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A review by troystory
The Persian Boy by Mary Renault
5.0
Oh my god. This book was vivid and breathtaking and extraordinary, and I feel like, having finished it, there's an absence in my life. I don't even know where to begin. Mary Renault's writing is beautiful, and it gives everything the grandeur it deserves; she manages to describe cities and clothing and people to such an extent that you can easily imagine it, but not too much that the descriptions drag. The characters and their motivations are believable - I never for once doubted or questioned what someone did because it felt out-of-character. I love, love, love her Alexander with all my heart. This book really breathed some humanity into him, and it made me appreciate and adore him even more. Bagoas, too, was charming and memorable.
There's something to be said about reading about someone through the eyes of those who love them - as with Patroclus about Achilles, having someone who loves the protagonist is the true heart of these stories. It builds the characters, it gives you insight into who they were, it makes you see them as they ought to be remembered. And most importantly, it elevates the emotional impact and draws you in until they are a part of your world, a part of your soul.
To say I cried at the end - no spoilers! - would be an understatement. I did cry, pretty intensely for a good twenty minutes, but then my grief ebbed into a dull, sad sort of mourning. I read a lot, and books don't usually leave me with this kind of impact. I don't usually feel hollow when a character dies. Crying over people who died thousands of years ago is obviously no fun, but it takes a very good and very talented writer to make you do so. And it takes an even more talented writer to make you fall in love with them all over again.
There's something to be said about reading about someone through the eyes of those who love them - as with Patroclus about Achilles, having someone who loves the protagonist is the true heart of these stories. It builds the characters, it gives you insight into who they were, it makes you see them as they ought to be remembered. And most importantly, it elevates the emotional impact and draws you in until they are a part of your world, a part of your soul.
To say I cried at the end - no spoilers! - would be an understatement. I did cry, pretty intensely for a good twenty minutes, but then my grief ebbed into a dull, sad sort of mourning. I read a lot, and books don't usually leave me with this kind of impact. I don't usually feel hollow when a character dies. Crying over people who died thousands of years ago is obviously no fun, but it takes a very good and very talented writer to make you do so. And it takes an even more talented writer to make you fall in love with them all over again.