Rating: 
Summary: Intense emotions for an unforgettable story
Review: "The Charioteer" is one of the most beautiful love stories I have ever read, I hadn't felt such intense emotions reading a book since my adolescence. Before and much more than being a gay story, this is first of all a novel about love, showing in a most powerful way how all life is a struggle to love and to be loved, because only by giving and receving love one can feel alive and life is meaningful and worth being lived.
The three main characters, each of them absolutely fascinating and superbly portrayed, discover and are confronted with their own true nature when falling in love, but they also have to make choices and take on responsibilities which often seem unbearable. Love is shown through all its sweetness and romance but also in all its terribly dramatic implications: love always means suffering and none of the characters is spared his share of pain and defeat. But the force of life triumphs despite everyone's conflicts, limitations and mistakes, which must be coped with and accepted in mutual respect and forgiveness.
The young protagonists are brought to life in an amazingly effective way and they are so vivid and forceful that they outlive the end of the book itself. The reader can share their most intimate thoughts and the decisive turns of their lives and is therefore bound to feel strong compassion. I am not surprised that a lot of readers wish there had a been a sequel of the novel, but I believe the author did the right thing not writing one. The end of the story leaves very open prospects and, especially considering the circular structure the novel acquires at its conclusion, all the characters are liable to being again together in their maturity and it is better to let the reader imagine possible evolutions.
The narrative scheme is very solid and well balanced, all parts of the book contribute to light up the whole plot; the text flows slowly but continuously and once you adapt yourself to the inner rhythm of the story you are fully involved and almost become a part of it, each line adding a relevant detail or setting the suitable atmosphere to lead you deeper into the characters' inner thoughts and feelings; the language is rich though never mannered and the style is often very poetic but never in a cheap way.
"The Charioteer" certainly stands also as a great gay story and is very effective in demonstrating the universality of love, which transcends lovers' genders and social barriers. Its explict homosexual theme is all the more surprising if one thinks the book was written almost fifty years ago, when to state that love between two men has the same dignity as heterosexual love was certainly a hard challenge, and that it was written by a woman, as the protagonists are absolutely and coherently credible and masculine in their appearance and psychology.
Needless to say a wonderful film would come out of this book. I do wish a talented director could see to this undertaking. I find Matt Damon (especially after being Mr Ripley) would make a perfect Laurie Odell and he might also be the film director and producer himself.
Reading "The Charioteer" can be a heart-wrenching experience and cause to shed more than one tear, especially if one is in love, but it also makes one feel more attached to the beauty of life and long for youth and pure, noble, authentic love, the most important of all things. This novel and its appealing characters, Laurie, Andrew and Ralph, will always remain in my mind and heart as wonderful companions of my youth, revealers of the complexity and fragility of the human soul and of myself, an important landmark in the search for my identity of adult gay man. P.S.
It is a shame that "The Charioteer" is not translated into Italian. It is certainly the kind of book it can be difficult to read in a second language and I sometimes experienced this difficulty myself. Now it has become my dream to translate it into my first language one day because I want such a beautiful novel to be accessible to all Italian readers.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book by the young Mary Renault
Review: "The Charioteer" refers to an idea from Plato's dialogue, "Phaedrus" -- but this novel is set in World War II England, not in ancient Greece. It tells the story of two men who attempt to love one another, trying to understand what is going on by consulting the advice from the ancient Greek philosopher. An extremely moving and poetic book, this has always been one of my favorites. Looking back, it is clear that this was also an exremely brave book to write. Mary Renault was a genius, and a great human being as well.
Rating:
Summary: A compassionate, wise novel that can change one's life.
Review: As a young man still exploring my sexuality, The Charioteer fell into my hands. I might call it providence, for Mary Renault's novel, more than any other I have read, has affirmed me in my own journey...and challanged me. Her novel is not exclusively about homosexuality though, it is a novel about all people filled with compassion and insight. This book contains wisdom, for this reason it belongs on all "must read" lists.
Rating:
Summary: A superbly written book.
Review: I also read this book several years ago and just returned to it. It was even better than I remembered! It is a subtle and tightly written book which needs to be read carefully but is WELL worth the effort. If I were ever restricted to one novel, this would be it!
Rating: 
Summary: Can a woman possibly write about gay men???
Review: I am a gay man. Based on the very positive comments I read about this book I was much looking forward to reading it. Well, I am quite disappointed. It's elaborately written to the point of boring me stiff. Every notion, every thought, every movement of an eyebrow or the batting of an eyelid is described, acknowledged, explained, reasoned in extensive detail, thus often bringing the "action" to a screeching halt. I had a tough time reading it. The language is beautiful and rich. No denying. The dialogues vary from a realistic down to earth to highly stilted. Did gay men at WWII time really converse like "this"? For good orders' sake: I read the Pantheon paperback version of '83. "The Charioteer" was first published in '59. I dare say that by today's conceptions and expectations it is dated; of a certain historical value, maybe. Much is said between the lines. Patricia Nell Warren's "Front runner" and "Harlan's race" are, in comparison, almost pornographic. Our befuddled hero, Laurie (!!), eventually on page 267 has the sudden audacity to "lean over and kiss him" (= Andrew, the young man he admires). Kiss him where? On the forehead, the cheek, or (Heaven forbid) on the mouth? We are left guessing. Should we still care at that point. At around page 317 we learn in a most discrete manner that Laurie and his other love interest, Ralph, finally wound up between the sheets. A love story? I really don't know. It takes the protagonists the longest to ever speak of love. My patience with the characters pretty soon came to an end. Despite my good intentions I could hardly muster an interest in them in the long run. And finishing reading "The Charioteer" ultimately became a duty, an obligation, not a pleasure.
Rating:
Summary: A real jewel of love story.
Review: I first read this book because it was mentioned in Bruce Bawer's "A Place at the Table". I never expected that it would impact me so startlingly! I identified very closely with Laurie Odell, the main character, and his struggles with experiencing love as a gay man. All of the characters in the book are well-developed, even ones we don't meet very often. Renault manages to put together a wonderful, sometimes heart-wrenching story that doesn't restrict itself to people with gay experiences. ANYONE could read this book and feel total empathy with Laurie. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has the least interest in reading a love story--it won't disappoint. I only wish that the story could have continued, perhaps in a sequel. Still, a very touching and satisfying tale.
Rating:
Summary: A real jewel of love story.
Review: I first read this book because it was mentioned in Bruce Bawer's "A Place at the Table". I never expected that it would impact me so startlingly! I identified very closely with Laurie Odell, the main character, and his struggles with experiencing love as a gay man. All of the characters in the book are well-developed, even ones we don't meet very often. Renault manages to put together a wonderful, sometimes heart-wrenching story that doesn't restrict itself to people with gay experiences. ANYONE could read this book and feel total empathy with Laurie. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who has the least interest in reading a love story--it won't disappoint. I only wish that the story could have continued, perhaps in a sequel. Still, a very touching and satisfying tale.
Rating:
Summary: A touching look at homosexual love
Review: I have been a firm Mary Renault fan ever since I read her first historical romance -- The Persian Boy
Until I
came across the Charioteer, I had always thought that she
specialised in writing hsitorical works, I had no idea that
she started out writing novels set in contemporary times
I live in a Muslim country where homosexuality is not
tolerated
Although I'm not a Muslim and am a hextro
sexual, I too was very biased against homosexuality
I never saw gays as being normal -- they were an abomination
I thought
Two books were instrumental in me changing the
way I looked at homosexuality. One was the Persian Boy
also by Ms Renault and the other, The Charioteer
This book made me realise that in the end, all people are the same
regardless of their sexual orientation. Ms Renault portrayed
the characters beautifully and showed very positive images
of gay men and the conflict that they go through.
Although in most western countries the climate is very free
for gay men to come out, here in the east, especially a
conservative country like mine, the situation is still like
what it is described in the book
For me personally, I have never been able to get the two
main characters, Ralph and Laurie out of my head. My only
regret is that Ms Renault never furnished a sequel for
the novel because it ends rather abruptly. Although it is implied in
the novel that Laurie will forgive Ralph, I am dying to know
what happens to them say, five years down the road.
For all those homophobics out there, this is one book which
you must read. Ms Renault is proof that the msot intense
emotions and love can still be explained without having
to resort to graphic sex scenes which are so prevalent
in today's books.
Rating:
Summary: The most memorable love story I have ever read.
Review: I love this book. I first picked it up, purely by chance, 10 years ago and have read it over and over again since. The characters have stayed with me, and though I have read all Mary Renault's other books--this will always be my favorite. It gives some very good lesson's in love, as well as life, no matter what age you may be.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books on love & isolation I have ever read.
Review: I read the Charioteer ages ago. And I have reread it perodically. Mary Renault writes beautifully about the heartbreaking difficulty of finding and living with mature homosexual love. She goes beyond the superficial mannerisms and right to the issues of personality, commitment, caring, love and loneliness. Her book, more than any "diversity" training I have undertaken has taught me about the complexity of living outside of the mainstream and finding fulfillment in companionship. This goes beyond "equality" or "gay rights", straight to the fundamental issues. And she does so with compassion, and brilliance.
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