. The real Unferth was an insecure man, who was desperately afraid of Beowulf gaining more glory than him. But there is no evidence in the poem that he was evil or that he hated his own people.
The depiction of Grendel's mother in this book is downright laughable. Nye tells us that she has "red lips" and "hanging breasts." Furthermore, "she had eyes in her breasts." We are never told why she needs eyes in her breasts, but I guess the author just liked this visual.
Grendel's mother is also described as the "wife of Cain." According to Nye, Cain had sex with Grendel's mother (an evil serpent) and the resulting offspring was the hideous creature Grendel. To someone unfamiliar with the poem, this might seem logical. But this is where Robert Nye really misses the point (or chooses to ignore the point). Grendel is a descendant of Cain - this much is true. But Grendel's evil nature did not arise because of a sinful union between Cain and his mother. Cain was already sinful after killing his brother and then being cast out by God. As a result, his offspring were evil and - over thousands of years - slowly became monstrous. This happened because Cain and his offspring were separated from God.
It shouldn't be surprising, however, that Nye fails to address this point. As previous reviewers have already stated, Nye chooses to ignore the Christian basis of the poem. His Beowulf has no relationship with God. In the poem, we know that Beowulf draws strength and inspiration from God, and he thanks God for his successes in battle ("the deadly struggle at the start would have ended, if God had not watched over me") Instead, Nye tells us that "Beowulf's best weapon was himself. He put all his faith in that." Beowulf believed in himself fully and therefore had no need for God - according to Mr. Nye. Let's not forget that this story is really about the battle between good and evil, Beowulf (God) versus Grendel (Satan). The poem tells us that Grendel came from Hell, and that he was an "enemy of God," who "waged war against God." Regarding Beowulf, the poem tells us that "Holy God has sent him to help our people."
If you choose to read this book you will notice that Mr. Nye wisely includes a disclaimer: "This is an interpretation, not a translation." Perhaps this is how he justifies changing the original story to such an extent that the characters are unrecognizable. His book, therefore, is not an interpretation of the original story but an alteration of it. Instead of bringing honor to the poem, he dishonors it.
There's nothing wrong with Mr. Nye writing a story about a humble, unimpressive man who manages to overcome his weaknesses. He just shouldn't have named him Beowulf.
Book Review: Beowulf
Summary: 4 Stars
The story Beowulf should be like a role model for other books. This books is very interesting and exciting for most of the book. It is like a roller coaster of thrill. You're on the edge of your seat all the time. I would give it 4 stars out of 5 because it has a couple flaws. For one it seems on the cover of the book and the review on the back the whole book would be about Beowulf fighting Grendel, but that is only half of the book. Also it gets pretty dry and dull at the end. It seems that the author started using less and less detail at the end of the book. Other than that I say this is a great book and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great book.Book Review: Beowulf
Summary: 4 Stars
The story Beowulf should be like a role model for other books. This books is very interesting and exciting for most of the book. It is like a roller coaster of thrill. You're on the edge of your seat all the time. I would give it 4 stars out of 5 because it has a couple flaws. For one it seems on the cover of the book and the review on the back the whole book would be about Beowulf fighting Grendel, but that is only half of the book. Also it gets pretty dry and dull at the end. It seems that the author started using less and less detail at the end of the book. Other than that I say this is a great book and recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great book.Book Review: Beowulf A New Telling
Summary: 3 Stars
Beowulf: A New Telling is a book about a hero that defeats a number of mythical creatures. Beowulf is a young man that goes to Denmark to defeat a horrible, wretched creature known to eat men alive. When he gets there, he isn't welcomed by the "coastguard" and the coastguard tells him to turn back. Beowulf refuses and tells the man that he is there to fight the creature, "Grendel." The man finally accepts Beowulf's offer and takes him to the king who lives in the grand hall he built for himself. Hrothgar, the king, wonders why Beowulf thinks he can stand up to a monster with such power. Beowulf simply says, "I have something that those other men didn't have." Read the book to find out what happens!I liked the book mostly because of the way the author described the gory deaths of all the men that faced Grendel. Other than that, the book was very boring and very repetetive. After Beowulf defeated Grendel, you thought the book would come to a closing, but it just kept on winding on with two other creatures that he defeats.
I liked the book mainly because of the descriptive deaths of the soldiers. "The hall was a confusion of swords and blood, the brave lords hurling themselves at Grendel, and the fiend snatching them up in his claws and snapping their backs as if they were no more than toys. Scary!
My favorite part of the book was when Beowulf used his cunning to kill the firedrake. My least favorite part of the book was when Beowulf killed Grendel; I expected it to come to an end soon but it just kept on going..
This is a good book for someone who likes gory, bloody, and frightening books.
Book Review: Beowulf: A New Telling
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book!! I first read it in 7th grade for a book report, and now in 8th grade, I read it a second time. It's even better than before!! Out of all the versions of Beowulf I've read, this one is the best. The details and descriptions are exciting, and each day I read this book, finish the book and start over again. It's the best I've ever read!!!