I am glad I finally had the opportunity to read Paradise Lost. It deserves the acclaim that it has received over the past 400 years. That being said, I don't think it is necessary to read the entire epic poem unless someone is assigned to do so or wishes to inflict self-induced agony. Books I, IV, and IX (along with the last four lines of Book XII) contain the most emotionally-wrought and action-packed scenes, but for most readers, I think reading only these sections along with the Arguments at the beginning of each book would be sufficient.

What amazes me the most about Paradise Lost is not only how Satan seems relatable at times (really - how many of us have been jealous of a sibling at one time or another?), but also how the epic poem came to be. At the time, Milton was blind and dictated the entire work to a transcriber. That's right -- dictated. I have a hard enough time writing fourteen lines of iambic pentameter for a graded assignment. I can't imagine coming up with those same lines without having the luxury of a visual outline or being able to edit a line without saying, "Hey, bud. You know that line after Adam and Eve start to blame each other for their fall? ...How am I supposed to remember the line number?!"

I understand that Paradise Lost is a great work of literature. However, I think some of it is a bit excessive (see Books II, III, V-VIII, X-XI, and most of XII), even though the story probably needed these parts in order to succeed as a whole. Three stars for the book, five stars for Milton's genius.