Journal Entry 1 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, December 02, 2007

Different cover art.

Book Description:
"In the story of the great lyric poet Simonides, Mary Renault brings alive a time in Greece when tyrants kept an unsteady rule and poetry, music, and royal patronage combined to produce a flowering of the arts.

Born into a stern farming family on the island of Keos, Simonides escapes his harsh childhood through a lucky apprenticeship with a renowned Ionian singer. As they travel through 5th century B.C. Greece, Simonides learns not only how to play the kithara and compose poetry, but also how to navigate the shifting alliances surrounding his rich patrons. He is witness to the Persian invasion of Ionia, to the decadent reign of the Samian pirate king Polykrates, and to the fall of the Pisistratids in the Athenian court. Along the way, he encounters artists, statesmen, athletes, thinkers, and lovers, including the likes of Pythagoras and Aischylos. Using the singer's unique perspective, Renault combines her vibrant imagination and her formidable knowledge of history to establish a sweeping, resilient vision of a golden century." 

Journal Entry 2 by crimson-tide from Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Saturday, November 08, 2008

Sending to jennymidget as a RABCK. 

Journal Entry 3 by crimson-tide at Balingup, Western Australia Australia on Sunday, November 09, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (11/9/2008 UTC) at Balingup, Western Australia Australia

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Releasing by post at the Balingup Post Office to jennymidget in Queensland. 

Journal Entry 4 by jennymidget from Bellbowrie, Queensland Australia on Monday, November 17, 2008

Thanks crimson-tide - it's been ages since I read any Mary Renault, and I think this one I haven't read at all! Her stuff's gorgeous, I'm looking forward to this! 

Journal Entry 5 by jennymidget from Bellbowrie, Queensland Australia on Tuesday, September 08, 2009

This was a new one for me - and while it's not an easy read (Renault's writing is very "grand epic" in style) it's beautiful, Simonides is a captivating character and his story of living and wprking with the "greats" of the Greek world is wonderful to read. (Though would have liked a bit stronger/longer of an ending!)

Off via BookObsessed.com relays to elsi in the USA... 

Journal Entry 6 by elsi from Sanger, Texas USA on Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Received in today's mail. I'm very glad to receive it.