Mary Renault
Mary Renault was born in London and educated at Oxford. She then trained for three years as a nurse, and wrote her first published novel, Promise of Love. Her next three novels were written while serving in WWII. After the war, she settled in South Africa and traveled considerably in Africa and Greece. It was at this time that she began writing her brilliant historical reconstructions of ancient Greece, including The King Must Die, The Last of the Wine, and The Persian Boy. She died in Cape...See more
Mary Renault was born in London and educated at Oxford. She then trained for three years as a nurse, and wrote her first published novel, Promise of Love. Her next three novels were written while serving in WWII. After the war, she settled in South Africa and traveled considerably in Africa and Greece. It was at this time that she began writing her brilliant historical reconstructions of ancient Greece, including The King Must Die, The Last of the Wine, and The Persian Boy. She died in Cape Town in 1983. See less
Mary Renault's Featured Books
Mary Renault book reviews
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The Charioteer
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by apollo, Dec 27, 2015
There's some clever,thoughtful, and good writing in this book. Without those qualities the book would never have made its way or be remembered. But by today's standards, it's excessively detailed. ... Read More
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The Mask of Apollo
Renault reminds us the Ancient Greeks were human
When I first read this book, more decades ago than I prefer to quantify, I was struck by how reality-based was her depiction of classic theatre architecture and equipment. To me, that was more ... Read More
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The Last of the Wine
Time hasn't dulled its impact.
I read the book many times, until my copy fell apart. It was a pleasure to reread it after some 30 years. Read More