Reader Reviews for Paradise Lost:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Epic poetry at its finest
Comment: Many people I know, (including myself), have a dismal view of poetry, especially epic poems. Those who have had to plod our way through the excruciating Middle English of the Canterbury Tales, the old English of Beowulf, or the now obscure references of the Roman propagandist's Aeneid are rightfully wary of yet another long tale set to verse.
However, I implore the fence sitter to put aside their prejudices and read this book. Unlike all the other famous epic poems, John Milton writes in modern English. Not only that, his writing is absolutely beautiful and enthralling, even for a modern reader. In addition, unlike other epic poems that may have turned off the reader to this art form, John Milton's subject material is approachable and understandable to the modern reader without having to read other books or notes to inform as to the plot of the story. Why is this so? The Aeneid, the Odyssey, and Dante's inferno were written for different times and audiences. The normal reader cannot approach the first two without substantial background reading in Greek and Roman history (and religion). The inferno spends have its time describing the tortures of Dante's enemies (who you don't know of or care about). John Milton, on the other hand, is writing about the Book of Genesis, a story that most in our culture are well versed in. You'll know the main characters (if not all the minor ones), which will give a grounding for Milton's expansion of the story. Aside for the story itself, Milton's philosophical themes are also more modern than any other famous epic poem. Individuality, disobedience, love, redemption, all of these are common themes that Milton expounds upon. You won't spend many pages concerned with the social structure of a vanished civilization.
To conclude, Paradise Lost is a work of Genius. This book is important for overall literacy (just think of all the books that have taken titles and inspiration from its lines). That usually means that the book will be a pill, but not in this case. Milton's verse makes the lines fly by.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Paradise Within
Comment: "Paradise Lost" by John Milton is the definitive English epic poem (even if it does not always read like one). Much more a dramatic tragedy, Milton's extension of the biblical story of the Fall of both Satan and mankind is timeless. For while Milton may have woven the politics of his own time in regards to tyrannical kings and their heroic counterparts into the battle between heaven and hell, it is a situation that lends itself to any century.
Many critics have often thought the 'problem' with "Paradise Lost" was the fact that Satan seems like the epic hero - the reader immediately begins identifying himself with Satan and rooting for him in his fight against God, an uneasy feeling to be sure. However, as the course of the poem unfolds, Satan's true tragic nature reveals itself and the reader can marvel in Milton's keen ability to bring to life Heaven, Hell, and Paradise (the Garden of Eden). The epic begins in Hell with the fallen angel now known as Satan rousing his troops into further rebellion against God, but the only action they can take is to pollute his newfound paradise and its brand new inhabitants, Adam and Eve. Satan undertakes the journey to spy out the land and learn how to tempt these two to sin. And while he is successful in his attempt to do so, it is a victory that gains Satan no glory, since he does not understand that he can never truly win against God.
Milton set out to answer the question of what (or who) caused Adam and Eve to sin, tracing some of the blame away from Satan and examining the relationship between Adam and Eve in the garden. Milton perhaps raises more questions than he does offer any answers, but that is partly what makes "Paradise Lost" a mirror that still reflects today. Milton includes numerous classical allusions that readers of his day would be familiar with, as well as biblical accounts (including apocryphal works) to flesh out the barebones structure of the biblical account in Genesis. While parts of the poem can be tedious (especially the seemingly somewhat unnecessary books 11 and 12), "Paradise Lost" is a true masterpiece of literature that should be required reading for everyone, regardless of any religious preferences, for at its heart it is an examination of what it means to be.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Too dense
Comment: First, let me state that I am not a fan of poetry. I find the way it obscures meaning and ebroiders every last thought in metaphor and simile to be frustrating and distracting. I'm so busy trying to figure out what each line means that I forget where I am in the overall scheme of things.
After making my way through The Oddysey, Beowulf and the Divine Comedy, I thought I could handle Milton's Paradise Lost. I was wrong.
I make it a personal mission that try to I finish every book I start. In the last 10 years, I can remember having failed in this only 4 times:
- On The Origin of Species (Charles Darwin);
- The Republic (Plato);
- The Four-Gated City (Doris Lessing); and
- Paradise Lost by John Milton.
My major criticisms include the following:
- Sentences are drawn out to intolerable length, stacked with metaphor upon metaphor, until I get halfway down the page and I've forgotten how the sentence started!
- Although stated at the start of the book that rhyme was deliberately avoided, I found the absence of any rhyme reduced the poetic impact for me.
- It was hard to fall into the metre of the verse, which made it more difficult for me to get into the flow of the tale (possibly related to the lack of rhyme stated above).
- The decriptions were so flowery and interwoven that I often found that what I thought was a decription of one entity was in fact two or more!
In the end, I just couldn't do it.
To be fair though, of the small section I read (I got to the end of Book III I think) there were a few passages which were clear enough that I was able to appreciate the beauty of the language. Also, I appreciated the way Milton attempted to characterise the War in Heaven and its aftermath. Such a critical foundation of Judeo-Christian theology is given short shrift in the Bible and other works; giving it some depth was a valiant effort. But there weren't enough of the good parts to keep me engaged, more's the pity.
This may be a cornerstone of English literature, but it wasn't for me. If you enjoy thick, dense poetry, and apocryphal theology, then enjoy with my blessing. It was too much for me.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Cheap but you get what you pay for.
Comment: My Kindle version lacks an introduction and any footnotes or endnotes. When it comes to the clasics I guess it is better not to use Kindle until they work out all the issues. This is the second book I've had a problem with. I tried a sample of Boswell's Life of Johnson and it was unreadable. Milton is worth reading just not in this format.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Buy
Comment: Paradise Lost has so far turned out to be just as enticing as I had hoped. I read a small part of this back in high school and finally decided to pick it up and read the whole thing. The book was shipped right away and was in great condition when it came.
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