Grendel - John Gardner

Grendel

By John Gardner

  • Release Date: 1971-08-12
  • Genre: Literary Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 187 Ratings
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Description

This classic and much lauded retelling of Beowulf follows the monster Grendel as he learns about humans and fights the war at the center of the Anglo Saxon classic epic.

"An extraordinary achievement."—New York Times

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This is the novel William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions."

Reviews

  • I’m just going to say it

    5
    By Amiribansara
    If you haven’t had a major paradigm shift reading this book then, READ IT AGAIN. I read it in high school in 2010 & it changed the way I saw the world at large. Allegorical excellence!

  • Mildly interesting

    2
    By carltonspanks
    I had to read this book for school, and honestly I was not impressed. The original Beowulf is an excellent, brief, story which is arguably perfect. This book however feels too long even with only 197 pages. Parts of the book are mildly interesting such as reading Grendel’s interactions with his mother and the dragon. However these are only brief respites among a sea of mildness

  • One of my favorites

    5
    By Lofickk
    No one paid or asked me to write this review. This really is one of my favorite books that I have read. Yes, it’s short, but it’s so worth it. Beautifully written.

  • Great book

    5
    By Babyml86
    This is a great book I'm glad that my literature professor assigned this material to us to read for class. If it wasn't for the Professor I would've missed out on several great books. Worth every dollar and I highly do recommend it.

  • Awful

    1
    By KenzieGrumbles
    Forced to read for school and hated it

  • Amazing

    5
    By Sophiepurle
    The fight between wanting Grendal to live and die at the same time is like an experience like no other. Definitely will become one if the rereading books!

  • Brilliant!

    5
    By BlooRose95
    I loved this book from beginning to end. It's one of the very few books that I couldn't let go of while I was reading it, so I finished it all in a few hours. It is short, but it is packed to the gills with philosophies and ideas that will leave you questioning life for days. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes to ask questions.

  • Please read me I'll save your life

    2
    By SaucieFellow
    If your reading this book for school then its ok you'll make it through but if your reading this recreationally watch out because here comes another scarlet letter.

  • Dont buy it

    5
    By B.J.J.R.
    support your local library its like 200 pages long great book but you'll be done in a day

  • Great, but not for $10...

    5
    By Kateigh
    I love the book, I really do. It's fantastic. But it's also extremely short. Paying 10 dollars for a short book that's only electronic doesn't sit well with me. If I'm paying that, it should include what it costs for the paper, binding, printing, etc. and I should get a physical copy.

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