Gil Marsh by A.C.E. Bauer, Random House, 2012
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 1-5 (5 is excellent or a Starred review) 2
Genre: Contemporary retelling of Gilgamesh
What did you like about the book? I liked the epic, mythic quality of the writing, reflective of the original tale.
What didn’t you like about the book? I don’t think it actually works independently of the original tale. It’s too beholden to the plot of Gilgamesh and while that epic storytelling style worked for the ancient inspiration, it’s just too disjointed for a modern reader to appreciate. Also, the very close friendship between Gil & Enko is portrayed as platonic, but with texts like “I’ll dream of you”, verges into romantic language that modern boys just don’t use with each other.
To whom would you recommend this book? (Read-alikes if you can think of them) Don’t think I would recommend it.
Who should buy this book? Only English classes studying Gilgamesh
Where would you shelve it and why? YA fiction
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No
Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Ellen Girouard, Belmont Public Library, Belmont, MA
Date of review: May 16, 2012
