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brighroosh's review
3.0
Because of the many characters it took me a while to feel the flow of the story. Alexander plays prominently throughout, and each character takes turns describing their circumstances. There were several women who were candidates to be "The Conqueror's Wife." So part of what drove the story was finding out Alexander's choice to be his queen.
It was interesting to find out how many lands he conquered, his sexual appetites, and his idea to bring Greeks and Persians together in one empire.
Hephaestion was the most lovable character. He was "Patroclus" to Alexander's Achilles.
I had some difficulty at first with the names, which are derived from historical accounts. I liked the descriptions of the clothing (silks, armor), perfume, and jewelry.
Being a fan of the Sibyls, I would have liked the account included of Alexander's visit to the one at Siwa, instead of the fabricated message that was delivered to him about his future. Supposedly, the Libyan oracle told him he would conquer the world as a son of the God Ammon.
My name being "Rosanne," I had been looking forward to reading about "Roxana." But she was depicted as being beautiful but a murderer! Thornton was true to the written accounts about her!
It was interesting to find out how many lands he conquered, his sexual appetites, and his idea to bring Greeks and Persians together in one empire.
Hephaestion was the most lovable character. He was "Patroclus" to Alexander's Achilles.
I had some difficulty at first with the names, which are derived from historical accounts. I liked the descriptions of the clothing (silks, armor), perfume, and jewelry.
Being a fan of the Sibyls, I would have liked the account included of Alexander's visit to the one at Siwa, instead of the fabricated message that was delivered to him about his future. Supposedly, the Libyan oracle told him he would conquer the world as a son of the God Ammon.
My name being "Rosanne," I had been looking forward to reading about "Roxana." But she was depicted as being beautiful but a murderer! Thornton was true to the written accounts about her!
dacy's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting difference in point of views-however I never felt attached to any in particular since it kept switching. Ending was a little too happy-go-lucky from a historical point of view but all in all, not a bad book.
cosmith2015's review
5.0
For the record I'm on my phone. Apologizes for grammar and spelling.
Overview:
What.a.book! I have been in a book hangover all day.
Good:
The real question is, what isn't great about this? Phenomenal characters, terrific writing, and strong women. This book was absolutely superb.
The four main characters were one of the best things about this. My experience with strong women in historical fiction (especially princess based) was they are all cunning and would rather learn sword worn than embroidery. The women would sneak out to visit the stables and secretly learn swordsmanship from their brothers. However, that was not the case with this book. Each of the three strong women were their own characters. Thessaloniki with animals and swordsmanship, Drypetis and her engineering, And Roxana with her determination to rise to the top using her beauty. The relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion was exquisite and I think Ms. Thornton did a lovely job exploring their relationship. I honestly cannot choose a favorite between Thessalonike and Drypetis.
She did a magnificent job describing the past and incorporating their religions into it. One of my... Complaints(hardly the best word) with her previous three books was she didn't give quite enough information about the religion/other historical details/etc. This time she nailed it. The inclusion of philosophy and poetry were lovely. Two of the focus characters and a side character in real life had been taught under Aristotle. Alluding to that throughout the book was brilliant.
Improvement:
A map is always nice. I wasn't a big fan of the name either. The book wasn't only about Roxana and I felt like its name implies a Alexander-centric book and not a women surrounding him book. I also liked Hephaestion, but I wish his viewpoint was left out. He isn't a woman and if he was removed we could've spent more time with the women. It would've been nice to see more of Roxana during her period as wife and to have seen more of her interactions between Drypetis and Thessalonike.
Overview:
What.a.book! I have been in a book hangover all day.
Good:
The real question is, what isn't great about this? Phenomenal characters, terrific writing, and strong women. This book was absolutely superb.
The four main characters were one of the best things about this. My experience with strong women in historical fiction (especially princess based) was they are all cunning and would rather learn sword worn than embroidery. The women would sneak out to visit the stables and secretly learn swordsmanship from their brothers. However, that was not the case with this book. Each of the three strong women were their own characters. Thessaloniki with animals and swordsmanship, Drypetis and her engineering, And Roxana with her determination to rise to the top using her beauty. The relationship between Alexander and Hephaestion was exquisite and I think Ms. Thornton did a lovely job exploring their relationship. I honestly cannot choose a favorite between Thessalonike and Drypetis.
She did a magnificent job describing the past and incorporating their religions into it. One of my... Complaints(hardly the best word) with her previous three books was she didn't give quite enough information about the religion/other historical details/etc. This time she nailed it. The inclusion of philosophy and poetry were lovely. Two of the focus characters and a side character in real life had been taught under Aristotle. Alluding to that throughout the book was brilliant.
Improvement:
A map is always nice. I wasn't a big fan of the name either. The book wasn't only about Roxana and I felt like its name implies a Alexander-centric book and not a women surrounding him book. I also liked Hephaestion, but I wish his viewpoint was left out. He isn't a woman and if he was removed we could've spent more time with the women. It would've been nice to see more of Roxana during her period as wife and to have seen more of her interactions between Drypetis and Thessalonike.
nekomeith's review
2.0
This book taught me more about Alexander’s physical conquests than it did his historical ones. Also the title of the book is very misleading, only one of the povs becomes one of his wives and one of them is his right hand guy. I don’t recommend this book but I can tell a lot of researcher went into it.
ajreader's review
3.0
I really like Thornton's work generally, but this may be my least favorite of her books. As with the book about the women connected to Ghengis Khan, I would have preferred she pick one character and focus on her story. I also felt the last 100 pages or so of this book struggled for direction. Although, that can't really be blamed on Thornton; after Alexander's death, history itself struggled for direction.
jesassa's review
Very, very good, as all of Stephanie Thornton's novels are. I adore the cover! It took me a bit to get into this one, but ultimately I found myself loving all of the Greek/Persian/etc history. And the names! I feel as though she tried some new things with this novel and I judge them a resounding success. So good. I feel confident in continuing to highly recommend everything by this author.
100pagesaday's review
5.0
Alexander the Great is known around the world for his feats of war and contributions to cultural diffusion. However, many people contributed to his rise to power and stay at the top. These women shaped him, compelled him, and kept him leveled throughout his years. His mother, Olympias is willing to do whatever she can see her son rise and protect his legacy. Alexander’s sisters Cynnane and Thessalonike grew up as warriors, waiting to protect Alexander. Roxana, the daughter of a minor noble who will do anything to get herself away from her father and claw her way to the top as Alexander’s first wife. Stateria and Drypetis daughters of overthrown King Darius III, struggle with their new ruler but eventually fall for Alexander’s charms as his new wife and wife of his companion Hephaestion. Then there is Hephaestion, Alexander’s childhood friend and companion who will see him through his conquests to the end.
Told from the alternating points of view of Thessalonike, Drypetis, Roxana and Hephaestion, Alexander’s life is seen through the eyes of those who loved and feared him. I loved that all of the women were independent and strong willed, even though they were all attached to the most powerful man at the time, none of them relied on his power to save him. Thessalonike was as fierce as Alexander, but didn’t get a chance to show her skills while kept under Olympias’ thumb, it wasn’t until after Alexander’s death that Thessalonike got her chance to shine. Roxana was an interesting character for me as she went from someone whom I felt for to the one fighting for Alexander’s crown. Hephaestion’s point of view was also welcome, as someone who might have been more to Alexander than any of the women. Hephaestion’s and Drypetis’ love story stole some of the show for me; Drypetis is the character I related the most to with her fierce determination and love for how things work. In addition to wonderful characters, the time period and history was brought to life through detailed descriptions of Alexander’s battles, the clothing, custom and architecture for a true portrait of Alexander’s life.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
Told from the alternating points of view of Thessalonike, Drypetis, Roxana and Hephaestion, Alexander’s life is seen through the eyes of those who loved and feared him. I loved that all of the women were independent and strong willed, even though they were all attached to the most powerful man at the time, none of them relied on his power to save him. Thessalonike was as fierce as Alexander, but didn’t get a chance to show her skills while kept under Olympias’ thumb, it wasn’t until after Alexander’s death that Thessalonike got her chance to shine. Roxana was an interesting character for me as she went from someone whom I felt for to the one fighting for Alexander’s crown. Hephaestion’s point of view was also welcome, as someone who might have been more to Alexander than any of the women. Hephaestion’s and Drypetis’ love story stole some of the show for me; Drypetis is the character I related the most to with her fierce determination and love for how things work. In addition to wonderful characters, the time period and history was brought to life through detailed descriptions of Alexander’s battles, the clothing, custom and architecture for a true portrait of Alexander’s life.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
riseclare's review
5.0
Another slam dunk for ST. This one was so interesting to me, as I have not read a book on Alexander the Great. The way he treated people, the loved ones, the family members crazed for power... It was all a recipe of a book I could not put down. Loved this as much as the Egyptian one. His obsession with fire and the other little facts, were highly intriguing and I enjoyed learning about this man who called himself a god. Even more interesting, I enjoyed his best friend and sister's story lines. Highly recommend.
ailurophile_bibliophile89's review against another edition
4.0
Updated Review 1/12/2022: 4 Stars
Original Review 1/4/2018: 4 Stars
Updated Review:
No update, really. This was a quick, easy read, like the first time around, and even more enjoyable than the first.
Original Review:
I told myself I wouldn't buy any new books until later in the year because I wanted to focus on building up stock for my business.
Obviously that did not happen, as I recently used a gift card and ordered four new books from Barnes & Noble. I truly did try....for about a day and a half.
I very much enjoyed Thornton's The Secret History but I didn't realize until recently that she has written anything else. I think what I love most about her is that she does not write about the usual woman in history that most novelists focus on. Granted, I enjoy a good piece of historical fiction as any other person but Thornton focuses on the women who are not so well known as Elizabeth I, Nefertiti, or Marie Antoinette. All remarkable women in their time, but so many books have been written about them that I find myself tiring of the subject after reading so much about Tudor England and the French Revolution. It's certainly nice to take a breath of fresh air and read something new.
Thus, The Secret History and The Conqueror's Wife have provided me a step into period of history I know very little about. As it is, I know some general facts of Alexander the Great and of the women in his life (his mother, from what I understand, is either a brilliant queen or an ambitious shrew or both, depending on who's telling the tale) but nothing more than the usual.
So I look forward to a good session on the internet reading about the women in his life.
Original Review 1/4/2018: 4 Stars
Updated Review:
No update, really. This was a quick, easy read, like the first time around, and even more enjoyable than the first.
Original Review:
I told myself I wouldn't buy any new books until later in the year because I wanted to focus on building up stock for my business.
Obviously that did not happen, as I recently used a gift card and ordered four new books from Barnes & Noble. I truly did try....for about a day and a half.
I very much enjoyed Thornton's The Secret History but I didn't realize until recently that she has written anything else. I think what I love most about her is that she does not write about the usual woman in history that most novelists focus on. Granted, I enjoy a good piece of historical fiction as any other person but Thornton focuses on the women who are not so well known as Elizabeth I, Nefertiti, or Marie Antoinette. All remarkable women in their time, but so many books have been written about them that I find myself tiring of the subject after reading so much about Tudor England and the French Revolution. It's certainly nice to take a breath of fresh air and read something new.
Thus, The Secret History and The Conqueror's Wife have provided me a step into period of history I know very little about. As it is, I know some general facts of Alexander the Great and of the women in his life (his mother, from what I understand, is either a brilliant queen or an ambitious shrew or both, depending on who's telling the tale) but nothing more than the usual.
So I look forward to a good session on the internet reading about the women in his life.
sindijow's review
1.0
Terrible. I don't mind historical revisionism, but outright whitewashing of a character based on their pet status in the eyes of the author is just cheap.
Wasn't for me. Whenever I see modern stream of consciousness in a "historical" novel, it just ruins my immersion. I can only suspend my disbelief for so long.
Wasn't for me. Whenever I see modern stream of consciousness in a "historical" novel, it just ruins my immersion. I can only suspend my disbelief for so long.