Review of Pericles and Aspasia
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Jaidyn Taylor
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Review of Pericles and Aspasia
[Following is a volunteer review of "Pericles and Aspasia" by Yvonne Korshak.]
Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak, as the title shows, is the story of Ancient Greece. We follow the great war general Pericles, who does everything he can to fight for Athens. He tackles rebellions, wars, conflict within Athens, and a new democracy. However, things aren’t as they seem within Athens. Pericles finds his world about to turn upside down when a sea-washed young woman named Aspasia washes into his life.
The story begins with Aspasia escaping a band of pirates by jumping overboard and swimming to shore. After discovering she has washed ashore in Athens, she is able to find a cousin and gain sanctuary. While hiding from the pirates, Aspasia meets Pericles, and a scandalous romance begins. Risking his political and social career, Pericles visits Aspasia almost every night. After seeing her intellectual knowledge and love of the poet Homer, he sees her rarity and finds himself unable to stay away. As Pericles fights a re-election war, the war against Sparta and Samos pressing ever closer against Athens’ borders will test their forbidden love.
I am honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. There is little-to-no action involved, but I still found myself unable to stop reading. I don’t enjoy politics, but the politicking of these characters truly fascinated me. It was unique and exciting to read about Ancient Greece’s policies and politics by reading them through the eyes of ancient people. I loved seeing philosophers and war generals I had learned about in school as characters, such as Pericles, Sophocles, Herodotus, and others. It was also fun to see Greek mythology interwoven into the history of Athens. The politics of this book were easy to follow, which is part of why I enjoyed reading about it.
The relationship between Pericles and Aspasia happens quickly, but it feels natural. I was rooting for them despite not knowing their characters well yet. I also love how the characters narrated the various poems and myths to the reader. It’s like I’m reading a book within a book, and it helped immerse me in the story. I also appreciate that there’s a list of characters with a map of Greece for reference at the end of the book.
I found nothing to dislike about this book. The writing is exceptional; the characters are well-written, and the historical references are well-researched and fun to read. While I found a couple of punctuation mistakes, it wasn’t enough to detract from the story or reduce the score. Therefore, they professionally edited this book, and I give Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak a 5 out of 5 stars.
Those interested in history and Greek mythology will find this book enjoyable. There is no vulgar language, sexual scenes, or blood and gore, so Pericles and Aspasia is well suited to a wide range of people.
******
Pericles and Aspasia
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak, as the title shows, is the story of Ancient Greece. We follow the great war general Pericles, who does everything he can to fight for Athens. He tackles rebellions, wars, conflict within Athens, and a new democracy. However, things aren’t as they seem within Athens. Pericles finds his world about to turn upside down when a sea-washed young woman named Aspasia washes into his life.
The story begins with Aspasia escaping a band of pirates by jumping overboard and swimming to shore. After discovering she has washed ashore in Athens, she is able to find a cousin and gain sanctuary. While hiding from the pirates, Aspasia meets Pericles, and a scandalous romance begins. Risking his political and social career, Pericles visits Aspasia almost every night. After seeing her intellectual knowledge and love of the poet Homer, he sees her rarity and finds himself unable to stay away. As Pericles fights a re-election war, the war against Sparta and Samos pressing ever closer against Athens’ borders will test their forbidden love.
I am honestly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. There is little-to-no action involved, but I still found myself unable to stop reading. I don’t enjoy politics, but the politicking of these characters truly fascinated me. It was unique and exciting to read about Ancient Greece’s policies and politics by reading them through the eyes of ancient people. I loved seeing philosophers and war generals I had learned about in school as characters, such as Pericles, Sophocles, Herodotus, and others. It was also fun to see Greek mythology interwoven into the history of Athens. The politics of this book were easy to follow, which is part of why I enjoyed reading about it.
The relationship between Pericles and Aspasia happens quickly, but it feels natural. I was rooting for them despite not knowing their characters well yet. I also love how the characters narrated the various poems and myths to the reader. It’s like I’m reading a book within a book, and it helped immerse me in the story. I also appreciate that there’s a list of characters with a map of Greece for reference at the end of the book.
I found nothing to dislike about this book. The writing is exceptional; the characters are well-written, and the historical references are well-researched and fun to read. While I found a couple of punctuation mistakes, it wasn’t enough to detract from the story or reduce the score. Therefore, they professionally edited this book, and I give Pericles and Aspasia: A Story of Ancient Greece by Yvonne Korshak a 5 out of 5 stars.
Those interested in history and Greek mythology will find this book enjoyable. There is no vulgar language, sexual scenes, or blood and gore, so Pericles and Aspasia is well suited to a wide range of people.
******
Pericles and Aspasia
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Flowers in Grandma's Garden by Dr. Julie McDonnell
