Review of The Fox
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Review of The Fox
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Fox" by M. N. J. Butler.]
The Fox by M. N. J. Butler is a historical fiction based in the city of Athens and Sparta. The narrator of the book is Leotychdes. He is a historian and writer who has been asked to record the history of the war years by the present king. While working on his manuscript, our protagonist, Leotychides, loses his train of thought and finds himself wondering about his childhood days. This narrative is peppered with a swerve between past and present. The narrator also has a curious company with him who continues to pour some philosophical questions now and then.
The writing style of the story is archaic and I found myself struggling a bit to understand the story as the narrator began it. The lack of recognition of the narrator and numerous instances of mythical stories had me confused. I had to Google the names to have a better perspective about the events going on. As the story moves further, especially after the first few chapters, the interest is piqued up in the characters and the character development. There were elements of politics, common life, growth and development, events and sports and many other daily life aspects of the Greek lifestyle.
I liked most the intrigue created by the author with a tone of sadness in the story. Even when the story talks about the events of childhood mischief, there is a sad tone in the story. This is something that not all can achieve and demands a special talent to accomplish.
I liked least the ambiguous narration of the story. Even at places where a straightforward answer would have been sufficient, the author opted for ornamentation and ambiguity. This was something that troubled me and I had to read and reread those paragraphs to understand what the author was trying to explain. It felt like the author had gone too far into reviving the archaic elements of storytelling.
I will give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This is because the story is an entertaining and informative piece of literature that satisfies my interest in Greek mythology and the history of Greek kingdoms. Only if the writing style was a bit easier to comprehend, the experience of reading would have been much faster and better for many readers. Most contemporary readers prefer the easiness of the language nowadays. Other than that, I immensely enjoyed this book.
Overall, it is a story worth reading. If you are interested in reading stories related to Sparta and Athens and other Greek cities and the Greek way of living and surviving, this just might be the book for you
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Fox by M. N. J. Butler is a historical fiction based in the city of Athens and Sparta. The narrator of the book is Leotychdes. He is a historian and writer who has been asked to record the history of the war years by the present king. While working on his manuscript, our protagonist, Leotychides, loses his train of thought and finds himself wondering about his childhood days. This narrative is peppered with a swerve between past and present. The narrator also has a curious company with him who continues to pour some philosophical questions now and then.
The writing style of the story is archaic and I found myself struggling a bit to understand the story as the narrator began it. The lack of recognition of the narrator and numerous instances of mythical stories had me confused. I had to Google the names to have a better perspective about the events going on. As the story moves further, especially after the first few chapters, the interest is piqued up in the characters and the character development. There were elements of politics, common life, growth and development, events and sports and many other daily life aspects of the Greek lifestyle.
I liked most the intrigue created by the author with a tone of sadness in the story. Even when the story talks about the events of childhood mischief, there is a sad tone in the story. This is something that not all can achieve and demands a special talent to accomplish.
I liked least the ambiguous narration of the story. Even at places where a straightforward answer would have been sufficient, the author opted for ornamentation and ambiguity. This was something that troubled me and I had to read and reread those paragraphs to understand what the author was trying to explain. It felt like the author had gone too far into reviving the archaic elements of storytelling.
I will give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This is because the story is an entertaining and informative piece of literature that satisfies my interest in Greek mythology and the history of Greek kingdoms. Only if the writing style was a bit easier to comprehend, the experience of reading would have been much faster and better for many readers. Most contemporary readers prefer the easiness of the language nowadays. Other than that, I immensely enjoyed this book.
Overall, it is a story worth reading. If you are interested in reading stories related to Sparta and Athens and other Greek cities and the Greek way of living and surviving, this just might be the book for you
******
The Fox
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Last City of America by Matthew Tysz
