Wilson, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, preserved the line count of the original Homeric Greek but changed the meter from dactylic hexameter to iambic pentameter.

The Odyssey follows the Greek hero and king of Ithaca, Odysseus, and his homecoming journey after the ten-year long Trojan War.

His journey from Troy to Ithaca lasts an additional ten years, during which time he encounters many perils and all of his crewmates are killed.

Reviewers praised Wilson's fresh interpretation compared to previous male translators' work and her attention to the poem's female characters.

[1][5] Wilson believed that previous translations had forced an archaic or heroic tone not present in the original and aimed to use clear and readable language.

[6] Wilson retains the Homeric Greek's characterisation of Penelope as talented at word play, a trait associated with Odysseus himself, that has been omitted by male translators.

[9] Madeline Miller, who partially retells the Odyssey in Circe (2018), praised the translation for retaining "Homer's speed and narrative drive".

[14] Miller and Quinn highlight Wilson's inclusion of the word slave, which has traditionally been translated as maids or servants.