Glorious Exploits

Kindly gifted to me by Lucy Carlso-Taylor. This was not the sort of book I would ever have considered buying. It is a long way from Madeline Miller's take on Greek myths. Lennon attempts something arguably much bolder: an account of life on Syracuse after the Athenian invasion (and the latter's subsequent defeat), but narrated by the two protagonists in a Dublin vernacular. Lennon mostly succeeds, and I found the dialogue did not jar and kept things light. The two leads (Lampo and Gelon) work well as a double act, and it would be hard not to like the former in particular. However, I found the central plot a little contrived and the travails of the protagonists somewhat trite. If there is a point, then it is belief in your dreams and also the redemptive power of art. I can understand the popularity of Glorious Exploits, even if it's not totally for me.

By Ferdia Lennon