Beginning with Alexander's childhood in Macedonia with his abusive father, tyrannical King Philip and his overbearing mother Olympias - educated by Aristotle and trained in the military training - he develops the fierce character, strength, and ambition to overthrow his abusive father and take the crown. Meanwhile, in the wilds of the Siberian steppe, Alestria is queen of the Amazons - the tribe of female warriors who dominate this vast land at the edge of the known world. Switching between the distinct voices of Alexander, Alestria, and Tania (the queen's loyal follower and confidante), Shan Sa brings the reader to the center of harsh physical and emotional battles. After Alexander conquers and unifies all of ancient Greece and Egypt and sets out to the Orient to conquer his rival, King Darius of Persia, Alexander and Alestria first encounter each other on the battlefield; surprised to find that his adversary is a woman, Alexander is instantly smitten: her hair is long and black, her body muscular and bronzed, and her skin scarred from years of battle. And at last, this independent woman who had renounced men has found a reason to leave her tribe. This book is beautifully translated by Adriana Hunter (who also translated the critically acclaimed "Empress").
Alexander and Alestria: A Novel (P.S.)
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Review
"Sa, author of Empress (2006), takes a huge historical leap in this entertaining fictional biography of Alexander the Great. . . . Romance, action, and intrigue combine to set the stage for a pageturning romp through alternate history.--Booklist
About the Author
Shan Sa was born in Beijing, began writing at the age of seven, and had her first poems, essays, and stories published at the age of eight. In 1990 she moved to Paris, where she learned French, studied philosophy, and worked for the famous painter Balthus. In 2001 her novel The Girl Who Played Go won the Goncourt Prize and earned critical acclaim worldwide. Shan Sa is also a celebrated painter with prominent exhibitions in Paris and New York.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2.6 out of 5 stars
8 reviews
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not up to par
4 Aug 2008
By kylastyles
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
First, I have to say that I loved Shan Sa's other two books, "The Girl Who Played Go" and "Empress". So, with that said, it was really disappointing that this one wasn't up to par. I actually regret buying it. I know that the hope of sex scenes can drive a reader to turn pages (a trick Ms. Sa employed quite well for "Empress"), but to only rely on that one trick for the entire first half of the book-- meaning that the only "meat" sorry to say for the first half of the book is one sexual encounter after another-- was just too low for me. Following that, the remainder of the book is washed out by grandiose talking up of oneself by not one, but three separate narrators.
I'd like to write something nicer about this book but it was honestly hard to stay interested in the thin plot line weighted down with cheap tricks. For the reader that desires more substance in their books, I heartily recommend "The Girl Who Played Go" or "Empress".
I'd like to write something nicer about this book but it was honestly hard to stay interested in the thin plot line weighted down with cheap tricks. For the reader that desires more substance in their books, I heartily recommend "The Girl Who Played Go" or "Empress".
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book- couldn't put it down!
1 Aug 2010
By Edith
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm not sure why this book has received so many bad reviews, except to say that if you're not a fan of Shan Sa's poetic writing style, you probably won't enjoy her novels. She has a beautiful, artistic style very similar to prose, but I find that it only heightens the feelings of intense passion and agony, love and hate, that the characters themselves are feeling. It is Sa's prose that gives voice to Alexander's internal struggles after a childhood of abuse and identity crisis, and it is her descriptive, imaginative choice words that brings out both the fierceness and playfulness of the Amazon tribe.
In the end, the novel is both a love story and a study of masculinity and femininity as they exist in their extremes within both women and men. She does not portray Alexander as a monster or a weakling, instead she delves into why he feels he is sometimes both, and in fact, especially in the end, neither. The Queen of Amazons, Alestria, appears to be a victim of patriarchy and feminine weakness, until love conquers all and restores her to her rightful place as leader of the wild, independent tribe of woman warriors.
I enjoyed Shan Sa's 'Empress' very much, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved 'Alexander and Alexia' even more! I'm glad I didn't listen to the other negative reviews on this site, this is now on my list of all time favorite novels. If in doubt, just read the first few pages of the novel to get a feel for her writing, and go from there.
In the end, the novel is both a love story and a study of masculinity and femininity as they exist in their extremes within both women and men. She does not portray Alexander as a monster or a weakling, instead she delves into why he feels he is sometimes both, and in fact, especially in the end, neither. The Queen of Amazons, Alestria, appears to be a victim of patriarchy and feminine weakness, until love conquers all and restores her to her rightful place as leader of the wild, independent tribe of woman warriors.
I enjoyed Shan Sa's 'Empress' very much, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I loved 'Alexander and Alexia' even more! I'm glad I didn't listen to the other negative reviews on this site, this is now on my list of all time favorite novels. If in doubt, just read the first few pages of the novel to get a feel for her writing, and go from there.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
AWFUL...skip it
12 Nov 2008
By Samantha L. Sayre
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I received this book free from HarperCollins after becoming a friend of their MySpace page. It is awful. It took me days to get through it because I was dreading it so bad. I hate how Ms. Sa writes. It is like she is trying to write lyrically or poetically, but also stay in the story format. The chapters jump back and forth between Alexander The Great and Alestria the Amazon queen. Obviously this is a fiction book since this event never happened. I wish this book hadn't happened. It is actually one of the worst books I've spent time on in a long time. I felt no interaction with any of the characters and did not find the story realistic in any manner. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone at all.
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2.6 out of 5 stars
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