Marathon

by W. William Winokur

An Odyssey of Self-Discovery Based on a True Story From the concrete canyons of lower Manhattan to the ruins of Ancient Greece, Marathon is a deeply personal tour de force of a woman who turns her back on the modern world in order to unravel the secrets of her past. Meet Marianna Gardner—intelligent, beautiful, successful, yet empty, sad and searching. Marianna is a partner in a prominent Manhattan law firm, but her rise to the top has come at a She has become so hardened that she missed her own father’s funeral. Enter Ion Theodore, a charming yet lonely old Greek man who has known Marianna since she was a child. A teacher, artist, and marathon runner, Ion is a man of uncommon experience and wisdom. When the two unexpectedly reconnect in a dilapidated Queens nursing home, Marianna finds herself entranced by "Uncle" Ion’s quiet life force. Soon after their meeting, Marianna finds herself compelled to accompany Ion on a pilgrimage back to his homeland of Greece. There she stumbles upon Ion’s hidden journals, with their tantalizing allusions to a lost obol, once possessed by Ion. It was the obol actually worn by Pheidippides, the legendary hero who ran from Marathon to Athens to warn the Greeks of the invading Persians. As Marianna unearths these secrets of the past, she also begins to see her own future and learns how her destiny is inescapably linked to Ion’s. Framed by the story of Pheidippides’ celebrated run, the novel is steeped in mythology and mystery. With a deft and certain hand, author W. William Winokur ponders the essential questions of life and death, the intersection of past and present, the struggle of duty versus passion, all while exploring one woman’s discovery of herself through ancient myths, lost journals, impossible loves, and timeless souls. Marathon is a richly imagined work that sets the conflict and intrigue of the ancient world against the reality of contemporary life. Compelling, thought provoking, and thoroughly engaging, Marathon is a powerful statement about the choices we make in life, and how to create a life worth living.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

478 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised to see how few have read this book.
This was a bit biography as well. A wonderful novel ~ a story within a story within a story.
Written from the heart.

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that really had me thinking throughout. It is a book about self-discovery and what we feel, as Americans, to be so very important in life. It reminds me a bit of a "Tuesdays with Morrie" type book. Marianna becomes reconnected with her "Uncle" Ion (friend of the family) and ends up taking him home to Greece and meanwhile learns some special and important things about herself. What is such an interesting story and then to find out that it is based upon the life of a real individual was really cool. There are alot of references to Greek Mythology and some of our favorites: Odysseus, Achilles, and most importantly the run of Pheidippides.
I really enjoyed and highly recommend this book.

[Bob Spears · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good read

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up at a library sale last year. It was an OK story, probably could have been better with some really good editing. I am guessing I would have rated it higher if I hadn't been so distracted by the typos and grammatical errors and the incidences of "would of" instead of "would have" that absolutely littered the pages of this book. The story is about Marianna, the one female partner in a high-powered NY law firm. She is so focused on work that she didn't even go to her father's funeral. After a time, she reconnects with her "Uncle" Ion, an old friend of her parents. He leads her on a journey of self-discovery that changes her life. The writing was a little self-conscious and the story was pretty cliche, but not bad for a first book. Apparently the "Ion" of the story is a real person who was one of the author's school teachers.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Greek native, I really enjoyed reading this book. I loved the interweaving of history, philosophy and the lives of these characters. It was an intriguing story. I must say however, that someone needs to go back and edit the book, literally. So many grammatical mistakes, the apostrophes for the plural and such, it was distracting at times. This is a story about a woman who is looking for more in her life, and she ends up finding even more of what she might have bargained for. I enjoyed how the author was drawn to this story, yet again, showing that teachers are powerful and heavily influential in people's lives.

[Kitty Tomlinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marianna, a partner in a New York law firm, misses her father's funeral but reconnects with an old family friend. She takes him to Greece to complete his life's mission and discovers herself in the process.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Marathon" is a wonderfully written book about self-discovery and redemption that points out the triviality of chasing career at the cost of everything else. While not a traditional romance novel, it shows the power of love much better than any bodice ripper paperback.

[Ted Kendall]

Jaimee brought me home a copy of this book and his other "Miracle Game" from the author's home.