The Last of the Wine: a Virago Modern Classic Free

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Combining the scholarship of a historian with the imagination of a novelist, Mary Renault brings the ancient Greek stage thrillingly to life. Set in fourth-century B. At first his mascot, the mask gradually becomes his conscience, and he refers to it his gravest decisions, when he finds himself at the centre of a political crisis in which the philosopher Plato is also involved. Much of the action is set in Syracuse, where Plato's friend Dion is trying to persuade the young tyrant Dionysios the Younger to accept the rule of law. Through Nikeratos' eyes, the reader watches as the clash between the two unleashes all the pent-up violence in the city. Mary Renault is a shining light to both historical novelists and their readers. She does not pretend the past is like the present, or that the people of ancient Greece were just like us. She shows us their strangeness; discerning, sure-footed, challenging our values, piquing our curiosity, she leads us through an alien landscape that moves and delights us. I never learned Latin or Greek; I wasn't raised on the classics, even in translation. So all my sense of the ancient world - its values, its style, the scent of its wars and passions - comes from Mary Renault. I turned to writing historical fiction because of something I learned from Renault: that it lets you shake off the mental shackles of your own era, all the categories and labels, and write freely about what really matters to you. Mary Renault's portraits of the ancient world are fierce, complex and eloquent, infused at every turn with her life-long passion for the Classics. Her characters live vividly both in their own time, and in ours. There's much to say about her interweaving of myth and history and, just as interestingly, The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic much to wonder at in the way she fills in the large dark spaces where we know next to nothing about the times she describes. She trained as a nurse at Oxford's Radcliffe Infirmary, where she met her lifelong partner, Julie Mullard. Her first novel, Purposes of Lovewas published in There, The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic was able to write forthrightly about homosexual relationships for the first time - in her masterpiece, The Charioteerand then in her first historical novel, The Last of the Wine Renault's vivid novels set in the ancient world brought her worldwide fame. The Light of Evening. The World According to Anna. The Abyssinian Proof. The Camel Bookmobile. The Unfinished Novel and Other stories. From the Place in the Valley Deep in the Forest. Self's Punishment. Your cart Close. Go Search. Download Image Download Image. Imprint Virago Virago. More books The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic Mary Renault. Left loading Readers also viewed. Find a book you'll love, get our newsletter name email. YES I have read and consent to Hachette Australia using my personal information or data as set out in its Privacy Policy and I understand I have the right to withdraw my consent at any time. This website uses cookies. Using this website means you are okay with this but you can find out more and learn how to manage your cookie choices here. Close cookie policy overlay. The Complete Virago Modern Classic Collection | Hachette UK

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault. In The Last of the Winetwo young Athenians, Alexias and Lysis, compete in the The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic, journey to the Olympic games, fight in the wars against Sparta, and study under Socrates. As their relationship develops, Renault expertly conveys Greek culture, showing the impact of this The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic philosopher whose influence spans epochs. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. Published July 10th by Vintage first published More Details Original Title. Other Editions Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about The Last of the Wineplease sign up. I've read that Mary Renault's publisher, Longmans, forced her to drop a huge portion of this novel as much as 40, wordseven after she had done her best to trim. Does anyone know if portions of the unpublished parts are available to read on line? Mymymble I think Michael Sweetman, her biographer, said Renault's partner Julie unwillingly destroyed all her papers as requested in her will. So no. Some of th …more I think Michael Sweetman, her biographer, said Renault's partner Julie unwillingly destroyed all her papers as requested in her will. Some of the deleted stuff was allegedly about Alexis' campaign with Alcibiades. See 1 question about The Last of the Wine…. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of The Last of the Wine. Jul 19, Pauline Montagna rated it it was amazing. Although I read them all as a teenager, many years ago, their beauty and humanity are still a strong influence. While The King Must Die and the Alexandrian books may have had a stronger impact, it is the delicacy of the relationship between the young lovers portrayed in The Last of the Wine that remains with me. But her empathy goes even further. Even classicists have found her depiction of the physical and spiritual ambiance of Ancient Greece so accurate as to be uncanny. It says a lot about a book that you feel a terrible sadness as you approach the final pages. It was a sense of loss not only of the characters but for the characters, for The Last of the Wine is a novel about loss, not only of youth and love, but of something much more profound, of honour. The story is narrated by Alexias and tells of his growth into manhood in Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars. Through the novel we learn about the ins and outs of the wars, but, more importantly, we learn about the lives and beliefs of the Athenians. Speaking through her narrator, Renault enters deep into their world view, taking for granted, as her narrator does, their spiritual beliefs, their lore and their laws. From the very first chapter we are thrust into a world totally foreign to our own, but portrayed entirely on its own terms. Alexias is born, small and puny, during a disastrous plague. His father, known as Myron the Beautiful, is on the verge of exposing him when he learns that his younger brother has died. Myron is distressed that he is not able to retrieve their bodies so as to bury them together. On returning home he sees that his wife has taken to the baby and does not have the heart to take it from her. Renault was often criticised for her portrayal of women in her Greek novels, but she is only showing their actual position in Athenian society. Women are bound to the house and the household. Their honour resides in remaining invisible and nameless. Indeed, it is considered disrespectful of a woman even to talk about her. If a woman is seen in public, she is either The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic slave or a courtesan. Men in their thirties marry teenage girls, girls that they think of as children, and that they expect to train as their ideal housekeeper. It is no wonder that in such a world, men would look to other men for their emotional and sexual relationships. It is such an accepted and normalised part of life that Alexias pities his friend Xenophon because he seems incapable of loving a man. But these relationships are heavily circumscribed. Boys are expected to be courted by older suitors from an early age, but their honour resides in choosing a friend who is honourable and will be a fitting mentor, for this relationship is meant to prepare the boy for manhood. The beautiful, thoughtful and brave Lysis is just such an ideal suitor. After all she was writing in the sthat verge on the frustrating. I was also interested to note that although Alexias and Lysis become friends when Alexias is sixteen, they do not become lovers until he is eighteen. Yet, at the same time, I cannot remember being so frustrated when I first read this so many years ago. Perhaps to a sheltered girl, these hints were enough, for I have a clear memory of the moment they become lovers. And as a romantic teenager, I probably saw that preliminary time of passion and restraint as an expected prelude to a sexual relationship. What is it saying about me, my age and my times that, on this reading, The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic kept wondering what was taking them so long? But this story is not only about sexual politics. Mary Renault was writing in a time of political turmoil and this is reflected in The Last of the Wine. The Athens Alexias is born into is a city of high ideals — a city of beauty, honour, the search for truth and democracy. But through the course of the war, all of these ideals are slowly lost or corrupted. Respect for the law and the person are eroded. The democracy Alexias values is undermined and overturned. The victorious Spartans establish an oligarchic government which turns into a ruthless tyranny. Alexias feels this decay deeply as his own honour is bound up in his city. Disillusioned, he and Lysis leave Athens to join The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic rebellion against its rulers. The oligarchy is defeated, but the democracy that replaces it sadly promises to become a tyranny of the banal. Her empathy for the times and people she portrays, her poetic use of language and her vision can only be emulated by other writers, but, I fear, rarely equalled. View all 6 comments. Shelves: masterpieces. Later edit 29th The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic Oct, I said in my review there is no sex in this book, but I have to scratch that. After a 24 hours debate literally with Teal and Moony we got to the conclusion this book contains one of the greatest sex scenes ever The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic in history, you just have to look beyond the symbolism. A Masters thesis could be written from the sentence analysis we did, lol. The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic to Teal for opening our eyes to see it. This book will rip your heart apart from the first paragraph, and will continue its sweet, beautiful torture till the end. It will leave an emptiness inside you and a longing for something I still cannot put my finger on what it is. We see him grow into a man and fall in love with Lysis. If the gods had not forbidden it, my brother, I would put you to sleep before I left you, for night comes on; this is an empty place, and the The Last of the Wine: A Virago Modern Classic look dark upon the mountains. But the blood of kindred is not to be washed away; and when a man has once felt the breath of the Honoured Ones upon his neck, he will not bid them across the threshold. So forgive me, and suffer what must be. The clouds are heavy; if the gods love you, before morning there will be snow. And if I see any reviews with "I'm dropping this because there is no sex" I'm gonna be very heartbroken. View all 32 comments. Jan 14, Terry rated it really liked it Shelves: historical-fiction. Renault once again does a stellar job bringing Classical Greece to life with the story of Alexias, scion of a minor patrician family in Athens during the era when the city felt turmoil both from within and from without as they experienced not only the aggression of Sparta during Peloponnesian War, but also the existence of philosopher and iconoclast Sokrates. At its core this is a tale about love, primarily the love of Alexias for his best friend and lover Lysis; though it is also about the diff Renault once again does a stellar job bringing Classical Greece to life with the story of Alexias, scion of a minor patrician family in Athens during the era when the city felt turmoil both from within and from without as they experienced not only the aggression of Sparta during Peloponnesian War, but also the existence of philosopher and iconoclast Sokrates.