aseelsalamah

This book was unlike any I have read before. I would rate the writing itself as 4.5 stars, but the content a 3 and that is overall how I would say I liked the book. Now, that might just be an insight into my reading habits, but I found it bordering on opposite extremes not like the title suggests. Also, anyone who has read that this is mainly about Aristotle and Alexander, I would suggest that synopsis is incorrect: it is pretty much a biography on Aristotle with Alexander obviously having a part of the famous philosopher's life. The author (who I met a few days ago at a lecture she gave) said as much that she wrote the book as a "reminder of who Aristotle was and what he did". I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction, although I would caution that the prose read more along the lines of what I would categorize as "historical literary fiction". The narrative is Aristotle in first-person and the language is modern (including expletives). The facts are impeccably researched and there is no sugar-coating the civilization and culture of the times but the prose is so succinct that I found it hard to follow the plot sometimes, though I would quickly pick it up again. I think this is why it is on one end a sometimes slightly frustrating and difficult read, yet this is what also gives "The Golden Mean" its academic charm, something that I think the author worked hard to acheive - finding the barely workable balance of no-frills prose and readability. That being said, the balance worked as I had a hard time putting the book down as the plot was always moving, the dialogue frequently shocking, and the characters were usually interesting. I would not recommend this for even younger teens as the content is definately 'R'-rated for language, sex, and some mild gore and violence. Consider the book (and I say this not mean-heartedly) a cross between the TV series, "Rome", an operating room reality show and Bill Nye the Science Guy.

2022-12-14 00:51