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A review by codysmovingcastle
The Charioteer by Mary Renault
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Brb, unpacking all of the symbolism of a festering wound for the next 3-5 business days.
Man, this book wrecked me. It wouldn't be a Renault book without me begging for a 200 page epilogue and wishing for a line-by-line explanation from the author herself. The surface-level detail is so sparse that you cling to it and the story forces you to dig deeper because you need to know exactly why these characters made these decisions.
And the characters are so imperfect and flawed that 90% of the time you're feeling unmoored and wishing they just said something different or they acted in a slightly different manner.
Reading about wartime masculinity is good fun though - half of the time you're like 'oh I wonder what this character is feeling/thinking', but the best part is that they're repressing so much, that they don't even know! So when they say something extra hurtful in a fight, it's a surprise to them too! And this is why Laurie is such a fascinating narrator. He's oblivious, yes, but he wilfully refuses to recognise truths about himself and others.
The parallels between the couples is just so painful. Renault plays with your allegiances so well that it's only at the end of the book that you can see the full picture and what and who the book was always about.
Need to read this a few more times. I bought the unedited 1953 version which contains a bit more detail and I will cling to those missing sentences with all of my strength.
Altogether: significantly less dense than Renault's Greek works (though that may partially be because you're not trying to remember the ins and outs of the Macedonian army ranks), beautifully written. Renault would 100% be a classic author if it weren't for being a queer woman writing about the gays and all that.
(Also recommending the audiobook!)
Man, this book wrecked me. It wouldn't be a Renault book without me begging for a 200 page epilogue and wishing for a line-by-line explanation from the author herself. The surface-level detail is so sparse that you cling to it and the story forces you to dig deeper because you need to know exactly why these characters made these decisions.
And the characters are so imperfect and flawed that 90% of the time you're feeling unmoored and wishing they just said something different or they acted in a slightly different manner.
Reading about wartime masculinity is good fun though - half of the time you're like 'oh I wonder what this character is feeling/thinking', but the best part is that they're repressing so much, that they don't even know! So when they say something extra hurtful in a fight, it's a surprise to them too! And this is why Laurie is such a fascinating narrator. He's oblivious, yes, but he wilfully refuses to recognise truths about himself and others.
The parallels between the couples is just so painful. Renault plays with your allegiances so well that it's only at the end of the book that you can see the full picture and what and who the book was always about.
Need to read this a few more times. I bought the unedited 1953 version which contains a bit more detail and I will cling to those missing sentences with all of my strength.
Altogether: significantly less dense than Renault's Greek works (though that may partially be because you're not trying to remember the ins and outs of the Macedonian army ranks), beautifully written. Renault would 100% be a classic author if it weren't for being a queer woman writing about the gays and all that.
(Also recommending the audiobook!)