I didn’t think about including this book when I read it, but it is technically a novel. Daphnis and Chloe is a classic Greek Novel written by the author Longus. Other than his name there is pretty much nothing known about the author. The book is still fun though. On we go.
Book Stats
121 pages (Translated by Paul Turner, Penguin Classics edition)
Mythology
Characters
The book follows Daphnis and Chloe, two children who were both abandoned by their parents in youth and survived in large part because they were nursed by a Goat (Daphnis) and a sheep (Chloe). When the owners of the animals discovered the children. Both characters are very young in the story (the full story takes place when they are around 14/15 years old.
Setting
The book is set on Mytilene in ancient Greece. The characters spend a large portion of the book together out in the fields tending to their flocks. The gods of Greece do play a part in this book, but they aren’t overwhelming all of the other characters by being the ones to solve every problem.
Plot
The plot here is something that everyone knows, two young people bound by true love. While the story in simplistic and very cliched in many ways, it’s still enjoyable. The story throws obstacles at them which they have to face to stay together in the end.
Enjoyment
Even though it’s a story we’ve all heard probably far too many times, this is still done well and anything done well is worth reading. I enjoyed the book and it was a really quick read, which is always nice.
Overall Grade
In my Greek Lit class we compared some aspects of this novel to the movie The Princess Bride. They are very similar in that they are very well done examples of a familiar story. Good book and worth a quick read in between other novels.
7/10
Reviews and Ramblings 