Sirena by Donna Jo Napoli Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Sirena
Book Review: A Favorite!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
As an avid reader of Greek myths, I have tried this book and found it to be absolutely magnificent! This book is a mixture of a beautifully retold fairy-tale and love story.Sirena is mermaid in ancient Greek mythology who is told that to gain immortality, she must make a human man fall in love with her. Being a hybrid of fish and human mortal, the only way she could achieve this was to use her siren voice. However, after a tragic event, Sirena decided to leave her mermaid school for a secluded, uninhabited island.
At that island, Sirena found love. Cast cruelly upon the island was a wounded man. He had suffered the wrath of Hera, and would have died had it not been for Sirena, who had taken it upon herself to save him.
To find out more, buy the book...I would recommend it very much, and I must say it is one of the best books I have ever read (and I've devoured a whole lot). In truth, if there were more stars to give, the book would deserve it. It really pulls (hard) on the heartstrings, and I even shed tears while reading this amazing story.
Book Review: A Good Book, With an Even Better Ending!
Summary: 3 Stars
The beginning starts out a little slow. I almost quit reading it after the first 3 chapters but I kept on going (mostly because i love mermaids!). Im really glad that i did. It turned out to be an excelent book once you got into it. I had studied Greek Gods and Greek Mythology the year before I read this so I recognized a lot of the same sort of stuff. It was a good book with an even better ending.Book Review: A Image Creating Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
Sirena was a wonderful book to read. It had many mind creating images in it. I enjoyed the book. It was a little boring in the beginning but then later it much more interesting. It was a mythical book and took plqace in the Aegean Sea. Sirena was a mermaid. She sang siren songs to make men adore her. Nymphes anbd mermaids sang the siren songs hoping one man would become each of their mates but it only lead the men to thier deaths. Some parts in the book I found very disgusting. Even though the book was fantasy mythical book, it still kept me tuned into the book the whole time. This book has a lot of emotional, romantic, and powerful scenes in it. I am glad that Donna Jo Napoli (the author) wrote such a Heart Warming book for teenagers and adults. I hope there are other books like Sirena. This book is truly a book worth buying and reading.Book Review: A Wonderful Myth
Summary: 4 Stars
I've always admired Donna Jo Napoli for her interesting outlooks on classic fairy tales, so naturally I was excited to borrow a copy of this book from my friend. It's truely great. It's a tragic, but beautiful tale of love, and imortality that's sure to touch your heart.Book Review: A different spin on the classic myth
Summary: 3 Stars
The sirens of classical Greek mythology were creatures with the head, arms, & breasts of a woman but their body was like that of a human-sized bird. They would sing with enchanting voices while perched on the rocks by the shore, hoping to lure sailors to their deaths. It was only during the middle ages that the word siren came to be related with the northern mermaid.
This book supposes that the Greeks were incorrect. Sirena & her sisters are guarded by 3 vultures that fly out to sea & alert them when ships are near their island. People would see the vultures & assume that they were the ones singing, not the mermaids.
These sirens are not immortal. In order to gain immortality, they must gain the love of a human. To do this, they use their beautiful voices to lure men to them. Unfortunately, the rocks around their island are dangerous & many of these sailors cannot swim. They are killed & those that aren't killed despise the mermaids. So, Sirena & her sisters feel horrible about the destruction they've caused but only Sirena's horror outweighs her desire for immortality. She leaves her sisters for a life of solitude, only to meet another man. They become friends & she has to fight her urge to sing to him. Will he love her? Can they be happy, together, on this deserted island? Or will the tides of war carry him away from her, forever?
This was a very interesting story. It's told completely from Sirena's perspective. It's rather short & I read it in under 4 hours. The book is listed as YA, I believe. It does contain sexual references, so parents should use their own judgement on this. I would say it's suitable for 16 & older. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys tales of mermaids or Greek mythology.
If you enjoyed this, or think you will, I also recommend Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid" (Once Upon a Time) by Debbie Viguie & The Changeling Sea (Firebird) by Patricia McKillip.