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monnibo's review against another edition
2.0
http://www.monniblog.com/2010/12/the-golden-mean-by-annabel-lyon/
richardwells's review against another edition
5.0
An elegant, familial and household look at Philip of Macedonia, his great son Alexander, and their friend and teacher Aristotle. Ms. Lyon provides a new way of looking at the mores and beliefs of the time, as well as the insights and errors of science and philosophy that were the building blocks to our understanding of the world. This is a humane book, and though I still believe that for all their positives, Philip and Alexander could be quite vicious, and mass murderers to boot, they actually come across, considering the times, as likable. I really enjoyed the read.
jen_again's review against another edition
I was enjoying this book, but got too busy to keep reading...will hope to get it out from the library again soon.
dikshasingh's review against another edition
3.0
it's a book that describe the day to day activities of those time in great details.. how the society was... what was women's part.. and how were the royals and others suppose to behave. my expectation from the book were more around the details about Alexander's life but this was written with Aristotle as the main character. It's a good read but didn't fit the bill for me.
queenbryn's review against another edition
1.0
It was prettily written in parts but I didn't give a damn about Aristotle and his self made problems and unfortunately that was 90% of the book. Alexander was brilliantly characterised but for a book supposedly about the making of him he featured very little, we spent an inordinate amount of time instead with Aristotle being sad that the sex he forces on his wife is unfulfilling.
tiagilles's review against another edition
4.0
despite anachronisms and maybe asking the reader to suspend their disbelief (but only a little) this story comes off impressively grounded, especially with its relationships. Maybe I’m easy but I was swept up in this dialogue, hanging on every word and analyzing every choice - much like the two centerpiece characters do. There’s so much in the words unsaid and Lyon has a knack for showing vs. telling, even with all the narrator gives us. This teacher and student dynamic sold me, enough that without the real historical bearing I’d be leaned forward in my seat to watch the game.
erank101's review against another edition
5.0
I'm surprised about how much I enjoyed this book. It follows the life of Aristotle showing different scenes from his earlier life relating to the 6 years that he (Aristotle) lived in Pella.
While this is not an action-packed book, it has hints of philosophy mixed in with some very dark undertones of what life in ancient Greek was really like. Every character in this book has an interesting complex that is not always so clear including the young Alexander, Philip and most especially Aristotle himself. It also touches down on matters of PTSD, and mental disabilities and how they were regarded in that time period.
On top of that Annabel Lyon's writing style has (I find) a very nice pacing to it that keeps the story going but is a little lulling, like a river. It makes for a very nice read.
I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a thought-provoking book. It showcases some different aspects of humans, and definitely not all of them are positive, and that no matter how great a person on any you become your always seeing the world from your perspective and that doesn't always mean its the clearest image, or the right answer.
While this is not an action-packed book, it has hints of philosophy mixed in with some very dark undertones of what life in ancient Greek was really like. Every character in this book has an interesting complex that is not always so clear including the young Alexander, Philip and most especially Aristotle himself. It also touches down on matters of PTSD, and mental disabilities and how they were regarded in that time period.
On top of that Annabel Lyon's writing style has (I find) a very nice pacing to it that keeps the story going but is a little lulling, like a river. It makes for a very nice read.
I would definitely recommend this book for someone looking for a thought-provoking book. It showcases some different aspects of humans, and definitely not all of them are positive, and that no matter how great a person on any you become your always seeing the world from your perspective and that doesn't always mean its the clearest image, or the right answer.
seules's review against another edition
4.0
it's genuinely unsettling which is what i look for in a protagonist
goingmissing's review against another edition
3.0
Not at all what I expected. Quite a slow, meandering read with few moments of genuine delight. A little too prescriptive for me in the paragraphs of pure description of things that had happened to Aristotle in the past. However, I did still want to make it to the end, hence the three star rating.
smokeyshouse's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0