The Golden Mean

Disappointed

2 months ago

I persevered with this novel until I'd read about two thirds of it, at which point I had to quit reading because the story seemed to be going nowhere and yet jumping from one topic to another nonsensically. Many passages seemed misplaced, without a point, and chronologically confused.

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interesting read

2 months ago

When you realize that the story is mostly based on real life, the book becomes more interesting. It is a good read and makes you think of lives led by great minds and conquerors

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• 4 people found this helpful

Aristotle and Alexander Sizzle

2 months ago

Annabel Lyon's The Golden Mean is an audacious novel about Aristotle's tutoring of the hot-blooded young warrior Alexander the Great in the years before he becomes king of Macedon at age twenty. Aristotle's quirky, scientific view of life unfolds in language that is startlingly contemporary, both in the sense of modern and of rooted in 4th century BC. Lyon's prose jumps with life, takes risks, defies gravity. We know we are in for a remarkable read when, early in the novel, we eavesdrop on… + read more

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Good read but not as expected

2 months ago

I was very excited about this book, maybe too much... I found it engaging at the beginning but then the interest faded little by little. The story is almost exclusively about Aristotle and there is only a little about Alexander and about how the philosopher helped the young prince become the man who conquered everything he wanted to. I was expecting and hoping the story to be mainly focused on the dialogs between them and on the life lessons Aristotle must have taught. I still consider the book… + read more

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• 1 person found this helpful

The Golden Mean

2 months ago

I thought this an excellent book and really enjoyed it. It brought Aristotle and Alexander to life and made them totally familiar. I wish it had been longer. It's a book I shall definitely keep and read again.

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• 19 people found this helpful

Lyon has the Midas Touch

4 months ago

I thought The Golden Mean was a thought provoking account of the intimate and influential relationship between Aristotle and Alexander the Great. As a lover of Historical fiction, I am so happy to see a book like this short listed for the Giller. Kudos to Annabel Lyon for writing such an inspiring piece of literature. If you liked this make sure to pick up Alexander: Child of a Dream. The first book of the international bestselling Alexander trilogy by Valerio Massimo Manfredi.

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