Stanley Lombardo, Robert Fagles, and Robert Fitzgerald all wrote their translations of The Odyssey in the twentieth century, yet each version varies in rhythm, style, word choice, and many other ways that can cause a significant difference in the way readers perceive the story. When looking at sections of Book I in its different translations, it becomes clear that the decisions made in each version have their flaws as well as their strengths. In the opening, for example, Lombardo and Fagles both use fewer words than Fitzgerald to write the first few lines although they basically say the same thing. Readers who only care about getting through the work in as little time as possible would most likely prefer to read either Lombardo or Fagles.