A review by christinecc
The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens, and the Search for the Good Life by Bettany Hughes

5.0

I give it five stars because this book was exactly what I needed, even if I can't speak to its depth or accuracy.

Still fresh in my interest in classical philosophy and the history of Athens, I looked for an overview that would tell me more about the philosophers of the time as well as the culture they lived in. This delivered! And as an added bonus, it shed a lot of light on the events I had trouble following in Mary Renault's fantastic "The Last of the Wine." Who knew the Peloponnesian War was so complicated and yet so fascinating to follow?

Recommended, and here I go to re-read "The Last of the Wine" with new appreciation in the near future.