Reviews for Balthasar's odyssey

The average rating for Balthasar's odyssey based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-09-21 00:00:00 Adam Jensen I bought this book in a charity shop for £1 because I liked the cover. What a bargain! I loved this tale which revolves around the fears of ordinary people that the world would end in 1666 - The Year of the Beast. I enjoyed the diary format and became quite fond of the diary writer. He was sometimes a pompous man but because he was only writing his journal for himself, he wrote down all his insecurities, worries, etc without reservation and that is how we come to know the real man. It's sometimes funny, sometimes quite moving, never boring and entertaining throughout. I'll happily recommend it as a really good read.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-07-28 00:00:00 Judith Coode In 'Balthasar's Odyssey' the best of Umberto Eco meets the worst of Jorge Luis Borges. The erudition towards medieval paraphernalia and the elaborate metaphors are certainly appealing while the narrative best reminds a Mexican telenovela. In one word Borges would have a story where Maalouf has a novel. Yet, can't say I didn't like it. Bearing in mind futility I ran through the pages with much delight. If Dan Brown is a fair comparison, then I definitely prefer a Lebanese 'Da Vinci Code' over an American one.