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stephybara's review against another edition
Gave up. If you know more about the period or are interested in it, this might hold your interest more. This is a fictional account of the time that Aristotle spent with the young Alexander (eventually to become The Great). It just didn't work for me.
mizmoffatt's review against another edition
4.0
The Golden Mean offers a sensual, frank depiction of the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and his complex connections with the boy who would become Alexander the Great. As the novel opens, King Philip presses Aristotle into service as a teacher of the young princes of Macedon, forcing Aristotle to postpone his dreams of succeeding Plato as the leader of the Academy in Athens. One son, Arridaeus, possesses the intellect of a child in the aftermath of a serious illness; the other son, Alexander, is destined for greatness but struggles under the strict roles of both future king and Macedonian man. Aristotle trains Alexander to find the golden mean within himself, the balance between the extremes of muscular domination and intellectual pursuits. As Alexander rises to militaristic glory, Aristotle must overcome the increasing irrelevance of his lessons in the face of violence and battlefield politics while maintaining his integrity as an academic.
Annabel Lyon breathes new life into the historical depiction of both Aristotle and Alexander the Great, and she succeeds in humanizing such mythical figures in engaging prose. Her writing cycles between quiet moments of physical or intellectual intimacy and frightful moments of violence or prolonged illness suffered in an age before complex medical treatment. The novel is not recommended for the weak of heart (and weak of stomach) as certain passages border on the graphic. But the sweet moments shared between Aristotle and the older son, Arridaeus, mark the book as a solid read for fans of literary and/or historical fiction. Academics with a detailed knowledge of ancient Greece might take offense to some liberties taken with timelines, but regular readers will find much to celebrate with the prose.
Ideal for: Readers who like a bit of literature around their sexy prose; Casual historians who know the gist of Alexander the Great's background; Folks who follow the heavy hitters of the Can. lit. award circuit.
Annabel Lyon breathes new life into the historical depiction of both Aristotle and Alexander the Great, and she succeeds in humanizing such mythical figures in engaging prose. Her writing cycles between quiet moments of physical or intellectual intimacy and frightful moments of violence or prolonged illness suffered in an age before complex medical treatment. The novel is not recommended for the weak of heart (and weak of stomach) as certain passages border on the graphic. But the sweet moments shared between Aristotle and the older son, Arridaeus, mark the book as a solid read for fans of literary and/or historical fiction. Academics with a detailed knowledge of ancient Greece might take offense to some liberties taken with timelines, but regular readers will find much to celebrate with the prose.
Ideal for: Readers who like a bit of literature around their sexy prose; Casual historians who know the gist of Alexander the Great's background; Folks who follow the heavy hitters of the Can. lit. award circuit.
texasolsen's review against another edition
2.0
I was hoping for so much more from this book. I enjoyed certain parts of it, but on the whole I felt is was a little dull and at times the writing was ambiguous. **Tons of language. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
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