Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Song of Achilles
Madeline Miller
4/5 stars

Song of Achilles is a retelling of Achilles' part in the Trojan war, narrated by friend and lover Patroclus.  I was not particularly impressed with Miller's interpretation of the child Achilles, and I felt that her romance-telling skill was weak.  However, once Troy was reached, Miller's writing improved and she told the story excellently, with especially good use of metaphor and simile.

300

300
Frank Miller and Lynn Varley
Hardcover: 88 pages
Publisher: Dark Horse; 1098 edition (December 15, 1999)
5/5 stars


Wow! This graphic novel is a simply stunningly rendered telling of the Battle of Thermopylae. Is it "historical"? Not entirely, no, but then it never makes that claim. The Battle of Thermopylae has become as much legend as history and that is the treatment given in 300: legendary.

300 follows the Spartan King Leonidas as he takes his 300 warriors to stop the Persians. Leonidas is shown as a true Spartan hero and his wit and arrogance toward Xerxes along with his unflinching bravery make the reader (this one anyway) want to take up shield and spear and stand along side of him.

The art is so fitting for the story. Heavy lines, silhouettes, and much red spattering create the atmosphere needed for each frame. The eye is drawn forward--no pulled forward--and eagerly follows. The art tells as much of the story as does the words.

For those like me that had the misfortune to see the movie version first, never fear: the crappy wife subplot is NOT in this book! Huzzah! Nor is the blatantly off-putting, totally not Spartan image of the child Leonidas crying as he was being taken away from his mother for his trials.

Breathtaking and rousing from beginning to end, 300 is a nearly hero-worshipful retelling of a legend, not a historical thesis--and there is nothing wrong with that! Read it, enjoy it and find it haunting the memory for days to come.

~~Read for the Graphic Novels Challenge~~

Charity Girl by Georgette Heyer

Charity Girl 
Georgette Heyer
5/5 stars

I'll admit it openly and unashamedly: I am a Georgette Heyer fangirl. Anyone who knows me, knows that I simply don't read romances or chick lit, so this admission is a rather earth shattering.

I have been a Heyer fan, since that day in the library when, ever searching for something to recommend to a precocious early teens reader, our local librarian Jill turned to the other librarian Mary and said, "How about Georgette Heyer?". Mary, the Heyer reader, decreed that was an excellent idea, and lead me through the stacks to the H's, showed me the row of Heyer's novels and recommended one. It was love at first read. Since, I've tried other "Regency" authors, but my addiction is to Ms. Heyer, not to the genre of Regency Romance.

Ms. Heyer was excruciatingly historically accurate (to the annoyance of her critics) and filled her books with as much of the language and flavor of Regency England as she possibly could (another sore spot with critics). For a teenager with Asperger's, a predilection toward British history and a love of words, Ms. Heyer's Regency novels, full of such detailed depictions of high society life during this time, were gifts from heaven. I still read them anytime I want a lighter read, to escape completely and totally into another time.

Charity Girl has long been one of my favorites, since that first reading when I found myself surprised (due to slowness to pick up on social cues, even in books) with the ending couples. In this delightful novel, the Viscount Desford (quite the eligible bachelor), meets young (beneath her years) Charity Steane in the role of poor relation in her aunt's house. The next day, he literally runs across her as he is returning to London; she has run away from her unkind (though not cruel, but certainly not loving) aunt and is attempting to walk to London.

Desford knows that she is unsuspecting prey for any blackguard that drives by and does what any decent gentleman would do: he reluctantly becomes involved. His attempts to help Charity find a safe place send him from one shire to the next watering hole, looking for her grandfather. In the meantime, he has placed Charity in the charge of his best friend, Hetta, much to Hetta's chagrin. They've been friends since nursery days, though, and Hetta is persuaded to help him out this scrape, though she worries about the outcome.

Charity Girl is witty and intelligent, with a satisfying romantic conclusion. Her characters are lively and their dialogue is a joy to read. For light reading (though meatier than most light reading), one can't go wrong with this one.