In Search of a Homeland by Penelope Lively
In Search of a Homeland is a dramatic story that includes life, death, passion, romance and bravery. The three main characters interact in a way that keeps my interest throughout the entire book. The story of the ancient Romans, originally written by Virgil, is a fabulous tale to read. I think the author did an excellent job retelling the story of the Aenied so you can understand it better.
Development of the main characters is well done. Penelope Lively, as she retells Virgil's story, handles each character sufficiently. Aeneas, Turnus and Dido are compelling character who are captivating. Aeneas from Troy is finding a new homeland for his people. Aeneas is a great leader. He is fearless as well as a excellent fighter. Turnus is Aeneas' enemy who is from the city Latin. Dido is the queen of Carthage who falls in love with Aeneas.
The plot is exciting and fascinating. The author starts out telling about the fall of Troy and the Trojan horse. Aeneas leads the survivors out of Troy moving toward Italy. They stumbled upon many dangers along the way. They come to Carthage and sailed on to Latin and for a massive battle. I thought the battle scenes were a little difficult to follow. It was hard to understand what was going on and where everyone was.
One of the central ideas in this book is that no one listened to the warnings to not bring the Trojan horse in the city of Troy, but should instead burn it. The Trojan horse was brought into the city anyway. The second idea is that gods and goddesses are not reliable. They did not save Troy, but instead let Troy burn.
I highly recommend this book if you are studying Ancient Troy and Rome. It is not a boring book to read because of all the crazy ancient methods. The author made it easy to understand and follow. It is also a wonderful book for reading out loud to the family.
By Joy Penwrite