The Charioteer

Simply beautiful. A great part of this book's magic stems from Renault's mastery of dialogue. Her characters' speech is lively, rich in undertones, and couched in the context of their relationships and historical space. A great deal is left unsaid, giving one the sense that each presented dialogue just skims the surface of the speakers' inner lives. The more introspective passages of the novel are stylistically distinct but just as well-crafted, replete with striking metaphors and beautiful lines. Psychoanalytic and Classicist influences are strong. It's not an easy book to read, but it is a reflective one--the reader is rewarded for rereading a sentence or section two or three times with a glimpse of understanding into a complex show more emotional landscape, and maybe something larger. It's not just a book about one man's experience with love, but about the nature of love itself--not a topic that ought to be approached in simple terms, especially at a time when gay love is not even supposed to be a topic of conversation at all. show less

A beautifully written love triangle set in a wounded veterans’ hospital during WWII. The title is taken from Plato’s allegory of the charioteer (don’t let it slip by like I almost did when it was briefly presented in the audiobook) that explains how mortals differ from the gods in their dual nature of moral purity and passion. In it, Laurie Odell, recovering from an injury he received at Dunkirk, finds himself torn between platonic idealism and emotional and physical fulfillment. The coming-of-age / coming-out aspect of the story is brilliantly done and fully expresses the main character’s uncertainty about his sexuality; at times it seems those around him understand him better than he does himself. His journey to self awareness show more and to the choice he eventually must make provides an introspective look into the need to love and be loved. show less

I've been meaning to re-read this for sometime now. It's one of those books that feel formative to me and so I wanted to know how it held up after some years. This was one of, if not the first full length gay novel I had ever read. I had read a lot of gay stories online in my late teens, mostly from sites like Gay Authors and Literotica, and they were important in that they showed me that I wasn't as alone as I thought I was and they were also readily accessible. I had known about "The Charioteer" for a while, it was always highly recommended and it was one of those books I hoped to get shipped to me someday. Then one day as I was looking at books on a shelf in my local library I saw the familiar name [a:Mary Renault|38185|Mary show more Renault|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1378247630p2/38185.jpg] in golden letters on an old black book's spine, the book had not been borrowed since the 80s. It took me some moments to get over the disbelief and I hurried to get the book checked out as though it might have disappeared at any moment. And it had been a literary feast.

The story itself is one of the oldest ever told. A love triangle involving two British soldiers who survived Dunkirk and a pacifist who was torn about going to the war and didn't in the end. Laurie, who is the protagonist, has had an admiration and love for Ralph since they were in school and one day when an incident happens that forces Ralph out of school, he gives Laurie his copy of [b:Phaedrus|360882|Phaedrus|Plato|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1415678009l/360882._SY75_.jpg|74207137]. They lose touch and the second world war begins, Laurie is injured and nearly dies following an attack and it is while he is recovering in hospital that he meets Andrew, a member of the Quaker faith and starts a friendship when the pacifist group of volunteers he belongs to is met with harassments from the soldiers and general community. Then as a love between Andrew and Laurie develops, Ralph and Laurie meet again, complicating things.

Among the other fascinating parts of this wonderful book is the language. This books like other gay novels written during or about the pre-legalization era in Western countries like Baldwin's Giovanni's Room, Delany's [b:Dark Reflections|85868|Dark Reflections|Samuel R. Delany|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328856703l/85868._SX50_.jpg|82863], Forster's Maurice, Toibin's Story of the Night among others, has another language running below the language in the book. Language born out of hidden necessity and hard to describe better than how Renault writes:

'He had heard in Ralph's voice that secret overtone only half of which is created by the one who speaks, the other half of which is created by the one who listens, and which says in any language, "By and by all these people will have gone."'

I think it's very difficult to write a book about homosexual love in the 1940s between two disabled characters without exploiting pain and misery, but Renault handles it all so expertly and delicately that this book stands without a doubt as a favourite I shall return to again and again as long as I am able to through the years. show less

First and foremost, I think this book is so important. I can't believe that I didn't know of its existence until I was in my twenties; especially since I've been out since I was 13. I think it's a must-read for queer folks of all sorts, especially gay men, as it explains a lot about issues of substance abuse and promiscuity in the queer community. I also think it's a must-read for anyone interested in WWII, as it provides some very interesting dynamic insights, particularly with regard to its portrayals of homosexuality in the armed forces.

Now, as for the book itself:

The writing is phenomenal, and the prose is beautiful. I really enjoyed sinking my teeth into the writing in a way that I usually don't in realistic/historical fiction show more (i.e. I prefer reading for plot in these genres). My only complaint is that sometimes it's so dense you actually lose the plot a little bit, or miss important events that are only alluded to in the actual prose.

The characters are (for the most part), fantastic. I love Laurie, and even though I frequently disagreed with his decisions, I sympathise with his struggles and experiences greatly, and I think he's an incredibly well-written and human character. Also, Andrew is everything good in the world bundled up as a character and I love him so much. Even the minor character of Alec is well-characterised, and I really enjoyed his final scene with Laurie in the hospital, as is Bunny. The only character I well and truly despise is Ralph. As I said in one of my updates, Ralph can go get fucked. He basically manipulates and pressures Laurie throughout the entirety of the book, and he represents every gay man I've ever loathed, who has pressured younger gays into sex or alcohol or drugs or some combination thereof. Gurl bye.

Finally, the plot: I really did enjoy the plot, though I think it's fair to say it's a slow-paced book, but the buildup of Laurie and Andrew's relationship in particular is well-paced and delivered well. My only complaint about the plot is that they didn't end up together!! Ralph is trash, Laurie! Pick Andrew!

All in all, though, a really great book which, if a bit dense at times, is so important for any variety of reasons, and I would highly recommend. I would even go so far as to say it's something which should be taught in schools.

P.S. Not one, but two dogs' deaths are mentioned in the second half of the books, and one of the scenes is really emotional. Please beware if you've not read it, and if you have, please contact me so we can form a support group because I am not over Gyp. show less

Wow! This book blew me away. Renault is a brilliant writer, in descriptions and turns of phrase, in depth of characters, in the complexity of emotions, and in the gay experience. I love reading about gay history, but I would have loved this novel even if that wasn't the subject matter, because it had me riveted. I love that she leaves so much unsaid, for the reader to infer. It's much more naturalistic than most things I read. And there is a lot of symbolism beneath the surface, too. For example, Laurie's injury runs analogous to his queerness: he is constantly trying to hide it, to pass as 'normal', but he is forever marked by it, and unsure of his future as a result.

Time to lend this book to everyone I know!

(I also realized while show more reading this that romances are all about the suspense. I tear my way through them, full of tension, the same way I would something like Gone Girl. And this one keeps the tension up SO MUCH.) show less

What a great book, I just couldn't put it down.
It was written in 59, and nothing, but nothing is explicit. The biggest explicit line is "and he kissed him" - the reader has to deduce everything else, via lovely constructed language that really does make the reader create the story, and I think in a way I've been missing that...
There were bits that were just so frustrating! It's set in 1940, and they couldn't say anything directly! It's full of indirect words, looks, assumptions that mislead and almost everyone 'oh so nice', jeopardising all their chances at happiness, grrr...

Laurie Odell, a young Englishman coming of age during WWII, is also coming to terms with his homosexuality. Wounded at Dunkirk, he is evacuated in a ship commanded by Ralph Lanyon, who was a prefect at his public school. There had been a mutual attraction then; Lanyon knew it for what it was, Laurie did not. Too delirious to recognize Ralph on ship, Laurie encounters him again when he is in hospital for therapy for his injury.

In the meantime, he has met, and fallen in love with Andrew, a young Quaker, who is performing alternate service as a conscientious objector, at the hospital where he has had his surgery. This time, it is Laurie who understands the nature of his feelings, and Andrew who does not.

Worlds collide. This is an show more extraordinarily well-written, well-thought out novel. Renault is a scholar of classical Greek philosophy and history, and it is from Plato's "Phaedrus" that she takes her title and her theme, the conflict between flesh and spirit, desire and hope. A beautiful book. show less