Review of Pericles and Aspasia
Posted: 21 Nov 2022, 14:35
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pericles and Aspasia" by Yvonne Korshak.]
Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak is a historical fiction that takes the reader back to the ancient times of Greece, where Aspasia meets Pericles after she escapes pirates who want to sell her along with her father's scrolls in Athens. Aspasia and Pericles fall in love despite their relationship's many differences and obstacles. Aspasia is a foreigner without citizenship, and she is a prostitute. Pericles is married to Aristocleia and has two sons. Pericles had created a law that forbade citizens from marrying foreigners. This law leaves Aspasia wondering what her future in Athens will hold for her. The Spartan tyrant rebels against Athens's democracy, and Pericles goes to war. What will Pericles do about his love for Aspasia? Will the Athenians defeat the Spartans? Are the laws made for a community as a whole justified, or should they be changed?
Yvonne Korshak did an excellent job writing this story about the ancient times of Greece and the mythology surrounding the Gods. I have read a lot of Greek mythology, and I do not remember ever reading about Zeus giving birth to Athena through his head. The characteristics of the people and their impact on the world during the Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age were interesting to read. I appreciate that the author differentiated correspondence between the characters from the rest of the text using bold and italic print. As with much Greek mythology during ancient times, this story has an abundance of philosophical paradoxes. One example of a paradox that one philosopher pointed out to Pericles was that "you can almost always turn a loss into a win." My favorite life lesson in this book is "the man working only for himself is working against the rest." At the end of the book, you will find a list of characters, research sources, quotation sources, and a map of the 432 BC Greece and Aegean regions showing the influence of Athens and Sparta.
Although this is a long book, with 557 pages and many Greek terms, I disliked nothing about it. I am happy to see that a sequel to this book is coming soon. I will enjoy reading more about Pericles and Aspasia's fate.
This book has been professionally edited and has only two minor errors that a professional editor may have missed. The only rating this book deserves is 5 out of 5 stars. Nothing in this book warrants the deduction of a star.
Fans of Greek mythology, history, philosophy, and romance books are the ones I recommend this book to. Sensitive readers need to be cautioned about some gory content involving animal sacrifices, and there is minimal non-borderline profanity.
******
Pericles and Aspasia
View: on Bookshelves
Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak is a historical fiction that takes the reader back to the ancient times of Greece, where Aspasia meets Pericles after she escapes pirates who want to sell her along with her father's scrolls in Athens. Aspasia and Pericles fall in love despite their relationship's many differences and obstacles. Aspasia is a foreigner without citizenship, and she is a prostitute. Pericles is married to Aristocleia and has two sons. Pericles had created a law that forbade citizens from marrying foreigners. This law leaves Aspasia wondering what her future in Athens will hold for her. The Spartan tyrant rebels against Athens's democracy, and Pericles goes to war. What will Pericles do about his love for Aspasia? Will the Athenians defeat the Spartans? Are the laws made for a community as a whole justified, or should they be changed?
Yvonne Korshak did an excellent job writing this story about the ancient times of Greece and the mythology surrounding the Gods. I have read a lot of Greek mythology, and I do not remember ever reading about Zeus giving birth to Athena through his head. The characteristics of the people and their impact on the world during the Golden Age, Silver Age, and Bronze Age were interesting to read. I appreciate that the author differentiated correspondence between the characters from the rest of the text using bold and italic print. As with much Greek mythology during ancient times, this story has an abundance of philosophical paradoxes. One example of a paradox that one philosopher pointed out to Pericles was that "you can almost always turn a loss into a win." My favorite life lesson in this book is "the man working only for himself is working against the rest." At the end of the book, you will find a list of characters, research sources, quotation sources, and a map of the 432 BC Greece and Aegean regions showing the influence of Athens and Sparta.
Although this is a long book, with 557 pages and many Greek terms, I disliked nothing about it. I am happy to see that a sequel to this book is coming soon. I will enjoy reading more about Pericles and Aspasia's fate.
This book has been professionally edited and has only two minor errors that a professional editor may have missed. The only rating this book deserves is 5 out of 5 stars. Nothing in this book warrants the deduction of a star.
Fans of Greek mythology, history, philosophy, and romance books are the ones I recommend this book to. Sensitive readers need to be cautioned about some gory content involving animal sacrifices, and there is minimal non-borderline profanity.
******
Pericles and Aspasia
View: on Bookshelves