An entertaining, if heavy-breathing, re-creation of classical Greece at its manliest.
The ancient Greek city-state of Sparta runs on war and gay passion in this period novel.
Marshall University classics professor Lloyd bases his book on the life of fourth-century B.C.E. Spartan King Agesilaos II, who fought many battles in Persia, Greece, and, in his 80s, Egypt. The sprawling narrative unfolds in episodic chapters told from the points of view of characters around Agesilaos—family and friends, military subordinates, political rivals, servants—who get embroiled in the historical events of his reign. Through them, the author paints a rich portrait of Spartan life, taking in everything from hairstyles to interpretation of Delphic oracles and fleshing out its harsh warrior ethos, which blends ruthless elitism with stoic self-sacrifice. Spartans casually murder slaves; youths gouge out opponents’ eyes in friendly wrestling competitions; soldiers charge into battlefield blood baths; and their mothers celebrate when they die heroically. Lloyd’s Sparta also has homoeroticism in its bones thanks to the custom of older men taking younger male lovers as well as high standards of physical fitness and a general disregard for clothing. Characters wrestle in the nude, run footraces in the nude, harvest grain in the nude, attack the enemy army in the nude, and gather firewood on snowy mornings in the nude. The book is thus suffused with an ogling sexual tension that proceeds to sexual release in the many graphic love scenes, which include brotherly incest. The author’s storytelling, centered on the wily, charismatic figure of Agesilaos, has a Homeric ring to it in its gripping, gory fight scenes (“Another splintered spear, not the king’s, ran through the youth’s throat, spewing a fountain of blood, as from some gigantic sacrificial bull”), its lyrical pastorals (“He jumped into the cold stream, and like the piercing and sudden aching that comes with a fevered sickness, the river’s current swept through him”), and its sometimes stilted speechifying. (“My friends, I cannot be more thankful than I am to this, the greatest king of the Spartans in their long history, this Agesilaos, an unassuming and quiet man.”) The sex can be intrusive, but Lloyd’s vigorous prose and immersive evocation of this storied era are often captivating.
An entertaining, if heavy-breathing, re-creation of classical Greece at its manliest.Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-59021-279-0
Page Count: -
Publisher: Lethe Press
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A sugarcoated take on midcentury suburbia.
A lively and unabashedly sentimental novel examines the impact of feminism on four upper-middle-class white women in a suburb of Washington, D.C., in 1963.
Transplanted Ohioan Margaret Ryan—married to an accountant, raising three young children, and decidedly at loose ends—decides to recruit a few other housewives to form a book club. She’s thinking A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, but a new friend, artistic Charlotte Gustafson, suggests Betty Friedan’s brand-new The Feminine Mystique. They’re joined by young Bitsy Cobb, who aspired to be a veterinarian but married one instead, and Vivian Buschetti, a former Army nurse now pregnant with her seventh child. The Bettys, as they christen themselves, decide to meet monthly to read feminist books, and with their encouragement of each other, their lives begin to change: Margaret starts writing a column for a women’s magazine; Viv goes back to work as a nurse; Charlotte and Bitsy face up to problems with demanding and philandering husbands and find new careers of their own. The story takes in real-life figures like the Washington Post’s Katharine Graham and touches on many of the tumultuous political events of 1963. Bostwick treats her characters with generosity and a heavy dose of wish-fulfillment, taking satisfying revenge on the wicked and solving longstanding problems with a few well-placed words, even showing empathy for the more well-meaning of the husbands. As historical fiction, the novel is hampered by its rosy optimism, but its take on the many micro- and macroaggressions experienced by women of the era is sound and eye-opening. Although Friedan might raise an eyebrow at the use her book’s been put to, readers will cheer for Bostwick’s spunky characters.
A sugarcoated take on midcentury suburbia.Pub Date: April 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781400344741
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Harper Muse
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
A wonderfully cozy and warm romance in a cold, snowy setting.
Opposites attract when meteorologists are forced to work together during a massive snowstorm.
Local television news reporter Delilah Stewart is beloved in Baltimore for her sunny personality whether she’s delivering the forecast or doing a feature at the aquarium while wearing a turtle costume. Radio weather and traffic reporter Jackson Clark is not so keen on her; she’s silly and chaotic (and always does a terrible parking job in their shared lot), whereas he likes to have plans and structure for everything in his life. When a major snowstorm is predicted, their bosses decide the pair should report together from the mountains several hours outside the city where the storm will hit first. They soon realize they have more in common than expected, and Delilah even helps calm Jackson’s anxiety and bring out his fun side. Attraction grows, and the cozy, snowy lodge is the perfect place for secret kisses. But when they return home to family drama and busy work schedules, it becomes more complicated to find their way back to each other. Bubbly, good-natured Delilah is an absolute gem of a character; she’s unapologetically full of warmth and kindness, but there’s more to her beneath her smile. Parts of her life are messy, sad, and difficult, yet she chooses to put her best foot forward even when self-doubt creeps in. Lovable Jackson has his own share of hardships in life, and when the couple become vulnerable and open up to each other, their mutual support and care is tender and beautiful. Conflict comes more from outside factors (some that feel underdeveloped) than from their relationship, but their personal growth feels well-earned, while humor and spice are deftly woven into this charming tale.
A wonderfully cozy and warm romance in a cold, snowy setting.Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953143
Page Count: 464
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
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