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The Last of the Wine
The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic | Mary Renault
9 posts | 12 read | 7 to read
Athens and Sparta, the mighty city states of ancient Greece, locked together in a quarter century of conflict: the Peloponnesian War. Alexias the Athenian was born, passed through childhood and grew to manhood in those troubled years, that desperate and dangerous epoch when the golden age of Pericles was declining into uncertainty and fear for the future. Of good family, he and his friends are brought up and educated in the things of the intellect and in athletic and martial pursuits. They learn to hunt and to love, to wrestle and to question. And all the time his star of destiny is leading him towards the moment when he must stand alongside his greatest friend Lysis in the last great clash of arms between the cities.
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Ruthiella
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My first #10BeforetheEnd book. I did enjoy it, particularly in its frank depiction of ancient Athens society during the Peloponnesian Wars. The main character comes from a noble Athenian family and Renault doesn‘t try to hide the ways Athenian culture differs from our modern sense of morality or ethics. At the heart of this is a love story between two men, which was completely accepted then. It was a slow and dense read, but worth the time.

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Ruthiella
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#WhereareyouMonday

Today finds me in Ancient Greece during the Peloponnesian Wars following the fate of young Alexias, an Athenian noble, as he matures, meets his mentor and lover Lysis, becomes a soldier and sailor… He also encounters Socrates, Plato, and other famous Greek names which have come down to us through history. Slow read, but satisfying.

LeahBergen I haven‘t read a Renault in ages. I should grab one off my shelves! 3w
Ruthiella @LeahBergen It‘s super slooooow. The other two from Renault that I have read were a lot plottier: The Persian Boy and (edited) 3w
LeahBergen Oh, is it? The two I‘ve read are The King Must Die and The Bull From the Sea. And maybe another one? 🤔 3w
48 likes3 comments
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Ruthiella
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I‘ve started in on my #10BeforetheEnd pile! I need to ignore the lure of library books! 🤞

ChaoticMissAdventures I just picked up my library books which are not on my list 😂. 4w
kspenmoll Ignoring library books is hard for me- I keep taking out new books which means I only have a short time to read them. 4w
LeahBergen And a couple of Persephones! 🩶 4w
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Ruthiella @ChaoticMissAdventures The struggle is real! 😂 4w
Ruthiella @kspenmoll Me too! I am always juggling due dates. 4w
Ruthiella @LeahBergen One was a gift but the other I found in a library book sale, which was a rare find in my experience. 🩶 4w
AmyG Ooooo Barbara Vine. A huge favorite! 4w
Ruthiella @AmyG I‘ve definitely enjoyed the few other novels I‘ve read from her before. She‘s very good at understanding the psychological motivations of her characters. 4w
Billypar I can't say enough good things about My Name Is Red - one of my all-time favorite murder mysteries. 3w
Ruthiella @Billypar it‘s a murder mystery? I had no idea! I just picked it up at a library sale based on Pamuk‘s fame as a Turkish author. 3w
Billypar I'm sure people would hyphenate it to "literary-murder mystery" but to me, that's often code for when the murder plot is kind of in the background. But it's front and center in this. 3w
sarahbarnes I want to read more Atkinson! 3w
Ruthiella @Billypar Murder mysteries are my kryptonite! Now I‘m doubly looking forward to it. 3w
Ruthiella @sarahbarnes I aspire to some day becoming an Atkinson completist! 🤞 3w
BarbaraBB What an attractive pile of books 📚 3w
Ruthiella @BarbaraBB All I want to do is read them all at once! Alas, I have to go to work. 😅 3w
AmyG She is Ruth Rendell….if you just like a good mystery. Yes, Vine writes with a psychological view which I just love. 3w
63 likes17 comments
review
KCofKaysville
Last of the Wine | Mary Renault
Mehso-so

OK but not an easy read. About a young man in Athens in ancient Greece. Good support for having a democracy. This took me awhile to get through. I liked her Alexander historical novels a little better when I read them long ago. Includes a lot of Greek terms but has a glossary at the end.

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KCofKaysville
Last of the Wine | Mary Renault
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I'm starting a historical novel about ancient Greece. I've read a couple by her many years ago and picked up this one at a Thrift store.

25 likes1 stack add
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Dolly
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Am I the only person who hates it when the author‘s name appears in larger type? I also dislike when the publisher makes you work to figure out the title by rearranging letters etc. I want to know the author is the author and not the title. If you want me to read your book don‘t play games! 😡 Signed Grumpy Reader

Reggie Lol, I love this. 5y
Dolly Lol! I‘ve been wanting to state this many times and this book was particularly annoying. I couldn‘t hold back any longer! 🤯 Does this bother you too? (edited) 5y
35 likes2 comments
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brindille
Mehso-so

My problem was that I wanted it to be something it was not. But it's such an interesting read nonetheless with definitely a deep look into the Ancient Greek society. I just wasn't completely swept by it.

#thelastofthewine #ancientgreece #lgbt #mythology

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brindille
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"'When I marry myself,' he said, 'that is just about the age I shall look for [talking about a 14 years old girl]; before they get their heads full of notions, and while there is still time to train them in orderly ways.'"

This is a quote I read today. I also donated to the Breast Cancer Research and got myself a nice little bracelet! All in all, this wasn't a wasted day.

#thelastofthewine #breastcancerresearch #feminism

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jessberk13
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Yeah, I would probably try to spear someone too if they took the last of the wine. 🍷🍷🍷#ebookdeal

Alytrue 😂😂😂 8y
read.run.travel This is everything 😂 8y
Zelma Yes!!! 😡 🍷 😂 8y
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Anei Mary Renault is great, I LOVED 'The King Must Die'. 8y
Jaki Did you read it, or just laugh at the title? 'Cause I'm struggling to get past that 😀😀😀😭😭😭😂😂😂 8y
jessberk13 @Jaki just the title 😂 8y
57 likes6 comments