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lawofeyes's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
toniak's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
More character flaws would’ve actually helped this book for me. I found this more boring than other books of her and I was often unable to make the correct inferences from the dialogue that I was supposed to.
codysmovingcastle's review against another edition
5.0
This one was a challenging read. It was third person omnipresent and it was tough to follow at times. I'd say a decent knowledge of ancient Greece is a prerequisite to read this, too. There's quite a bit of foreshadowing, but if you don't know the story, it'll just look like unnecessary detail. Hephaistion gifts Alexander a copy of The Myrmidons and it's never explained, so it's really up to the reader to understand exactly what Hephaistion was communicating with Alexander. At the very least, a decent knowledge of The Iliad is required as the parallels with Achilles are a central point to the novel.
All of that to say, this book was beautifully written. It's quite dense with all of the political machinations (which can feel unnecessary) and it's pretty obvious the portrayal of Alexander had been sanitized enough to make him a worthy protagonist. The landscape descriptions were immersive and I think I'll be re-reading this one again in the future.
The characters are nuanced and I absolutely adored the dialogue and character interactions. Definitely the standout for me. Scenes with Olympias (love of my life) and Hephaistion were easily my favourites. Alexander's approach to sexuality was actually very different to what I was expecting, but I loved how real and three dimensional it felt. Renault really went for a 1:1 comparison with Achilles and I think Alexander's hubris at the end of the novel really emphasizes this.
This was incredibly well researched and it shows. Apart from a general biographical overview, don't use it for history lessons. But as one of the first mainstream queer novels, it was a really enjoyable read and way ahead of its time.
All of that to say, this book was beautifully written. It's quite dense with all of the political machinations (which can feel unnecessary) and it's pretty obvious the portrayal of Alexander had been sanitized enough to make him a worthy protagonist. The landscape descriptions were immersive and I think I'll be re-reading this one again in the future.
The characters are nuanced and I absolutely adored the dialogue and character interactions. Definitely the standout for me. Scenes with Olympias (love of my life) and Hephaistion were easily my favourites. Alexander's approach to sexuality was actually very different to what I was expecting, but I loved how real and three dimensional it felt. Renault really went for a 1:1 comparison with Achilles and I think Alexander's hubris at the end of the novel really emphasizes this.
This was incredibly well researched and it shows. Apart from a general biographical overview, don't use it for history lessons. But as one of the first mainstream queer novels, it was a really enjoyable read and way ahead of its time.
twistedneurotix's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
miraligner's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
fr0styme11o's review against another edition
This book was a little too hard to understand. I felt as though it wasn't concise. One minute I'm reading one scene and the next I'm automatically in another scene and I have absolutely no idea how we got there or what's happening.
tanyaaugust's review against another edition
4.0
It’s need a second reading and I don’t know why but it’s just sitting there, in my chest. Need to read it a 2nd time to really understand. Also, it would be best to have some little knowledge of ancient macedon and Greece, of Alexander’s story before you read - it can get a little complicated.
humorously_shaped_vegetable's review against another edition
3.0
Amazing book I gotta say. I had to stop reading it in the middle because of my exams. I wish I could finish it without taking a break. Because it’s filled with events and because of the break I kind of forgot what was actually happening xD anyways. I thought I’d take a break from history and read more of a recently released book. But I accidentally listened to a few lines of “the Persian boy” and yes I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll love the Persian boy too!
hettym's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75