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The Persian Boy
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 19 hrs and 57 mins
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The Persian Boy
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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.
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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What listeners say about The Persian Boy
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 11-03-24
Good story, sensitively read.
Revisiting a book read many years ago so not quite sure what to expect but one of the best narrations I’ve listened to, thank you to Roger May !
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 19-03-23
UNCONQUERED
Listened to and read for a WEA course on the author. Lovely narration and a brilliant book. Even better than ‘fire from
Heaven’ plus a chapter of ‘funeral games
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- ginette newton
- 29-05-21
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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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 20-04-21
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- bibliophile
- 05-08-16
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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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark Brown
- 18-04-21
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
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- emrys
- 25-01-21
Brilliant !
An excellent novel, replete with battles and descriptions of the time of Alexander. Without doubt, this is one of Mary Renault's best books. She really "brings to life" the .atmosphere of the time. I was truly sorry when I finished the story I enjoyed it so much.
The narrator was first class. He ensured the novel became completely enjoyable.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Sas
- 02-12-20
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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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Susan Lee
- 06-01-22
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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2 people found this helpful