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| Beowulf: A New Telling | 
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 33 reviews)
Sales Rank: 116319
Category: Book
Author: Robert Nye
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Studio: Laurel Leaf
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
Label: Laurel Leaf
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 112
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.4
ISBN: 0440905605
Dewey Decimal Number: 398.22
EAN: 9780440905608
ASIN: 0440905605
Publication Date: April 1, 1982
Release Date: March 15, 1982
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
He comes out of the darkness, moving in on hisvictims in deadly silence. When he leaves, a trailof blood is all that remains. He is a monster,Grendel, and all who know of him live in fear.
Hrothgar, the king of the Danes, knows somethingmust be done to stop Grendel. But who will guardthe great hall he has built, where so many men havelost their lives to the monster while keepingwatch?
Only one man dares to stand up toGrendel's fury --Beowulf.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 28 more reviews...
 AN EASY READ Maybe TOO easy July 20, 2008
I ordered two copies of this book because I thought I would have to sit and read it with my 10 year old. She finished it in less than an hour. Needless to say, I didn't have to read it with her. She wanted more detail, so I am going to buy the Hearney (I think that is how you spell it) translation. I think that will be a better fit.
 Amazon shipping June 27, 2008
Beowulf: A New Telling is great. Amazon's shipping however, is NOT. I ordered 32 copies-no rush delivery- and they were delivered in 5 SEPARATE PACKAGES!!!! Totally unnecessary, I believe, and very confusing for me and my school bookkeeper!
Easy-Reading Beowulf January 1, 2008
Here you have a re-telling of the story, Beowulf, for those age 12 and up. The reader will enjoy its good, solid, plot unencumbered with the sometimes odd (or stupid) twists and changes that the "visionaries" in Hollywood have repeatedly and needlessly used to enhance it.
It retains the original's storyline, but for those of us who are not fluent in "olde English," it's in quite simple modern English.
The themes of good vs evil are clear. The main characters are well enough developed so that the reader can enjoy each: The good guys are good; and the monster as well as other bad-guy types drip with insanity, EVIL, and really atrocious table manners!
Additionally, it's not very long - somewhere around 100 pages.
something not boring... November 14, 2007
I recently purchased Beowulf: A New Telling by Robert Nye to read with my ninth grade special education students. They thoroughly enjoyed it and were able to dive into the symbolism used in the tale. I know it was a success because they have all ready made plans to go see the movie when it opens!!
 As dreadful as Grendel himself August 8, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
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.
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