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The Walled Orchard (Paperback)

by Tom Holt (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
RRP: £9.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 591 pages
  • Publisher: Abacus; New edition edition (5 April 2001)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0349114528
  • ISBN-13: 978-0349114521
  • Product Dimensions: 19.2 x 12.6 x 4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 88,189 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #17 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > H > Holt, Tom

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Product Description

Review
'Read THE WALLED ORCHARD so you can tell your descendants, "I was there when the historical novel started holding its head up with the rest of literature"' THE WASHINGTON POST 'Witty, ironic... and achieved a deeply felt authenticity.' THE NEW YORK TIMES 'This book is a hilarious yet well-researached historical novel.' HISTORICAL NOVEL REVIEW

Product Description
The hero is Eupolis, weary, cynical and believing only in comedy. The heroine is Athens, at the height of her schizophrenic glory. A startling mixture of comedy and tragedy, THE WALLED ORCHARD is the poignant, charming story of their turbulent relationship. With unforgettable characters and a powerful and moving story, THE WALLED ORCHARD is a wonderful evocation of life in Ancient Greece in the fifth century BC. For information on this and other Orbit titles visit the Orbit website at www.orbitbooks.co.uk

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best historical novels ever written, 3 Sep 2002
By A Customer
Holt seems to have a very real talent as an historical novelist - his academic background makes it seem likely that he will continue to set his works in Greece, but he certainly does its people and its civilization justice. Rather than the noble, upstanding ideal worshipped by the early Victorians, Holt paints a picture of what it was probably really like, especially for a struggling comic poet trying to make a name against rivals like the ubiquitous Aristophanes.

Holt makes the men of the moment, like Pericles and Socrates, really come alive, complete with all their flaws and idiosyncracies. The political corruption and self-serving nature of the Athenian polis really jumps out at the reader. The comic wit of the narrator, Eupolis, keeps the plot motoring along, to the extent that the reader wants to know less about the great drama of the Peloponnesian War being waged outside the protection of the Long Walls, and more about the gossip and scandals of the Athens Eupolis and Aristophanes write about in their plays.

The great tragedy of the war, and the foolishness of an imperial power that fails to recognise its own limitations, are handled admirably, including the confusion and herd mentality still seen in international politics today.

With writers like Holt around, Ancient Greece can rest assured that it will continue to be well-represented in the historical fiction market for some time to come.

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, witty, tragic - history with attitude, 24 Jun 2002
By Iain S. Palin (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
When one thinks of the glories of Ancient Greece - the sculpture, the architecture, the plays, the philosophers, the beginnings of democracy - one is really thinking of Athens in the middle third of the fifth century BC. For that brief period it had it all. It also had an urge to build an overseas empire and a degree of self confidence that led it into a long conflict, the Peloponnesian War, with its chief rival, the militaristic state of Sparta. After more than two decades of struggle Athens, despite its glory and confidence, went down to defeat. Greece would never be the same again.

There have been books about the long tragedy of the Peloponnesian War before - one thinks particularly of Mary Renault's moving "The Last of the Wine", but none quite like this. Tom Holt combines knowledge, imagination, and wit in the story of Eupolis, a lad who lives through the tragedies to become famous as a writer of comedies. To call his life eventful is an understatement, and just as the war provides the backdrop, so his ongoing rivalry with the even more noted playwright Aristophanes provides a thread running through the story and the occasion for much of the humour. Holt manages to handle the balance between the funny and the tragic very well, and he brings Eupolis and his times to life. "The Walled Orchard" is one of the best books on this key period in history that I have read.

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Drama in the wings, 29 Jan 2003
I have read a lot of Tom Holt, and this book is a departure from his usual style. His normal comedic works are quirky, and full of strange ideas that sometimes work, and sometimes don't.
The Walled Orchard is another beast altogether. It starts out as a interesting dialogue with the principal character, and turns into one of the most personal narratives I have ever read. The main character, Eupolis, narrates his life and times to you without pretensions. He rambles at some points, jokes at others, but at all times has you enthralled at his description of Athenian life.

I feel that in reading this book, I came to make a friend of Eupolis. His life has not been a happy one, but as one of the great comic playwrights, he has the ability to the humout in the deepest tragedies a person could endure. If you want to see a weekend fly by as you live through the eyes of one of Athens' greatest comics, this is the book for you.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Ancient Athens without the rose tint!
Amalgamating both the military and literary events of the Peloponnesian war period of Classical Athens this witty and surprising novel is a very satisfying read. Read more
Published on 16 April 2007 by Geoffrey H. Moses

4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderfull tour of Ancient Athens and its great and disasterous Democratic system
There are many ways to understand in detail the history and everyday life in classical ancient Athens. Read more
Published on 30 Dec 2006 by A Greek reader

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting experiment that nearly works
Tom Holt has written a series of books based around historical Greece. They are humourous "docu-dramas" - basing the story on an extrapolation of a few facts to give an author's... Read more
Published on 19 Sep 2005 by Ian Spencer

5.0 out of 5 stars The best historical novel I have ever read
A truly great book. Well researched, very funny and also very moving. As an amateur historian I was delighted by the way Tom Holt creates vibrant charachters against an accurate... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars comediac historical fiction
Not only is his attention to historical accuracy interesting and rewarding, his sarcastic and dry wit makes the reading entertaining in a comic sense as well. Read more
Published on 29 Mar 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL!
This book was like an adventure holiday into Ancient Athens, with a good friend along who knows the way. Read more
Published on 28 May 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars The best historical novel I ever read
If you like Tom Holt's comic fantasies you'll probably buy this book, but if you don't, then buy it anyway. Read more
Published on 23 Mar 2000

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