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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
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.
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
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.)
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.
(See "The Middle Mist" for online resources on Renault.)