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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
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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7 of 7 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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