The Last of the Wine

by Mary Renault

Paperback, 1971

Status

Available

Call number

823.912

Collection

Publication

Pocket (1971) First edition, Pantheon, 1956

Description

New York Times bestseller: A "highly superior historical novel" about the bond that grows between two men in ancient Athens (Saturday Review). Alexias is a young aristocrat living during the end of Athens's Golden Age. Prized for his beauty and athletic prowess, Alexias studies under Sokrates with his closest friend, Lysis. Together, the young men come of age in an Athens on the verge of great upheaval. They attend the Olympics, partake in symposia, fight on the battlefields of the Peloponnesian War, and fall in love. The first of Mary Renault's celebrated historical novels of ancient Greece, The Last of the Wine follows Alexias and Lysis into adulthood, when Athens is defeated by Sparta, the Thirty Tyrants take hold of the city, and the lives of both men are changed forever. Through their friendship, Renault opens a vista onto ancient Greek life, uncovering its vibrancy, culture, and political strife, and offers an unforgettable story of love, honor, loyalty, and the remarkable bond between two men. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Mary Renault including rare images of the author. "Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us." --Hilary Mantel… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
My introduction to Mary Renault was The King Must Die, the first of two novels about Theseus. What impressed me so much there was how she took a figure out of myth and grounded him historically. After that I quickly gobbled up all of Renault's works of historical fiction set in Ancient Greece. The
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two novels about Theseus and the trilogy centered on Alexander the Great are undoubtedly her most famous of those eight novels--but this is every bit as good. It centers on Alexias, a young Athenian during the Peloponnese War against Sparta and in the midst of the heights and lows of Greek civilization--Alexias is a student of Socrates.

Alexias is involved romantically with another man--Lysis. That was probably a shock to me as a sheltered young teen, pre-AIDS when homosexuality just wasn't very visible. What was amazing was the picture of a society where this was not just tolerated but completely accepted, and this novel (and the Alexander novels also featuring a homosexual relationship) made an indelible impression on me--more than any kind of lecture on tolerance. And this was one of those books that cemented my love of historical fiction and fascination with Ancient Greece. So this is part of the reason I'd go on to read Thucydides' The History Peloponnesian War and the works of Plato. And doing so only made Renault's achievement in bringing this ancient civilization to life only more remarkable.
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LibraryThing member saturnloft
As historical novels go, it doesn't get too much better than this adroit little tale. If that's the case, why did I give it just 3.5 stars?
Well, I find Renault's dry language a bit off-putting at times, but I know that others will find her style much more agreeable. It depends on personal taste. I
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find it slightly stuffy, others will see it as rich and evocative.
Anyway, this book takes place during a particularly fascinating era in Ancient Greek history, the time of the Peloponnesian War. The city of Athens had reached its highest point and after the war it would never again be what it was. The characters in this book do not know that however, and that's what makes the story so bittersweet and compelling.
Bonus appearances from Socrates and his associates provide extra flavor for those who like a bit of philosophy in their fiction. Others will be annoyed by the pontificatory tangents. Once again, it's a matter of taste.
Also, since this is a Renault book, you should know that the romantic love of two young men is a central plot point. I personally find it refreshingly unconventional. (It certainly was refreshingly unconventional in 1956 when this novel was first published! Mary Renault deserves approbation for being a trailblazer in LGBT fiction, but if you have problems with the subject you can skip it. You will be missing out on top-notch historical fiction though.)
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LibraryThing member DinadansFriend
Pretty good novel of Athens during the Peloponnesian War. we have the usual high class Athenian who does hang out with the familiar group of white marble classicals. The sexual lives of ancient the Greek is well illustrated by this book. But it reads well.
LibraryThing member gbelik
I had remembered this book vaguely but fondly from reading it many years ago. However, in rereading it now, I did find that it rambled along through time without a very profound story arc. Can't fault the writing or the development of the main character, but, all in all, I found it rather bland.
LibraryThing member dbsovereign
Another first-person narrative from Renault that seems to drip with regret. The tale of a man who happens to be in thick of things and know some famous people (Socrates). A great storytelling epic of historical fiction.
LibraryThing member Bruce_Deming
I enjoyed books in this time period. Today these seems a bit slow paced.
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
Picked up on a whim, Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine was a wonderful revelation. The language is so rich and her descriptions of ancient Athens so vivid and well-realized that I was in thrall to words in a way that I haven’t been in ages and ages. It was a delight just taking my time in
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drinking in the delicious prose. The story, set in Periclean Athens during the time of the Peloponnesian War is a shining example of historical fiction done right. And I say this as someone who is generally not a big fan of historical fiction.

Athenian society with all its warts and glory is brought to life. The story is told in the first person, with the conceit that it is a written biographical account of one Alexis, a childhood friend of Xenaphon and student of Socrates. The only complaint I suppose is that the book ends when one felt and hoped that it could go on and on. Apparently Renault’s The Mask of Apollo picks up the tale from not long after (though apparently from a different perspective) and that book has, of course, gone on to my ‘Must Buy’ list.
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LibraryThing member librisissimo
This was her first historical novel, a story of the ancient Greeks, following 6 popular contemporary romances.

(See "The Middle Mist" for online resources on Renault.)
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
The world of Alexias, a young boy growing up in fifth century B.C. Athens is one similar to our own in at least one respect. There was an almost continuous war going on, in this case between Sparta and Athens. The young boy is sheltered from this at first and manages to explore his feelings and
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make a new friend, Lysis. The result of his experiences will have to await further perusal of this rich and exciting historical novel.
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LibraryThing member kslade
So-so. Good principles, like democracy is supported. Kind of hard to get through.
LibraryThing member vdt_melbourne
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Language

Original publication date

1956

Physical description

6.9 inches

ISBN

0671781030 / 9780671781033
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