His style is bold, full of asides, playful, and sometimes aphoristic; he can be confrontational and provocative and is always alert to semantic richness and eager to exploit its effects in English and Latin... The readings of Horace, Catullus, Propertius, Virgil, Lucretius, Ovid and Lucan contained in the book show what a skilled close reader Martindale is, combining a wide learning with a remarkable imaginative force.

Modern Language Review Volume 102 part 1

...this is a book that latinists ought to read. Martindale is always an interesting and provocative writer, and that is as true of this book as it is of any he has written.

Translation and Literature 15