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rayarriz's review against another edition
5.0
I'M SOBBING AND HAPPY AND EVERYTHING OH THE RUSH
Auriane. Best protagonist I've read in a while. Brave, witty, determined...did I mention brave witty and determined? This was really what won me over. She had boundless courage. You won't read a passage in this book where she freezes up in fear. When she feels she's defeated, it's only because she's fought as fearlessly as she can fight. AND THEN FRIA COMES TO HER AND GIVES HER STRENGTH. She is motivated by revenge and the way she leads makes her an extremely admirable character. She is not without her faults, just a leader, rational, bold, understanding. Auriane is active, Auriane takes control of her life. And the same can be said for Marcus Julianus. Clever words and a unbreakable courage.
The plot. Now this is what I call a great story. I've been looking for this sort of story for a while now. It made me crazy happy to realize I was reading a great story that also had great writing. There was the treachery, the tribal fighting and skirmishes with Rome, politics, debauchery, a love story. Every face of the human was presented. And the writing was like a picture painted before me. I saw everything as it happen. I could have been standing with Gillespie while she was telling me a story.
I CAN'T WRITE A PROPER REVIEW because I'M TOO EXCITED. But this is now on my new list of favorite books. I stayed up till 2am finishing it.
Auriane. Best protagonist I've read in a while. Brave, witty, determined...did I mention brave witty and determined? This was really what won me over. She had boundless courage. You won't read a passage in this book where she freezes up in fear. When she feels she's defeated, it's only because she's fought as fearlessly as she can fight. AND THEN FRIA COMES TO HER AND GIVES HER STRENGTH. She is motivated by revenge and the way she leads makes her an extremely admirable character. She is not without her faults, just a leader, rational, bold, understanding. Auriane is active, Auriane takes control of her life. And the same can be said for Marcus Julianus. Clever words and a unbreakable courage.
The plot. Now this is what I call a great story. I've been looking for this sort of story for a while now. It made me crazy happy to realize I was reading a great story that also had great writing. There was the treachery, the tribal fighting and skirmishes with Rome, politics, debauchery, a love story. Every face of the human was presented. And the writing was like a picture painted before me. I saw everything as it happen. I could have been standing with Gillespie while she was telling me a story.
I CAN'T WRITE A PROPER REVIEW because I'M TOO EXCITED. But this is now on my new list of favorite books. I stayed up till 2am finishing it.
jenxlovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorites of the last 30 years. I've read this book several times and every time I read it it's a new story for me. Because of age, wisdom, maturity? I don't know. I just know that I love this book each and every time. I recently got the sequel for Christmas and can't wait to dive in.
thebookhaze's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this book in 1994, and I've loved it ever since. Initially, I re-read this book every year, but in the last five years, I've only read this book twice.
I've had so many new books to read that I don't need to re-read as much as I used to, but once in a while I would miss Auriane and Marcus, and want to read about them again. This time, I wanted to savor the story and read it slowly, I wanted to study Donna Gillespie's writing and maybe learn something from her.
But as I read, I forgot about the writing and got engrossed in the story. When I remembered, I would try to concentrate on the writing again, but then forget again as the story pulled me in. Eventually, I just gave up trying to study anything and just enjoyed reading the book.
That's how good Gillespie's writing is, that's how good the story is. It makes you forget everything else except the story. Everything else fades away.
The Light Bearer has been a favorite book ever since I was just 11 years old. There are many things I love about it, but among what I love most is that it features a very strong female protagonist, Auriane, who was a huge influence for me as I was growing up. I also love Marcus, and I love how wise they both were. I love how they outsmarted their enemies, how they solved their problems, and I love how exciting the whole thing was.
This is one of the most underrated books I know, and I wish more people would know about this book and read it. It's amazing.
I've had so many new books to read that I don't need to re-read as much as I used to, but once in a while I would miss Auriane and Marcus, and want to read about them again. This time, I wanted to savor the story and read it slowly, I wanted to study Donna Gillespie's writing and maybe learn something from her.
But as I read, I forgot about the writing and got engrossed in the story. When I remembered, I would try to concentrate on the writing again, but then forget again as the story pulled me in. Eventually, I just gave up trying to study anything and just enjoyed reading the book.
That's how good Gillespie's writing is, that's how good the story is. It makes you forget everything else except the story. Everything else fades away.
The Light Bearer has been a favorite book ever since I was just 11 years old. There are many things I love about it, but among what I love most is that it features a very strong female protagonist, Auriane, who was a huge influence for me as I was growing up. I also love Marcus, and I love how wise they both were. I love how they outsmarted their enemies, how they solved their problems, and I love how exciting the whole thing was.
This is one of the most underrated books I know, and I wish more people would know about this book and read it. It's amazing.
soundy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
calicojackofficial's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
reginaexmachina's review against another edition
I really wanted to like this book. It's set in a time and place I'd like to read more about. The writing is pretty good too. The problem that it is very slooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow. And right now I have a very short attention span. So after a while I gave up. Perhaps it picks up later on but I just didn't care to get through it all.
robbi_nk's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
meagangarner's review against another edition
5.0
This is hands down my all time favourite book. I first read it as a teenager and was entranced by the characters, history and magic the author was able to weave into the pages of her book. I have read this book several times since then and every time I fall back in love with the it. Would highly recommend reading this book, especially if you enjoy Ancient Rome and Germanic history.
trogdor19's review against another edition
5.0
This is an absolutely stunning work of historical fiction. I've never seen a thousand page book use each page so well. This book is 24 years old, and I first read it well over a decade ago. It's stayed in my mind as my favorite roman historical for a long time and I was shocked that on the re-read, I only liked it MORE. Many of my old favorites from the 90s feel outdated now, but this feels fresh with feminist overtones that fit neatly with the themes of contemporary books being published this year. I'm even more impressed now that I know more about the craft of writing, to see how intricately the author plotted this so that every event ties in and strengthens later events and themes; so it feels fated by one of the gods that feel very much a presence in the world of this story.
I love the ending, and how the author truly makes you feel how interconnected all beings and all events are. I adore the juxtaposition of a barbarian pagan warrior princess falling in love with a rich philosopher/politician and marveling at the cruelty and base nature of his "civilized" culture. The fight scenes are physically, emotionally, and even spiritually involving and kept the stakes and tension high. This is truly a masterwork on so many levels: the deep and nuanced themes, the huge cast of characters, the historical and cultural detail work...
I can't wait to dig into the sequel!
I love the ending, and how the author truly makes you feel how interconnected all beings and all events are. I adore the juxtaposition of a barbarian pagan warrior princess falling in love with a rich philosopher/politician and marveling at the cruelty and base nature of his "civilized" culture. The fight scenes are physically, emotionally, and even spiritually involving and kept the stakes and tension high. This is truly a masterwork on so many levels: the deep and nuanced themes, the huge cast of characters, the historical and cultural detail work...
I can't wait to dig into the sequel!
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps the books is a little "girly" but the characters do have some nice shading. Everyone has a flaw, and I do like how the heroine battles the villian in the final battle.