Books like mary renault

There might have been plenty of lookattheclothes books around, but it. Her early works, which had a contemporary setting, were only moderately successful. The story of the mythical hero theseus, slayer of monsters, abductor of princesses and king of athens. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient. Mary renault audio books, best sellers, author bio. Alexanders beauty, strength, and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king.

Aug 21, 2014 those who have already read all three novels in mary renault s alexander trilogy will have to forgive me for pointing out the blindingly obvious. The main characters of this fiction, historical story are. In 2010, fire from heaven was shortlisted for the 1970 lost man booker prize. She was an english writer and also best known for her historical novels set in the ancient greece. Recently divorced and grieving the loss of his daughter, neil langton escapes to the countryside of north devon for some much needed alone time. Mary renault has open slate to write an interesting and intriguing character, since not much is known of alexander early childhood or teen year. Books like maurice by em forster, and the charioteer by. Mary renault was born on 4th september in the year 1905. Authors similar to mary renault goodreads share book.

Arrian has an agenda and mary renault has an agenda. The mary renault society, a group centered on the triangle area of north carolina, is named after a writer who created extraordinary historical novels and at the same time fostered societal tolerance towards homosexuality. Most biographies simply focus on his achievements, while the nature of alexander has eschewed those facts, largely, to tell of his nature, what made him do what he did, referring to pitched battles and skirmishes in only the most necessary detail. This is a tragedy, because her books have stood the test of time and. Historical fiction can speak very clearly to the present and the past.

However, a lot of my reading time this month was spent with fire from heaven by mary renault, which im loving, but its incredibly dense and taking quite a long time to read. Almost the whole of mary renault s oeuvre is being put into e book format as of next week. Mar 10, 2020 the charioteer by mary renault i finished reading the charioteer by mary renault for the fourth time, with a view to, i suspect, deciding that i had passed beyond my juvenile crush for it. First we meet 5yearold laurie watching his father pack his things for his final departure, next. It takes skill to depict, as miss renault has done, this halfman, half courtesan who is so deeply in love with the.

Mary renault s contemporary and historical fiction. Mary renault is currently considered a single author. Mary renault made him untouchable, like the cold statue on the cover of my book. Socrates and plato are side characters, along with a lot of other real historical figures. When men write about historical events, they tend to feed their readers facts and figures, but mary renault 19051983 was interested in the passions of the past. I also really loved the persian boy but have not yet read the other two books in the alexander trilogy. Mary renaults alexandriad is one of the twentieth centurys most. Two books that showed the way for writing fiction set in the roman period. I would wait anxiously for the next title wrapped in opaque plastic by the careful hands of the hythe. Share mary renault quotations about heart, giving and life. With an active marketplace of over 175 million items, use the alibris advanced search page to find any item you are looking for through the advanced search, you can find items by searching specific terms such as title, artist, song title, genre, etc or you can narrow. For a teenager living in a city quickly sinking into the john birch rabbit hole in the 1980s, mary renault s books were a gateway to an undiscovered country.

She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient greece were just like us. If youd like to read a specific mary renault book which were missing on read print, do let us know. Also, there was never a bad time to read mary renault. Love stories biographical fiction english fiction in literature fiction in english, 1900 history sexuality relationships classical civilizations historical fiction novels generals eunuchs kings and rulers macedonian expansion greece. Every detail has solid historical testimony to support it. And just in general, i should read more mary renault. The lion in the gateway, mary renault, hardcover 1974 for. Mary renault s trilogy of novels about alexander the great fire from heaven, the persian boy and funeral games is one of my favourite works of historical fiction. It was there that she met her lifelong partner, fellow nurse julie mullard. After completing her training, renault wrote her first novel, purposes of love, in 1937. Mary renault s courageous and confrontational war novel the charioteer is inextricably linked with the fight for gay equality. Dec 18, 20 the nature of alexander, by mary renault.

Other books like arrians work, describe in full detail the battles. In 2006, renault was the subject of a bbc 4 documentary, and her books, many of which remain in print on. Mary renault 19051983 was a britishborn midtwentieth century author of contemporary and historical novels. The persian boy by mary renault ive not finished any books since my last post, been jumping back and forth between a few, but i figured i should keep up this blog, so im going to keep working back through my list of recently read.

In addition to some vivid fictional portrayals of theseus, socrates, plato and alexander the great, she has written the nonfiction biography of alexander. From mary renaults the persian boy to hilary mantels blockbuster, novelist geraldine brooks shares her favorite historical fiction. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 347 pages and is available in paperback format. Reading renaults books, i felt a shock of recognition. The main character lives through a lot of major events in ancient greece, and its in first person, so it feels like a real window into the past. Rather than retelling the myth, renault constructs an archaeologically and. There, renault wrote the historical novels that would define her career. For simon russell beale it provided guidance and comfort in a hostile.

Mary renault, britishborn south african novelist, best known for her scholarship and her skill in recreating classical history and legend. Mary renaults novels, along with the genre as a whole. Funeral games by renault, mary and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. For more detail, please see timeline of mary renault fandom. Top ten historical fiction authors historical fiction. In 2006, renault was the subject of a bbc 4 documentary, and her books, many of which remain in print on both sides of the atlantic, are often sought after for radio and dramatic interpretation. Its here that he meets ellen after saving her from a mountainside accident.

Her characters live vividly both in their own time, and in ours madeline miller i never learned l. The atlantic monthly the persian boy traces the last years of alexanders life through the eyes of his lover, bagoas. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. I read everyones praises of her extraordinary ability to describe places from thousands of years ago like she had been there, and i agree wholeheartedly. Mary renault s portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her lifelong passion for the classics. There were so many different characters that i was surprise at the lack of interaction between them all. Now is a good time for you to read mary renault reading. Neil learns that she is grieving the loss of a lover who died in service. The first edition of the novel was published in 1953, and was written by mary renault. Mary renault is more similar to arrian than most of the history books written about alexander. Top 10 best mary renault books mary renault written works. Theyve both got this same interest in telling a good story and getting you to react to alexander in a.

Arrian is using sources and mary renault is using sources. Mary renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. That was too youngi read it again recently and was bowled over at how shes able to present such an unblinkingly balanced portrayal of one of historys most famous warriors. Top ten historical fiction authors historical fiction librarything. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Hughs college and radcliffe infirmary, oxford, completing her training as a nurse in 1937. The mary renault society, a group centered on the triangle area of north carolina, is named after a writer who created extraordinary historical novels and at the. She went to oxford first with the idea that she would become a teacher, but later found she wanted to be a writer instead, and after she got her degree she should broaden her knowledge on human life. Funeral games by mary renault and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Those who have already read all three novels in mary renault s alexander trilogy will have to forgive me for pointing out the blindingly obvious. This was my first mary renault novel and i loved it a lot. Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Dorothy dunnett is my all time favorite, but like mary renault. She went to oxford first with the idea that she would become a teacher, but later found she wanted to be a writer instead, and after she got her degree she should broaden her.

Fore from heaven tells the story of the boy alexander, and the years that shaped him. Free download or read online the charioteer pdf epub book. Renault defended her interpretation of the available sources in authors notes attached to her books. Mary renault books list of books by author mary renault. Mary renault 19051983 was interested in the passions of the past. Books by mary renault authors like mary renault what. As an important piece of lgbtq fiction, call me by your name serves as a truly moving piece that is more than just a love story. My lovely mother handed me fire from heaven when i was thirteen or so. There is nothing like despair to make one throw oneself upon the gods. Ok follow to get new release updates and improved recommendations customers also bought items by.

As a rarelit fandom, mary renault s books are usually well represented at yuletide and other gift exchanges. Every longsimmering faction exploded into the vacuum. The closer two writers are, the more likely someone will like both of them. A novel 9780394751047 by renault, mary and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the novels of alexander the great. At twenty, when his reign began, alexander the great was already a seasoned soldier and a complex, passionate man. Like the works of marguerite yourcenar memoirs of hadrian and robert graves i. The last of the wine by mary renault 20010601 by mary renault. Plutarchs lives is the primary source for fire from heaven, but mary renault has drawn from other postalexander sources to weave a compelling historical novel of what it might have been like back in pella. Mary renault was an english writer best known for her historical novels set in ancient greece. Troizen, corinth, eleusis, athens, knossos in crete, and naxos. With a grand theme as her topic, one where the historical evidence is enough to inspire the imagination but not so voluminous as to inhibit creativity, renault tells a compelling and moving story. Mary renault s book leaves the reader confused at its start. After serving in world war ii, laurie odell returns back to his home in britain to recover from an.

Books like maurice by em forster, and the charioteer by mary. Instead, i find myself more in love with this novel than ever. About the persian boy it takes skill to depict, as miss renault has done, this halfman, half courtesan who is so deeply in love with the warrior. Daniel mendelsohn details his correspondence with mary renault, whose. Abducted and gelded as a boy, bagoas was sold as a courtesan to king. Mary renault has 25 books on goodreads with 117986 ratings. In addition to vivid fictional portrayals of theseus, socrates, plato and alexander the great, she wrote. The last of the wine by mary renault i enjoyed this a lot but its the only book of hers ive read so far. The macedonians had a number of habits that some would be uncomfortable with today. The term is beginning to look like an accusation, a stick to beat writers. The renault fandom is not, however, predominantly focused on slash, despite its presence within the fan fiction renault s works have inspired. Retreating from pressure to be a good little girl who would grow up to have a husband and children, mary kept company with her books and dreams. Named a notable book of the year by the new york times.

It was her historical novels set in ancient greecethe first of which was published in 1956which led to her wide popularity. Born in london as eileen mary challans in 1905 and educated at the university of oxford, mary renault trained as a nurse at oxfords radcliffe infirmary. Like laurie odell, the protagonist of the charioteer, she was suspicious of identifying oneself primarily by ones sexual. Pdf the charioteer book by mary renault free download. Seems like theres a bit too much about demosthenes in this articlehes a minor character in one of her books, when the major characters real and fictional of most of her books arent even mentioned. After completing her training, renault wrote her first novel, purposes of love, in. Find authors like mary renault from the worlds largest community of readers.

After receiving her nursing degree in 1936, she emigrated to south africa. Mary renault born eileen mary challans, was an english and south african writer best known. Dorothy dunnett is my all time favorite, but like mary renault, bernard cornwall especially agincourt, liss, michael faber, sarah waters fingersmith, affinity, the little stranger, alexander dumas, eco the name of the rose particularly, penman, very much. Mary renault born eileen mary challans was born in the year 1905 in london, where her dad was a doctor. This ebook features an illustrated biography of mary renault including rare images of the author. In addition to vivid fictional portrayals of theseus, socrates, plato, and alexander the great, she wrote a nonfiction biography of alexander. When president kennedy was once asked who his favorite author was, he replied, mary renault. Aug 29, 20 you literally want more the second you finished one, you want to move on to the next, and thats something thats shared by extremely successful books today such as game of thrones, says. A superb biography of an exceptional novelist new yorker. We hope you enjoy reading these mary renault books. List of books and articles about mary renault online.