I have always liked historical fiction, especially when it sends me to Wikipedia to verify facts and learn more about them all the time. The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon definitely did that!
The novel imagines Aristotle’s time as tutor to Alexander the Great when he was young. That may not sound like the most exciting thing, but I found it absolutely fascinating. I loved learning about Aristotle, Alexander, Philip II, and the world they lived in. I knew the names before I chose the book, of course, but I didn’t know much about the people behind them. And I loved to imagine how this extraordinary teacher-student relationships could unfold.
One of the things I really enjoyed was that Aristotle isn’t portrayed as some wise, untouchable philosopher. He’s just… a person. A very intelligent person, obviously, but still someone trying to deal with his ambitions, his fears, his values, as well as difficult people, complicated politics, family problems, and the huge responsibility of educating a boy who would one day become Alexander the Great.
The novel also made ancient Greece and Macedon feel real to me. Instead of reading about famous historical figures from a distance, I felt like I was spending time with them. That’s one of the things I love about good historical fiction. It gives you just enough story to make you want to learn what really happened.
This isn’t a fast-paced novel full of battles and dramatic twists and turns. It’s much quieter. It’s really about ideas, relationships, and the challenge of helping a human being grow—of helping an impulsive child become a balanced adult. If you’re looking for action, go watch the new movie The Odyssey at the theatre*! But if you’re curious about one of history’s most famous philosophers and one of history’s greatest military leaders, I think you’ll enjoy this book as much as I did.
*I know that there are about 850 years between the traditional setting of The Odyssey and the time of Aristotle and Alexander. But if you’re an illiterate idiot who only likes action movies, you probably wouldn’t know that. Thinking that both stories took place in Greece a very long time ago would probably be enough for you 😆 There is one interesting historical connection, however: according to historians, Alexander the Great loved Homer, greatly admired Achilles, and is said to have carried with him a copy of The Iliad annotated by Aristotle. So there, you’re not so stupid after all!
Bouquins et musique 
Thank you for this enthusiastic review. As a teenager, I wasn’t really keen on learning history because there were too many names and dates to retain. Actually, memorising is not my thing but as I like your « illiterate idiot », I’ll do my best to memorise it *. Once in a blue moon, I feel like using the French word « béotien » and your « illiterate idiot » sounds like a good translation of it.
* Unfortunately, the older I get, the faster I forget new information. I would like to say I have a goldfish memory but it would be too unfair for real goldfish 😀.
J’aimeJ’aime
History was my worst subject in school, too! I hated it because of the dates and names and wars and who cares about all this!? And my memory, like yours, has always been that of a green pea 😉 (I agree with you, let’s know insult gold fishes!) And I love the word « béotien, » it’s definitely a good translation for illiterate idiot 🙂 Today, I still don’t remember dates, but at least I remember some events and some people, after I read about them.
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