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Callirhoe
Chariton's Callirhoe, subtitled Love Story in Syracuse, is a fast-paced historical romance of the first century CE and the oldest extant novel.
448 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 50
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1,742 people want to read
About the author
Chariton
25books5followersChariton, (flourished 1st century ad, Aphrodisias, Caria, Asia Minor), Greek novelist, author of Chaereas and Callirhoë, probably the earliest fully extant romantic novel in Western literature. The romances of Chariton and of Achilles Tatius are the only ones preserved in a number of ancient papyri.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 88 reviews
August 9, 2016
Which book is the world’s earliest novel? That question will probably never be definitively answered, but Callirhoe may have the best claim of any text out there. Callirhoe is one of seven novels surviving more or less intact from western antiquity: two Roman ones (The Golden Ass and the Satyricon) and five in Greek*. There are other texts hovering around the margins that could be added to this list, most of them very fragmentary, but the seven listed here are the big ones. The brilliant Satyricon is quite probably the oldest, dating from 65 AD or so, but that peculiar combination of prose, poetry, and mayhem won’t strike many modern readers as a true "novel".
Callirhoe, on the other hand, is a novel as we understand the form today: it’s a fiction story in prose with a clear beginning, middle and end. The dates of all the early novels are very fuzzy, but Callirhoe was probably composed around the beginning of the second century AD, which could well make it the oldest of the seven (Satyricon excepted). Not only is it possibly the world’s oldest novel, but it might be the oldest example of historical fiction. The story is set around 400 BC and features real historical figures from that era, including Hermocrates of Syracuse and Artaxerxes II of Persia. The book is a romance between two young Greek lovers who are separated shortly after marriage, and describes their wild adventures as they fight to reunite with each other.
”Callirhoe� by Raymond Auguste Quinsac Monvoisin (1823)
The plot is entertaining and filled with action. In a relatively short amount of space, Callirhoe crams in kidnapping, slave trading, a character being buried alive, an attempted crucifixion, a trial, and battles on land and sea. In addition to the leading lights of Sicily, the kings of Persia and Egypt wander onto the stage. Narrative setpieces include Sicily, Turkey, Syria, Babylon, and more. The quick pace and the sheer insanity of all that befalls the two lovers makes Callirhoe a fun read, and unlike some writers of his era the author of Callirhoe manages to tie things off with a satisfying and fulfilling ending.
That said, this is not the pinnacle of ancient literature. The prose, at least in my translation, was nothing to write home about. More disconcerting for modern readers is the one-dimensional nature of virtually every character in the novel. Character development was simply not part of the formula for most ancient fiction writers, and this aspect of the book will seem very old fashioned to most modern eyes, especially when combined with the ancient author’s love of rhetoric and rhetorical flourishes. Personally, I really missed the humor that made the Satyricon such a favorite of mine; this romance is all melodrama without a laugh in sight.
Still, Callirhoe is a fun story and a quick read. I would recommend this book to readers interested in Greco-Roman literature, or readers interested in learning more about the development of the novel. Interest in the five Greek novels has picked up in recent years, with a number of fresh new translations hitting the market (I recommend the Penguin version for interested readers), and it’s nice to see these overlooked classics getting the attention they deserve. 3 stars.
*Callirhoe, Leucippe and Clitophon, Ephesian Tales, Daphnis and Chloe, and Ethiopian Tales.
Callirhoe, on the other hand, is a novel as we understand the form today: it’s a fiction story in prose with a clear beginning, middle and end. The dates of all the early novels are very fuzzy, but Callirhoe was probably composed around the beginning of the second century AD, which could well make it the oldest of the seven (Satyricon excepted). Not only is it possibly the world’s oldest novel, but it might be the oldest example of historical fiction. The story is set around 400 BC and features real historical figures from that era, including Hermocrates of Syracuse and Artaxerxes II of Persia. The book is a romance between two young Greek lovers who are separated shortly after marriage, and describes their wild adventures as they fight to reunite with each other.
”Callirhoe� by Raymond Auguste Quinsac Monvoisin (1823)
The plot is entertaining and filled with action. In a relatively short amount of space, Callirhoe crams in kidnapping, slave trading, a character being buried alive, an attempted crucifixion, a trial, and battles on land and sea. In addition to the leading lights of Sicily, the kings of Persia and Egypt wander onto the stage. Narrative setpieces include Sicily, Turkey, Syria, Babylon, and more. The quick pace and the sheer insanity of all that befalls the two lovers makes Callirhoe a fun read, and unlike some writers of his era the author of Callirhoe manages to tie things off with a satisfying and fulfilling ending.
That said, this is not the pinnacle of ancient literature. The prose, at least in my translation, was nothing to write home about. More disconcerting for modern readers is the one-dimensional nature of virtually every character in the novel. Character development was simply not part of the formula for most ancient fiction writers, and this aspect of the book will seem very old fashioned to most modern eyes, especially when combined with the ancient author’s love of rhetoric and rhetorical flourishes. Personally, I really missed the humor that made the Satyricon such a favorite of mine; this romance is all melodrama without a laugh in sight.
Still, Callirhoe is a fun story and a quick read. I would recommend this book to readers interested in Greco-Roman literature, or readers interested in learning more about the development of the novel. Interest in the five Greek novels has picked up in recent years, with a number of fresh new translations hitting the market (I recommend the Penguin version for interested readers), and it’s nice to see these overlooked classics getting the attention they deserve. 3 stars.
*Callirhoe, Leucippe and Clitophon, Ephesian Tales, Daphnis and Chloe, and Ethiopian Tales.
November 18, 2022
when no one wanted to give us ancient greek kardashian-like drama, chariton stepped up.
Read
May 3, 2015Old? Yes. A novel? Yes. Good? ... Yes!
This book is, to some extent, a prototype of soap operas, lurid romances, and damsel-in-distress stories. It engages in some hyperbolic absurdities and plot contrivances. Characters often launch into laments in order to summarize the plot development and drive home how incredibly unfortunate they've been. Callirhoe, the heroine, is more admirable than any of the men, including Chaereas, who are enchanted by her. Notably, it's the men who do most of the weeping and fainting. But the novel is also remarkably sophisticated... and strange in its way. It shows insight into the darker instincts and motivations of people, and the ways in which they manipulate one another.
"...we were driven out into these waters by violent winds. Then we were becalmed for a long time, and everyone died of thirst except me--I survived because of my piety."
The capture of the pirate Theron is one indicator of this novel's sophistication (and, to a degree, cynicism). Theron has been preserved by his cunning and impiety, while the gods are planning for him to survive only to suffer more for his wickedness... yet this same philosophy that the novelist puts forward--that all happens according to the gods' will--provides the very argument by which he almost escapes punishment: his survival at sea must be proof of his piety and innocence.
A central theme of the book is beauty and the dangers it attracts. Callirhoe is one of those dazzling beauties who can cause entire cities to swoon. Extraordinary beauty is, of course, a great virtue. Especially for a woman. But, though we moderns may find it hard to believe, beauty isn't everything. It even has its downside. Envy, lust, and covetousness are inspired everywhere.
This book also explores the relationship between private individuals and the crowd. The public is an interesting force. It is emotional, it is unpredictable, it is prone to manipulation, and it is swayed by rumor, but it also is generally inclined to the good. Its greatest significance is its power to restrain the wickedness of individuals. Because every powerful man would act without moral restraint if not for fear of lost honor and reputation. Perhaps not *every* man, but the genuinely virtuous are rare. I think we cannot even count our male protagonist Chaereas as virtuous. After all, though he was a victim of plots, and he was brave in his kind, he suffered for his own outrageous jealousy after he kicked his wife in the chest so viciously she was presumed dead and was buried. But his sidekick Polycharmus acts only out of loyalty and devotion to virtue, and Callirhoe herself is governed only by virtuous considerations, though they contradict one another (e.g. the virtue of constancy to one's husband vs. the virtue of a mother preserving her child in a crisis).
The book is peppered with quotations from Homer, given a new context. Meanwhile, there's a bit of ridiculous military adventure thrown in. There is the particular case of the assault on Tyre, which is at the same time incredible and surprising in its... can I call it realism?... well, I can hardly credit Chaereas with the wit to pull off this adventure, nor can I believe the Tyreans to be so easily swindled, yet the detail of the gates being impossible to shut because they are blocked by the fallen bodies killed in the panicked crush sounds like something that might actually happen (the translator states that the assault on Tyre was somehow imitative of an episode from the Alexander Romance, but I don't currently know which detail or details originate from that source).
As one additional point, there is some unexpected sympathy expressed for a character who might, in a flatter novel, have been portrayed strictly as a villain. There is some maturity in the way the novel treats Callirhoe's ambiguous relationships.
The novel serves as a prototype for many imitations in the second century. It also forecasts developments in the mainstream literature of the western world. While it has its clunkiness in some scenes, it also has its unique charm and shows a lot of inspiration.
This book is, to some extent, a prototype of soap operas, lurid romances, and damsel-in-distress stories. It engages in some hyperbolic absurdities and plot contrivances. Characters often launch into laments in order to summarize the plot development and drive home how incredibly unfortunate they've been. Callirhoe, the heroine, is more admirable than any of the men, including Chaereas, who are enchanted by her. Notably, it's the men who do most of the weeping and fainting. But the novel is also remarkably sophisticated... and strange in its way. It shows insight into the darker instincts and motivations of people, and the ways in which they manipulate one another.
"...we were driven out into these waters by violent winds. Then we were becalmed for a long time, and everyone died of thirst except me--I survived because of my piety."
The capture of the pirate Theron is one indicator of this novel's sophistication (and, to a degree, cynicism). Theron has been preserved by his cunning and impiety, while the gods are planning for him to survive only to suffer more for his wickedness... yet this same philosophy that the novelist puts forward--that all happens according to the gods' will--provides the very argument by which he almost escapes punishment: his survival at sea must be proof of his piety and innocence.
A central theme of the book is beauty and the dangers it attracts. Callirhoe is one of those dazzling beauties who can cause entire cities to swoon. Extraordinary beauty is, of course, a great virtue. Especially for a woman. But, though we moderns may find it hard to believe, beauty isn't everything. It even has its downside. Envy, lust, and covetousness are inspired everywhere.
This book also explores the relationship between private individuals and the crowd. The public is an interesting force. It is emotional, it is unpredictable, it is prone to manipulation, and it is swayed by rumor, but it also is generally inclined to the good. Its greatest significance is its power to restrain the wickedness of individuals. Because every powerful man would act without moral restraint if not for fear of lost honor and reputation. Perhaps not *every* man, but the genuinely virtuous are rare. I think we cannot even count our male protagonist Chaereas as virtuous. After all, though he was a victim of plots, and he was brave in his kind, he suffered for his own outrageous jealousy after he kicked his wife in the chest so viciously she was presumed dead and was buried. But his sidekick Polycharmus acts only out of loyalty and devotion to virtue, and Callirhoe herself is governed only by virtuous considerations, though they contradict one another (e.g. the virtue of constancy to one's husband vs. the virtue of a mother preserving her child in a crisis).
The book is peppered with quotations from Homer, given a new context. Meanwhile, there's a bit of ridiculous military adventure thrown in. There is the particular case of the assault on Tyre, which is at the same time incredible and surprising in its... can I call it realism?... well, I can hardly credit Chaereas with the wit to pull off this adventure, nor can I believe the Tyreans to be so easily swindled, yet the detail of the gates being impossible to shut because they are blocked by the fallen bodies killed in the panicked crush sounds like something that might actually happen (the translator states that the assault on Tyre was somehow imitative of an episode from the Alexander Romance, but I don't currently know which detail or details originate from that source).
As one additional point, there is some unexpected sympathy expressed for a character who might, in a flatter novel, have been portrayed strictly as a villain. There is some maturity in the way the novel treats Callirhoe's ambiguous relationships.
The novel serves as a prototype for many imitations in the second century. It also forecasts developments in the mainstream literature of the western world. While it has its clunkiness in some scenes, it also has its unique charm and shows a lot of inspiration.
December 30, 2019
I really hate myself for liking this Greek tragedy because it revolves around a bout of spousal abuse.
January 22, 2019
first century ad wattpad fan-fic of homer's iliad and odyssey and i can't get enough !!
April 29, 2012
I wonder if Chariton was the Sidney Sheldon of his day. This book had it all and was a great romp through the 1st century Mediterranean and Asia with a large cast of characters, exotic locations, plots, double-crossings, life, love, death, you name it. Buried alive after an accidental blow from Chaereas, our Sicilian heroine Callirhoe is found by pirate tomb-robbers and carried off to Ionia where she is sold into slavery. Dionysus falls in love with her and tries everything to woo her, but she only agrees when she finds out she's pregnant by Chaereas and thinks this is the way to save her child. Everyone who sees her falls in love with her and she's pursued by all she meets. Chaereas hears from the pirates that she is still alive and heads off in pursuit to win her back. Their journey goes from Ionia to Babylon and back to a war in Egypt before the lovers are reunited and head home to Sicily. Great stuff, I loved it!
May 3, 2016
Encore un excellent roman grec! Je suis bon public pour ce genre de fiction. Tous les éléments qu'on attend s'y trouvent: un couple incroyablement beau, une passion sans limites, du thumos et de l'é辱ٳܳ, les péripéties et des contretemps fâcheux, des torrents de larmes, des voyages en Asie, en Europe et en Afrique, des pirates cruels et cupides, des dieux jaloux qui jouent avec nos héros mais se laissent fléchir par leurs malheurs, des réductions en esclavages, des félons sans scrupules, des personnages bouffons et de beaux gestes magnanimes, des guerres entre rois et capitaines valeureux, des prises de ville, des rançons, des rebondissements, et tout cela placé dans un contexte historique grandiose: il s'agit ici de la Sicile au lendemain de l'énorme défaite infligée à l'impérialisme Athénien. Au final, ça se lit - que dis-je, ça se dévore! -très facilement, et avec beaucoup de plaisir!
October 24, 2020
The original page turner.
October 2, 2024
Kjærlighetshistorie fra antikkens hellas.. hele greia starter når khaireas blir sjalu og sparta kicker kallirhoe i magen så hun besvimer og er knocka ut i tre dager så alle tror hun har dødd.. ting og tang skjer etter det. Veldig mye gjentakelse, og plot hvor ting bare skjer😩 uansett 3 fordi det virker for strengt å gi det en 2er
Litt morsomt at alle i antikkens hellas truer med å ta selvmord hver gang de opplever noe negativt. Jeg drepte dama mi? Jeg skal ta selvmord. Liket hennes er borte? Selvmord. Hun er nå gift med en annen kis? Selvmord. Hun klemte meg ikke når vi ble gjenforent? Selvmord.. osv osv.
direkte sitat fra boka «han fikk omsider lokket henne til seg med dyre gaver og ved å si at han ville henge seg hvis han ikke fikk det som han ville»
Could be the move? «Jeg er ikke toxic, jeg har lest kallirhoe»
Litt morsomt at alle i antikkens hellas truer med å ta selvmord hver gang de opplever noe negativt. Jeg drepte dama mi? Jeg skal ta selvmord. Liket hennes er borte? Selvmord. Hun er nå gift med en annen kis? Selvmord. Hun klemte meg ikke når vi ble gjenforent? Selvmord.. osv osv.
direkte sitat fra boka «han fikk omsider lokket henne til seg med dyre gaver og ved å si at han ville henge seg hvis han ikke fikk det som han ville»
Could be the move? «Jeg er ikke toxic, jeg har lest kallirhoe»
December 5, 2023
dacă astea erau romanele din antichitate înțeleg de ce le a luat o mie și ceva de ani sa reabiliteze genul
February 2, 2024
What a RIDE. And a pleasant read, not always true for ancient books.
May 16, 2013
The Greeks gave us philosophy, political science, literary theory, mathematics . . .
and high camp.
and high camp.
December 18, 2024
If you want to read a trashy page-turner AND look smart, this book is for you.
May 26, 2023
This is a charming Ancient Greek romance written during the Roman period, perhaps the progenitor of all romance and, through romance, all novels as well. It reads rather pedestrian these days, not because it wasn't original when it was written, but because almost all medieval and Renaissance romance as well as the last two and a half centuries of Occidental novels have pretty much followed its exciting, tribulation-riddled plot. No, Hollywood didn't invent the "Boy sees girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl" formula, nor even the happy, so-called Hollywood ending, it was a Greek named Chariton. Maybe there really is only one story: desire, desire thwarted, desire obtained (or not).
I read the B. P. Reardon translation from his anthology Collected Ancient Greek Romances. It reads well and not too many footnotes.
I read the B. P. Reardon translation from his anthology Collected Ancient Greek Romances. It reads well and not too many footnotes.
October 6, 2023
3.5
Doesn’t ancient greek novel sound intimidating? So I thought, and what I got was a super fast-paced story full of strong emotions and drama queens. It basically felt like watching a condensed soap opera, with some extra additions of kidnapping, crucifixions, slave trade and war. It’s obvious that Chariton was a big fan of Homer’s works, and it was fun to see all the references to esp. the Iliad throughout the text.
Doesn’t ancient greek novel sound intimidating? So I thought, and what I got was a super fast-paced story full of strong emotions and drama queens. It basically felt like watching a condensed soap opera, with some extra additions of kidnapping, crucifixions, slave trade and war. It’s obvious that Chariton was a big fan of Homer’s works, and it was fun to see all the references to esp. the Iliad throughout the text.
January 21, 2025
⭑★{ 3 }★⭑
Arguably the earliest novel ever written, but certainly the oldest (extant) work of historical fiction, Chariton’s Callirhoe is at once a tumultuous tale of two star-crossed lovers who, like all good romances, are torn from one another and forced to embark on an odyssey in search of the other.
The central figure of the story is Callirhoe, a very beautiful and goddess-like woman, who is buried alive, abducted by pirates, and eventually sold into slavery—this all happens within the first third of the story. As the rest of the book unfolds, you the reader become privy to an incredibly dramatic sequence of events, bordering on reality tv level drama à la Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
However, this book is not without its faults. Being one of the earliest novels to exist, Chariton didn’t really have a firm framework from which to base his own plot development, therefore, he can be too quick to employ Fortune (or some other god) in order to move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this does make the story somewhat predictable in places.
But nevertheless, it was good fun to read and certainly intriguing to consider this novel in its historical context, especially Book 5.7 where Dionysius and Mithridates both give speeches, Mithridates� speech in the theatrical Asiatic style which is contrasted against Dionysius� cultivated Attic style.
Though it is incredibly old (approx. 2,000 years old), it is nowhere near as blocked-up and congested as you would imagine, so if you’re a fan of romance or adventure (or even historical fiction), give this little-known ancient Greek novel a go.
Arguably the earliest novel ever written, but certainly the oldest (extant) work of historical fiction, Chariton’s Callirhoe is at once a tumultuous tale of two star-crossed lovers who, like all good romances, are torn from one another and forced to embark on an odyssey in search of the other.
The central figure of the story is Callirhoe, a very beautiful and goddess-like woman, who is buried alive, abducted by pirates, and eventually sold into slavery—this all happens within the first third of the story. As the rest of the book unfolds, you the reader become privy to an incredibly dramatic sequence of events, bordering on reality tv level drama à la Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
However, this book is not without its faults. Being one of the earliest novels to exist, Chariton didn’t really have a firm framework from which to base his own plot development, therefore, he can be too quick to employ Fortune (or some other god) in order to move the plot forward. Unfortunately, this does make the story somewhat predictable in places.
But nevertheless, it was good fun to read and certainly intriguing to consider this novel in its historical context, especially Book 5.7 where Dionysius and Mithridates both give speeches, Mithridates� speech in the theatrical Asiatic style which is contrasted against Dionysius� cultivated Attic style.
Though it is incredibly old (approx. 2,000 years old), it is nowhere near as blocked-up and congested as you would imagine, so if you’re a fan of romance or adventure (or even historical fiction), give this little-known ancient Greek novel a go.
November 4, 2015
Not everything was better in the Olden Days. Like dentistry. Or novels. Chariton's Callirhoe: Love Story in Syracuse is one of the oldest novels that has survived almost extant. On one hand, it's quite exciting. There are pirates, love triangles, wars and courtroom scenes aplenty. On the other hand it's deeply silly. Practically every male who crosses paths with the titular character falls desperately in love with her. Everyone runs frantically hither and tither around the Mediterranean and Middle East. The wailing, chest thumping and hair pulling at the slightest provocation never end.
The main characters are very idealized and perfect. All this must have spelled very "high" literature to ancient Greek readers, but to a modern reader (well, this modern reader at least) it's almost farcical. It's all just so... silly. Still, three stars for an undeniably interesting and entertaining read that's not lacking in great scenes and lively descriptions.
The main characters are very idealized and perfect. All this must have spelled very "high" literature to ancient Greek readers, but to a modern reader (well, this modern reader at least) it's almost farcical. It's all just so... silly. Still, three stars for an undeniably interesting and entertaining read that's not lacking in great scenes and lively descriptions.
September 26, 2016
I like my history straight but made an exception for the first historical fiction, most enjoyable, with lots of literary references to flatter its readership, by no means populist - that would be left to demotic Xianity which appealed to hoi polloi and may still do. That, of course, is a virtue. As usual it's the incidental references I like, like Nero may have taken the idea of kicking Poppaea from this book, Miletus had four harbours and supplied soft woollen garments, Apelles' Aphrodite was the most famous painting etc. I love all that but the story itself is good, with its own rationale that'd go down well about the caprice of lady luck and lady love if she's not sufficiently appeased. The funniest things are Callirhoe's whining against outrageous fortune down to great beauty like what she has got with a litany of woes that ends with and that was the worst until the next time when that was the worst.
December 23, 2011
It was very Romeo & Juliet meets The Odyssey. I liked it.
October 7, 2023
what a spicy little angsty fic. would tag it like Callirhoe/Chaereas, Callirgoe/Dionisius, Callirhoe&Artaxerxes, Alexander the great side characters,angst, hurt to comfort, suicidal thoughts, fix-it
June 14, 2022
Possibly the first romance story written? The world may never know! I actually was rooting for the two main characters to stay together despite their obvious and many flaws (mainly the guy's). While this felt like a colossal set of misunderstandings, miscommunication, and manipulation tropes, this really started all of those tropes, didn't it? And even despite that, I found myself invested in the story and loved the integration of Greek mythology. While nothing truly exceptional like The Odyssey, this was a pleasant surprise.
Want to read
December 12, 2021 kitabını maratona başlamıştım malum, bu kitabı okuyordum (%20) hem de zevkle ama araya bir şeyler girdi ve bir türlü devam edemedim. aynı zamanda maratonumla ilgili kafamda ufak bir şey var, o yüzden de bunu askıya alma ihtiyacı hissettim. çok çabuk döneceğim okumaya
April 27, 2024
Insane dat dit nog niet door iemand in de oudheid verfilmd is!
October 2, 2022
Konstante selvmordsforsøk samtidig som forfatteren hele tiden forsikrer oss om at det skal gå bra til slutt. Også artig at de siste to kapitlene nesten bare recapper.
April 28, 2023
Heftig verhaal, ma nice da ze uit de dood is opgestaan, ik raad het aan
November 13, 2024
Antiikinaikaista saippuaoopperaa. Draamaa riittää. Silti harvoja suhteellisen ehyenä säilyneitä kertomuksia. Suomennos on erinomainen, Maarit Kaimion kädenjälkeä.
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September 18, 2024Synes det er litt suspekt at dette kalles for en søt kjærlighetsroman når Kallirhoe blir sparka så hardt i magen av Khaireas at hun nesten dør, men hva veit vel jeg
September 22, 2024
Ikke dårlig til å være verdens første kjærlighetsroman
June 9, 2016
Pauvre Callirhoé, victime d'Aphrodite et de son fils, Eros; fille du Syracusain vainqueur des Athéniens, Hermocrate, elle épouse l'homme dont elle est tombée follement amoureuse après un seul regard. Malheureusement pour elle, son mari, Chéréas est jaloux et violent. Après une crise il la frappe si violemment qu'il la laisse pour morte. Ses funérailles sont grandioses, on l'enterre en grande pompe. Chéréas s'accuse et veut mourir. Des pirates de passage décident de piller le tombeau la nuit venue. Mais Callirhoé est-elle vraiment morte, Aphrodite la laissera-t-elle enfin tranquille, ou devra-t-elle encore payée pour son extraordinaire beauté.
Chariton auteur grec du premier siècle avant JC (?), nous offre ici un magnifique roman d'amour ou se mêlent événements historiques et personnages de fiction. Nous voyageons de Syracuse à Babylone en passant par Milet, Tyr et Chypre. L'action ne s’essouffle jamais, on est pris par cette histoire qui passe de drame en drame jusqu'au dénouement final. A lire absolument.
Chariton auteur grec du premier siècle avant JC (?), nous offre ici un magnifique roman d'amour ou se mêlent événements historiques et personnages de fiction. Nous voyageons de Syracuse à Babylone en passant par Milet, Tyr et Chypre. L'action ne s’essouffle jamais, on est pris par cette histoire qui passe de drame en drame jusqu'au dénouement final. A lire absolument.
June 15, 2013
Oh my, does this book have twists and turns (it reminds me of a Mexican soap-opera). So it is a story of maiden of such beauty that men cannot help but fall in love with her. However, most of them have very little honor as they will do any despicable thing to obtain her � which leads to her having various misfortunes (including being buried alive and sold as a slave). And her first husband (who is also not of a clear conscience, as he distrusts her and believes every hint of betrayal, almost kills her) follows in her footsteps, though she is always just out of reach. But all is well that ends well.
A sweet fairytale, if you dismiss all the selling of people and evil snares that are happening in the book. In the end the moral is that love concurs all (though their son is being raised by strangers).
A sweet fairytale, if you dismiss all the selling of people and evil snares that are happening in the book. In the end the moral is that love concurs all (though their son is being raised by strangers).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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