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  • The Persian Boy

  • A Novel of Alexander the Great
  • By: Mary Renault
  • Narrated by: Roger May
  • Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (138 ratings)
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The Persian Boy cover art

The Persian Boy

By: Mary Renault
Narrated by: Roger May
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Summary

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

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)

What listeners say about The Persian Boy

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The Persian Boy

This has quickly become one of my favourite books of all time; and my favourite historical novel, too. Renault paints a picture of the past that is totally believable and wonderful; and she writes with such concision and preciseness, it’s super simple to read and impossible to drag yourself away.

This is the story of Alexander the Great as told through the eyes of hist most trusted and devoted lover, Bagoas, a eunuch who was the favourite of Darius III of Persia when he was overthrown and then became the attendant of Alexander. 20 hours of fantastic, ephemeral listening. I was weeping when it was over. Bagoas removed himself from history so we shall never know what happened to him.

This is the second in a trilogy but is perhaps Mary Renault’s seminal novel. It is very much about love and devotion in a world where same sex love was not a subject of controversy but an accepted and encouraged thing. And for her wide gay readership, this book was quite likely a lifeline. I wish I knew about this book when I was younger and going through the personal hell of figuring out my own sexuality. But they have a stronger role now: they validate that love and that love is the finest art.

A five star performance of a five star novel. I can’t wait to read more of Renault’s oeuvre.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

History fleshed out.

What a wonderful gift, to be able to flesh out historical characters in such a convincing way! Excellent narration, too.

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6 people found this helpful

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  • Mo
  • 02-02-22

enthralling

enjoyed every minute I read it first when I was in my twenties now over 70 I have enjoyed someone else read it to me, wonderful 😀

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great!

Great book. I need to write 13 more words to submit this, but my advise would be to just give it a listen.

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4 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Historical fiction from the perspective of Bagoas

Padding out what we know of the achievements of Alexander the Great from the imagined perspective of Bagoas, the Eunuch "inherited" from the Persian king whom he defeated. Enjoyable and well narrated. The only annoyance for me was the pronunciation of bier to rhyme with buyer.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Lovely story

Gorgeous story, enjoyed that very much. Well narrated too. Last hour was a slog. But overall well worth the time.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Intriguing

Excellent fictional biography of Alexander,seen through Bagoas' eyes. Great detail although Bagoas' adoration I found irritating at times,otherwise a very enjoyable read.

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great

Well I cried even though I knew what was coming. this was great. so consuming and heartbreaking.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thoroughly enjoyable

The first novel from Mary Renault I have tried. Thoroughly enjoyed it and intend to try a few more. Roger May did a wonderful job of narrating. I
I recommend it

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masterful

Beautifully written. Intensely involving and engaging and the ancient world comes to life. The descriptions of love and loving actions and the acceptance of fate were standouts. For me, a masterpiece
Roger May is superb at creating the different voices heard and his pacing gives a sense of authority and confidence to the story.

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2 people found this helpful