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The Last of the Wine
Virago Modern Classics (Book 326)
- Author
- Mary Renault
- Narrator
- Barnaby Edwards, Joan Walker
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Publish Date
- 3 September 2026
- Run Time
- 16 hours 48 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
'Renault's eye for intimacy is amazing' DOUGLAS STUART
'Arresting and beautiful and moving . . . decades ahead of its time' LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS
Your love made me. Do not take it away; for without love I am a temple forsaken by its god
Athens and Sparta, the mighty city states of ancient Greece, have been locked together in conflict for a quarter of a century. Alexias the Athenian comes of age in these turbulent times, as the golden age fractures into uncertainty and chaos. No longer protected by his family's noble status, he is drawn to the controversial teachings of Socrates - and to another of the philosopher's young followers, Lysis.
The two young men form a passionate bond, becoming both friends and lovers. Together, they learn to hunt and to love, to debate and to wrestle, to grapple with family and loyalty. But all the while, fate leads Alexias to the moment he must stand alongside Lysis in the last great battle of the Peloponnesian War.
'A remarkable novel, vivid and moving . . . a glowing work of art' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
'Of her Greek fictions, The Last of the Wine [is] her most moving' EMMA DONOGHUE
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Details
- Author
- Mary Renault
- Narrator
- Barnaby Edwards, Joan Walker
- Duration
- 16 hours 48 minutes
- Release Date
- 3 September 2026
- ISBN
- 9781405569934
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Little, Brown Book Group
- Genre
- Modern and contemporary fiction: literary and general, Classic fiction: literary and general, Fiction: literary and general non-genre, Historical fiction
Synopsis
A VIVID, SWEEPING SAGA OF QUEER LOVE AND POLITICS IN ANCIENT GREECE, FROM THE QUEEN OF HISTORICAL FICTION, FOR FANS OF SONG OF ACHILLES AND THE ODYSSEY'Renault's eye for intimacy is amazing' DOUGLAS STUART'Arresting and beautiful and moving . . . decades ahead of its time' LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKSYour love made me. Do not take it away; for without love I am a temple forsaken by its godAthens and Sparta, the mighty city states of ancient Greece, have been locked together in conflict for a quarter of a century. Alexias the Athenian comes of age in these turbulent times, as the golden age fractures into uncertainty and chaos. No longer protected by his family's noble status, he is drawn to the controversial teachings of Socrates - and to another of the philosopher's young followers, Lysis.The two young men form a passionate bond, becoming both friends and lovers. Together, they learn to hunt and to love, to debate and to wrestle, to grapple with family and loyalty. But all the while, fate leads Alexias to the moment he must stand alongside Lysis in the last great battle of the Peloponnesian War.'A remarkable novel, vivid and moving . . . a glowing work of art' NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'Of her Greek fictions, The Last of the Wine [is] her most moving' EMMA DONOGHUE
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