klalusifer1f61

I can't say enough wonderful things about Mary Beard. Her writing is spot-on and is backed-up by the perfect amount of wit, research, warmth, reason, and intelligence. This book is a nice read because, although it is scholarly in nature, Beard has a conversational tone that really gives her subject life. It's one of the few books I've read for research purposes that I would dare to call a "page-turner." Another point is simply that the parthenon's history is so expansive and volatile, that it's a great success that she managed to cover every angle so thoroughly without dragging it out into a multi-volume work. She gets right to the meat of the matter and has a talent for guiding the reader through the material in a very measured way and with succint and thoughtful analysis. When I was researching the parthenon marbles for my thesis, this is one book I felt I could really trust and come back to time and time again as part of the foundation for my own conjectures. My copy is complete with coffee stains, dog-earred pages, and writing all over the margins...it is certainly well-loved.

2020-09-04 08:01