Far From Readable
I gave this book two stars instead of one because although Saint Augustine presents many worthy ideas about religion, this translation undercuts them substantially, to the point where the work is almost unreadable. As I progressed through this translation I had the impression that translator Sarah Ruden was literally plugging in one word for another as she did her work, rather than aiming for something that sounded remotely coherent. I was under the impression that those who worked in translating texts had to have a background in creative writing so that the end result was both fluid and fluent, but apparently I was wrong. I also thought that I was reading a reputable translation not only because Dr. Ruden is Harvard educated, but also because her work received a favorable review in The New Yorker, but perhaps I was mistaken. I would therefore advise potential readers of this translation of The Confessions of Saint Augustine to look elsewhere for something that is more readable than Dr. Sarah Ruden's work.
