The Golden Mean (2009)

http://www.monniblog.com/2010/12/the-golden-mean-by-annabel-lyon/ ( )

Needless to say, I didn't like this book much at all. The writing didn't add anything to the book, it didn't keep me interested. The amount of profanity in the book ruined the natural flow of the story. It wasn't that necessary to begin with, but this book seemed to use it in excess.

I didn't like the characterization, I found them to be flat, and didn't develop much during the book, particularly, Aristotle. Overall it was a very frustrating read for me. So much, that I've found it hard to write a full review for the book.

To sum it up, this was not my book, and I doubt I'll read the next book, Sweet Girl, which I had planned to read as part of my reading of the Giller long list for 2012.

Also on my book review blog Jules' Book Reviews - The Golden Mean ( )

A novel about Aristotle arriving to Pella and being asked to stay to tutor feral Alexander. ( )

Philosophy is not an interest of mine, so I think that soured the novel for me. I just kept getting frustrated with the restrictions of the historical plot and the silliness of some of the beliefs of the ancient Greeks. ( )

The Golden Mean offers a sensual, frank depiction of the ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, and his complex connections with the boy who would become Alexander the Great. As the novel opens, King Philip presses Aristotle into service as a teacher of the young princes of Macedon, forcing Aristotle to postpone his dreams of succeeding Plato as the leader of the Academy in Athens. One son, Arridaeus, possesses the intellect of a child in the aftermath of a serious illness; the other son, Alexander, is destined for greatness but struggles under the strict roles of both future king and Macedonian man. Aristotle trains Alexander to find the golden mean within himself, the balance between the extremes of muscular domination and intellectual pursuits. As Alexander rises to militaristic glory, Aristotle must overcome the increasing irrelevance of his lessons in the face of violence and battlefield politics while maintaining his integrity as an academic.

Annabel Lyon breathes new life into the historical depiction of both Aristotle and Alexander the Great, and she succeeds in humanizing such mythical figures in engaging prose. Her writing cycles between quiet moments of physical or intellectual intimacy and frightful moments of violence or prolonged illness suffered in an age before complex medical treatment. The novel is not recommended for the weak of heart (and weak of stomach) as certain passages border on the graphic. But the sweet moments shared between Aristotle and the older son, Arridaeus, mark the book as a solid read for fans of literary and/or historical fiction. Academics with a detailed knowledge of ancient Greece might take offense to some liberties taken with timelines, but regular readers will find much to celebrate with the prose.

Ideal for: Readers who like a bit of literature around their sexy prose; Casual historians who know the gist of Alexander the Great's background; Folks who follow the heavy hitters of the Can. lit. award circuit. ( )