gio_shelves's review against another edition
adventurous
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
heresthepencil's review against another edition
3.0
rep: mlm couple
3.5 ☆
(5 ☆ for the first half or so & less and less with every chapter)
first of all! im Very Grateful that the relationship btwn alexias & lysis was described in such a delicate & soft way, not sexualised unnecessarily bc it was already difficult enough for me, as a modern reader, to keep in mind that relationships with an age difference were apparently natural back then
i was enchanted with the book from the very beginning mostly bc of the writing. it's so btfl! true, at times hard to follow & very convoluted & making u slow down but it's all worth it and gives the story a nice, ancient feeling
but on the other hand, i was hoping that the main focus of the book would be alexias himself & his relationship with lysis. not the war and the politics as it turned out to be somewhere in the middle. plus the older the characters got, the more gross customs of ancient greece we were introduced to & at some point it was just rly hard to stomach.
3.5 ☆
(5 ☆ for the first half or so & less and less with every chapter)
first of all! im Very Grateful that the relationship btwn alexias & lysis was described in such a delicate & soft way, not sexualised unnecessarily bc it was already difficult enough for me, as a modern reader, to keep in mind that relationships with an age difference were apparently natural back then
i was enchanted with the book from the very beginning mostly bc of the writing. it's so btfl! true, at times hard to follow & very convoluted & making u slow down but it's all worth it and gives the story a nice, ancient feeling
but on the other hand, i was hoping that the main focus of the book would be alexias himself & his relationship with lysis. not the war and the politics as it turned out to be somewhere in the middle. plus the older the characters got, the more gross customs of ancient greece we were introduced to & at some point it was just rly hard to stomach.
joaniesaltzman's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Very good look into daily life of a freeborn young man during the fall of Athens but wow the writing is so old fashioned and it was so hard for me to follow the Athenian politics. Should have been more about Alexias being in love with his boyfriend. I almost certainly wouldn't have finished if this weren't my best friend's favorite honestly BUT I will be reading more Mary Renault even if I find her kind of challenging because I do love these gay Greek boys.
seconddaysea's review against another edition
4.0
I think my favorite book so far of hers for it's ability to bring classic Greece to life, with its characters and her lovely prose.
The dealings with the war however are incredibly boring and kind of painful actually to get through, I do wish it were just about the sophistry and their life. Kind of a weird stance for me, when I usually enjoy that sort of thing, and definitely enjoyed it in Renault's other books.
It's not exactly a book about Lysis and Alexias and their relationship to me (which would have been nice but I found I did not particularly miss), though there are reviews that say as much. Rather, they come as such a pair that any mention of Alexias involves Lysis and vice-versa. There's no real drama or differentiation between them. Maybe not a bad thing though; their love for each other, their sense of honor and dignity, they're caricatures in a way as the rest of the world moves around them. A safe berth from which to view the story unfolding.
The dealings with the war however are incredibly boring and kind of painful actually to get through, I do wish it were just about the sophistry and their life. Kind of a weird stance for me, when I usually enjoy that sort of thing, and definitely enjoyed it in Renault's other books.
It's not exactly a book about Lysis and Alexias and their relationship to me (which would have been nice but I found I did not particularly miss), though there are reviews that say as much. Rather, they come as such a pair that any mention of Alexias involves Lysis and vice-versa. There's no real drama or differentiation between them. Maybe not a bad thing though; their love for each other, their sense of honor and dignity, they're caricatures in a way as the rest of the world moves around them. A safe berth from which to view the story unfolding.
cinaedussinister's review against another edition
3.0
Ok so this book was so very gay so I enjoyed reading it muchly. also liked the kind of historical/epic format of it that kinda reminded me of a cross between the iliad and Thucydides' history of the Peloponnesian War. unfortunately the writing also reminded me of Thucydides. that is not a good thing. quite dry. the characters were great (justice for Phaedo) & full of character but tbh the plot felt kinda all over the place by the end. like,, what was that ending.
overall, not the worst, not the best. read the song of achilles instead methinks
overall, not the worst, not the best. read the song of achilles instead methinks
kweziferguson's review
3.0
Much philosophical, very history, so greek and even a little gay
This book was beautiful but it broke my brain at times as it was difficult to follow in places. If you are a lover of Greek history and philosophy then this book will be for you but do keep Google at the ready because there are lots of words you are not going to understand. I don't regret adding this book to my Audible library. Educational and well written but got a bit overwhelming towards the end. That said I enjoyed it very much.
This book was beautiful but it broke my brain at times as it was difficult to follow in places. If you are a lover of Greek history and philosophy then this book will be for you but do keep Google at the ready because there are lots of words you are not going to understand. I don't regret adding this book to my Audible library. Educational and well written but got a bit overwhelming towards the end. That said I enjoyed it very much.
pvnmeh's review
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
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? No
5.0
juliarchetype's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.25
daemonad's review against another edition
4.0
If a historical fiction with a similar premise was written today, you would get a story about a crossdressing, progressive female, suffering in a misogynist culture, you would get a world like a snow globe, except instead of snow there would be glitter of all colors, shining at you from every direction. You would face great evil in the form of a straight white male and a supreme virtue in the form of gay people etc. In short, you would not get Ancient Greece. Thankfully Mary Renault wrote this book fifty years ago, allowing me to be swept into the story of Alexias, a Greek aristocrat, living at the end of the Athen's Golden Age. This was not a story about queer love as some people today would like to label it. It was a story about noble love which in the mind of ancient Greeks was possible only if you were a man capable of loving another man.