The Persian Boy cover art

The Persian Boy

A Novel of Alexander the Great

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The Persian Boy

By: Mary Renault
Narrated by: Roger May
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About this listen

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 is sold as a courtesan to King Darius of Persia, but finds freedom with Alexander the Great after the Macedon army conquers his homeland.

Their relationship sustains Alexander as he weathers assassination plots, the demands of two foreign wives, a sometimes mutinous army, and his own ferocious temper. After Alexander's mysterious death, we are left wondering if this Persian boy understood the great warrior and his ambitions better than anyone.

©1972 Mary Renault (P)2014 Audible Studios Ancient Historical Fiction

Critic Reviews

"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." (Madeline Miller)

"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." (Emma Donoghue)
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This is an epic book for an epic subject, and I enjoyed every bit of its length, detail and authenticity. I have a real sense of understanding of Alexander and his time. It does not paint a picture of him as a perfect person but a believable one.

Great story perfectly told

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I found that the second half was more appealing than the first, if I hadn't finished the first book with pleasure I would never have got to the better half of this one. I recommend it for people who found the other book 5/5, maybe even 4/5, but I won't be listening to the 3rd.

performance was once again good.

enjoyed book one, didn't love this one.

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