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Men of Athens
Warner, Rex, Men Of Athens
264 pages, Hardcover
Published October 3, 1972
15 people want to read
About the author
Rex Warner
84 books24 followersRex Warner was an English classicist, writer and translator. He is now probably best remembered for The Aerodrome (1941), an allegorical novel whose young hero is faced with the disintegration of his certainties about his loved ones and with a choice between the earthy, animalistic life of his home village and the pure, efficient, emotionally detached life of an airman.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 15, 2023
I read this because it was an addition to my vintage Newbery collection.
How was this a Newbery Honor book?? This is in no way a children's or youth's book. It would serve very well as a main text for a 300-400 level college course on Ancient Greece (coming from a reader who holds a Master's degree).
The content is pretty comprehensive, covering political, cultural, and historical aspects of the golden years of Ancient Greece, from Pericles to Socrates. It is chock full of great photos of architecture, art, and sculptures. Each chapter is like a university lecture on the given topic, which includes discussions of key figures, relations between city-states and outside people, and even reviews/critiques of plays and how they related within their own time and to Shakespearean and modern society.
So the content is substantial and holds much of interest. But the level is heavy, high-brow, academic. I haven't encountered a single teen or kid who would have stuck out the whole first chapter, let alone 250 pages. (And where was an editor who knew how to use commas?)
Not a bad book - just not an easy read for an adult, and certainly not Newbery material. The author must have had an "in" to that year's committee. heh.
How was this a Newbery Honor book?? This is in no way a children's or youth's book. It would serve very well as a main text for a 300-400 level college course on Ancient Greece (coming from a reader who holds a Master's degree).
The content is pretty comprehensive, covering political, cultural, and historical aspects of the golden years of Ancient Greece, from Pericles to Socrates. It is chock full of great photos of architecture, art, and sculptures. Each chapter is like a university lecture on the given topic, which includes discussions of key figures, relations between city-states and outside people, and even reviews/critiques of plays and how they related within their own time and to Shakespearean and modern society.
So the content is substantial and holds much of interest. But the level is heavy, high-brow, academic. I haven't encountered a single teen or kid who would have stuck out the whole first chapter, let alone 250 pages. (And where was an editor who knew how to use commas?)
Not a bad book - just not an easy read for an adult, and certainly not Newbery material. The author must have had an "in" to that year's committee. heh.
Displaying 1 of 1 review