12th out of 697 books
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864 voters
The Persian Boy (Alexander the Great #2)
by
Mary Renault
“It takes skill to depict, as Miss Renault has done, this half-man, half Courtesan who is so deeply in love with the warrior.”–The Atlantic Monthly
The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander’s life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the M...more
The Persian Boy traces the last years of Alexander’s life through the eyes of his lover, Bagoas. Abducted and gelded as a boy, Bagoas was sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but found freedom with Alexander after the M...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
February 12th 1988
by Vintage
(first published 1972)
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After thinking about this book more I had to change the rating.
The lack of my perfect Hephaistion ruined the book for me. He was the most important person in Alexander’s life, for goodness' sake! It doesn’t matter if they were actually lovers or not. He was the only person who loved Alexander as a person. And that’s why Alexander valued his opinion the most. Hephaistion never lied to Alexander, if he thought that the king was wrong, he said it. He was a very brave man, capable of doing amazing...more
The lack of my perfect Hephaistion ruined the book for me. He was the most important person in Alexander’s life, for goodness' sake! It doesn’t matter if they were actually lovers or not. He was the only person who loved Alexander as a person. And that’s why Alexander valued his opinion the most. Hephaistion never lied to Alexander, if he thought that the king was wrong, he said it. He was a very brave man, capable of doing amazing...more
Part of me really disliked this book; part of me couldn't help but like it. The language gets a little flowery sometimes, esp when she starts talking about love and (always cleverly elided) sex. The close adherence to history made parts of it read less-than-exciting. (i.e. "Great, now Alexander is going to preside over more games.... when is he going to drop dead alreadygjkfgjkdfg?!") I like Alexander but clearly not as much as the deadly combination of Renault-through-Bagoas does. Alexander com...more
Oct 11, 2011
Jane
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who wants to know more about Alexander and his loves
Recommended to Jane by:
booklist on Amazon
An excellent well-written story of how an ex-prince became a eunuch and fulfilled his destiny in the arms of Alexander the Great!
His early years as a boy and his training as a court eunuch seemed to prepare him for his greatest love ....a love he did not think he would find.
He was Alexander's eromenus for the last eight years of Alexander's life. As great and devoted as he was he was jealous of Hephaestion's special love and place in Alexander's life. In fact it was reported that a Queen mistake...more
His early years as a boy and his training as a court eunuch seemed to prepare him for his greatest love ....a love he did not think he would find.
He was Alexander's eromenus for the last eight years of Alexander's life. As great and devoted as he was he was jealous of Hephaestion's special love and place in Alexander's life. In fact it was reported that a Queen mistake...more
I had to sit with this book and digest it for a few days after finishing before I could even start to put together coherent thoughts about it.
The writing style is a lot simpler from the first book, where you chase around Alexander's thoughts in a limited-third-person. This book is a relatively straight forward first-person told by Bagoas, and you spend most of your mental effort on the themes instead of the prose, which is appreciated.
The fundamental theme of the book, to my read, is that of u...more
The writing style is a lot simpler from the first book, where you chase around Alexander's thoughts in a limited-third-person. This book is a relatively straight forward first-person told by Bagoas, and you spend most of your mental effort on the themes instead of the prose, which is appreciated.
The fundamental theme of the book, to my read, is that of u...more
Oct 30, 2012
Rachel
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to Rachel by:
Christin
Shelves:
boys,
historical-fiction
Okay, I definitely liked this book. I didn't read the first in the series, and from the sounds of things, I'll be avoiding the last in the series due to sadness, but this one is good.
I'm not a big historical fiction kind of person, mostly because I hate getting a history lesson when I read, but this isn't like that. (Thank goodness Christin told me this or else I probably wouldn't have even tried it.) This just a re-telling of a story that happened a long time ago, from the point of view of som...more
I'm not a big historical fiction kind of person, mostly because I hate getting a history lesson when I read, but this isn't like that. (Thank goodness Christin told me this or else I probably wouldn't have even tried it.) This just a re-telling of a story that happened a long time ago, from the point of view of som...more
Jan 03, 2012
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
literature
This is the second of Mary Renault's Alexander trilogy. The first, Fire from Heaven, deals with his childhood until the death of the king of Macedon, his father. The third deals with events following upon his death. The Persian Boy details his conquests from the perspective of one of his lovers, a eunuch based on an actual historical personage.
It was at about this time, while in the midst of a Mary Renault binge, that I came upon one of her contemporary novels at a bookstore near Columbia Univer...more
It was at about this time, while in the midst of a Mary Renault binge, that I came upon one of her contemporary novels at a bookstore near Columbia Univer...more
This book is up there with "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God," as well as "In the Name of the Rose," as far as Historical fiction goes. I aim to read her "Mask of Apollo" in which a greek actor recounts his adventures in the theatre of the Old World (think of it: you get aristophanes, Sophocles, and other tragedians and their plays set against an Athenian world that includes a living Plato, I believe; in one scene, I'm told, the protaganist has a dream about a future play that can only be Macb...more
Every time I pick this book up to read just a passage I find myself getting sucked in again. This is my desert island book, if I could just bring one with me. Every time I read it I could just turn it over and start from the beginning again. It's epic and then again, it's about a boy's first love. There's the sweep of history, and then there's very personal humor and heartbreak. Seriously, Bagoas will rip your heart out. The last line makes me cry.
I will probably never be able to read Funeral G...more
I will probably never be able to read Funeral G...more
Ho iniziato a leggere questo libro con estremo interesse, sapete perché? Perché io ho adorato il film Alexander diretto da Oliver Stone (mea culpa) quindi come potevo sottrarmi a questa storia che racconta le vicende storiograficamente documentate di Alessandro il Grande? Non potevo!
Mary Renault (pseudonimo di Eileen Mary Challans) ha dato prova di un grande sforzo per intessere una storia che comprendesse il maggior numero di eventi che hanno segnato l’esistenza di Alessandro. Il ragazzo persia...more
Mary Renault (pseudonimo di Eileen Mary Challans) ha dato prova di un grande sforzo per intessere una storia che comprendesse il maggior numero di eventi che hanno segnato l’esistenza di Alessandro. Il ragazzo persia...more
Very few novels have moved me to tears in the end, but this was one of them. Mary Renault succeeds in capturing the depth and breadth of Bagoas’s abiding devotion to Alexander, and brings history to life.
Slow-moving as this story is, it nevertheless succeeded in capturing my imagination despite the fact that I knew more or less how the tale was supposed to go, and that there was no happy ending. And big-ass disclaimer: I don’t think this story is going to be to everyone’s taste. Perhaps what ma...more
Slow-moving as this story is, it nevertheless succeeded in capturing my imagination despite the fact that I knew more or less how the tale was supposed to go, and that there was no happy ending. And big-ass disclaimer: I don’t think this story is going to be to everyone’s taste. Perhaps what ma...more
This is the second Renault title I've read, and I might like it even better than the Mask of Apollo. I remembered only a few generalities about Alexander the Great. I certainly didn't know about his devoted eunuch Bagoas, and how fascinatingly detailed and human a king's story told through a loving servant's eyes can be. I'll never think of eunuchs the same way again--or Alexander, for that matter. This is a love story, and a most moving one.
Things that stood out: the well-deserved love and resp...more
Things that stood out: the well-deserved love and resp...more
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It is possible - though somewhat distressing - that my love affair with Mary Renault is beginning to draw to a close. It began about eight years ago, when I first read The King Must Die and The Bull from the Sea surrounding a passionate, pilgrimage-like trip to Greece. I was amazed that Renault possessed the same respect, reverence even for the Greeks and the Greek culture that I did. The care and seriousness with which she endowed her historical novels impressed me - here, I thought, is another...more
This is a book I often reread, but it is not without its faults, namely: a) lofty, pompous style, b) lack of humor, c) not very likable narrator/main character, d) heavy idealization of Alexander the Great at the expense of about everyone, e) misogyny.
Yes, the language is wonderful and even, and the narration suitable to the grand affairs and great personages the main character is observing; still, it would not hurt him to ease up a little bit and try another kind of tune. For Bagoas the eunuch...more
Yes, the language is wonderful and even, and the narration suitable to the grand affairs and great personages the main character is observing; still, it would not hurt him to ease up a little bit and try another kind of tune. For Bagoas the eunuch...more
"Tu non ti fermerai mai, non è vero, Alessandro?"
Un grande romanzo epico, vivido, intenso, scritto magistralmente.
Potrei chiudere così, ma basterebbe una sola frase?? Di certo non renderei omaggio al grande talento dell'autrice.
Parliamo di Alessandro Magno: una delle più interessanti personalità storiche. Nonché una delle figure più abusate, e mal interpretate. Io amo Alessandro Magno: da storico (quale mi prefiggo essere, presunzione a parte), mi caratterizza un'antipatia diffusa verso tutte le...more
Un grande romanzo epico, vivido, intenso, scritto magistralmente.
Potrei chiudere così, ma basterebbe una sola frase?? Di certo non renderei omaggio al grande talento dell'autrice.
Parliamo di Alessandro Magno: una delle più interessanti personalità storiche. Nonché una delle figure più abusate, e mal interpretate. Io amo Alessandro Magno: da storico (quale mi prefiggo essere, presunzione a parte), mi caratterizza un'antipatia diffusa verso tutte le...more
I used to think I despised love stories. I would wonder what was wrong with me; love stories are supposed to move us, I would think. They're supposed to make us feel things other stories cannot. So I thought. But all the "love stories" I saw were the unbelievable kind: The ridiculous caricatures on display in "romantic" comedies, the happily ever afters we were fed in fairy tales. "Where was the pain?", I would ask. Where was the suffering, and the longing. And perhaps above all, do these charac...more
Oct 24, 2012
Nev Percy
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-fiction
Meh.
After liking Fire From Heaven so much, I'm surprised at both Mary Renault and myself that its sequel should have left me so cold.
OK, so the narrator-protagonist is a castrated pretty boy catamite originally belonging to Darius (literally belonging, as a slave) and then becoming Alexander's body servant and -- in due course -- lover. So his scope for 'protagonism' in a man's world of warfare is going to be limited... As a device I think that probably suited MR in sparing her the need to go in...more
After liking Fire From Heaven so much, I'm surprised at both Mary Renault and myself that its sequel should have left me so cold.
OK, so the narrator-protagonist is a castrated pretty boy catamite originally belonging to Darius (literally belonging, as a slave) and then becoming Alexander's body servant and -- in due course -- lover. So his scope for 'protagonism' in a man's world of warfare is going to be limited... As a device I think that probably suited MR in sparing her the need to go in...more
Mary Renault is a master historical novelist. I love the way she showed us Alexander the Great differently than he is often portrayed in the history books and Pressfield novels. I enjoy Pressfield's work as well but to him Alexander was first and foremost a classical Hellenist and warrior. Renault focuses on Alexander the lover how he was viewed by his Persian boy; a eunuch, a slave, but also an influential master of his privy chamber. I was bothered in the beginning by Renault's romanticizing w...more
Some favorite parts:
"We had our summer. On the hills with the hounds crying, racing the clouds; in the rose garden with its lotus pools; in the high hall whose columns were sheathed with gold and silver, as I did my Dance of the River to the sound of flutes; in the great Bedchamber where I had been shamed and now was cherished, each day and night, I used to say to myself, I will miss nothing; I will never let my eye or my ear or my soul or my senses sleep, never forget to know that I am happy. F...more
"We had our summer. On the hills with the hounds crying, racing the clouds; in the rose garden with its lotus pools; in the high hall whose columns were sheathed with gold and silver, as I did my Dance of the River to the sound of flutes; in the great Bedchamber where I had been shamed and now was cherished, each day and night, I used to say to myself, I will miss nothing; I will never let my eye or my ear or my soul or my senses sleep, never forget to know that I am happy. F...more
A dear friend sent this book to me and I can't even begin to express my thanks. If I felt a little confused at the beginning (I admit I only knew what I've seen in movies about the Persian empire), at some point I just grew bedazzled with the intensity of the narration. Bagoas is just loveable, and the portrayal of Alexander as seen through his eyes is captivating. I admit I had a crush of sorts on Alexander from the moment Bagoas had one. I had to suspend my disbelief in the human race as a who...more
Overall a lovely read. However, and this is where I will sound like a petulant child, this read a bit like Alexander/Hephaistion and Alexander/Bagoas fanfic in which Hephaistion could just as well not have been there, but the pairing was put in the header to justify the fic's posting on an Alexander/Hephaistion community. I LOVE Hephaistion and I love him even more with Alexander, but I get the feeling that Mary Renault didn't like him very much and instead drew Bagoas into the light and went li...more
The only historical romance the stole my heart and broke it at the end.....so sad. Bagoas was a young nobleman's son. Through treachery of his father's friend, his own family was killed and him sold into slavery, gelded and sold to a merchant. He was only 12 and he was raped and molested by his master and clients. Later he was sold to the King of Persia and became a dancer and a pleasure slave. When Alexander came, he escaped and was presented to Alexander as a gift. This here begins the romance...more
I have read and re-read this story of Bagoas, the eunuch, who was Alexander The Great's lover. It is a great read and gives a good insight into life in the ancient world. The only downside is Renault's obvious hero-worship of Alexander, to the extent that she totally ignores any flaws in his character. Anyone that stands against Alexander is portrayed as envious, petty-minded and greedy. It could be argued that, as the story is told by the clearly besotted Bagoas, such a hagiography is only to b...more
Before reading this book, I had absolutely no interest in Alexander the Great. I feel differently now. As Renault says in her Author's Notes, "... no other human being has attracted in his lifetime, from so many men, so fervent a devotion."
Although I appreciated the account of Alexander's exploits and his many positive qualities (drive, fairness, generosity), at its heart this story is about his relationship with his eunuch slave-servant Bagoas and, even more, Bagoas' deep and abiding love for A...more
Although I appreciated the account of Alexander's exploits and his many positive qualities (drive, fairness, generosity), at its heart this story is about his relationship with his eunuch slave-servant Bagoas and, even more, Bagoas' deep and abiding love for A...more
I read this book, and "The Fire from Heaven" while taking the docent training course at the Museum of Fine Arts. The opportunity to guide visitors through the collections is incredibly satisfying in and of itself, but the benefits to the guides are immeasurable. Being exposed to art from all ages awakens our intelligence and makes us hungry for more, and thus, in learning about our art of the ancient world, I was introduced to Mary Renault.
If not the creator of the genre of historical fiction, R...more
If not the creator of the genre of historical fiction, R...more
Mary Renault is one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and this book was one of her best. It is about and narrated by Bagoas, a Persian who becomes a eunuch when his family is murdered and he is enslaved. He eventually becomes a sort of concubine to Darius and then lover to Alexander. His relationship with Alexander is one of real love and friendship, not of master and subject. The bulk of book concerns Bagoas' life with Alexander as he conquers the entirety of the middle east and part o...more
I first read this book at about 14, and it was my introduction to the idea that some men had sexual relationships with one another, and that some civilizations accepted it. At the time I was deeply into Alexander the Great, and this book added to my hunger for information and perspective on the life of this amazing man. Now, some 36 years later, I have to wonder if Mary Renault used the device of telling the story through the eyes of a slave boy - removed from Alexander and his lover - because s...more
Questo è probabilmente uno dei miei libri preferiti in assoluto, per di più scritto da una grande donna che ammiro e adoro per le tematiche che propone e lo stile con cui le descrive. 'Il Ragazzo Persiano' è uno dei suoi libri più famosi (l'unico che sono riuscita a trovare in Italiano, ma posso assicurare a tutti che vale assolutamente la pena di leggere le opere di questa autrice in l'inglese, la sua lingua originale, poiché ha uno stile incredibile ed una proprietà di linguaggio veramente ecc...more
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Mary Renault
AKA Eileen Mary Challans
Born: 4-Sep-1905
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 13-Dec-1983
Location of death: Cape Town, South Africa
Father: Frank Challans (physician)
Mother: Clementine Newsome Baxter
Sister: Joyce
Girlfriend: Julie Mullard (life-long companion)
High School: Clifton Girls School, Bristol, England
University: BA, St. Hugh's College, Oxford University (1928)
Medical School: Radcl...more
More about Mary Renault...
AKA Eileen Mary Challans
Born: 4-Sep-1905
Birthplace: London, England
Died: 13-Dec-1983
Location of death: Cape Town, South Africa
Father: Frank Challans (physician)
Mother: Clementine Newsome Baxter
Sister: Joyce
Girlfriend: Julie Mullard (life-long companion)
High School: Clifton Girls School, Bristol, England
University: BA, St. Hugh's College, Oxford University (1928)
Medical School: Radcl...more
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“It is better to believe in men too rashly, and regret, than believe too meanly. Men could be more than they are, if they would try for it. He has shown them that.”
—
11 people liked it
“I thought, There goes my lord, whom I was born to follow. I have found a King.
And, I said to myself, looking after him as he walked away, I will have him, if I die for it.”
—
9 people liked it
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And, I said to myself, looking after him as he walked away, I will have him, if I die for it.”

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Mar 19, 2013 03:43am
You're welcome:) Haha, poor Vivian;)
Mar 19, 2013 05:51am