The Charioteer

Rating:
Summary: One of the most memorable books I have ever read!
Review: I read The Charioteer first in mid 1960s when it was first gay book I had ever seen. It changed my views of gay lifestyles in a very positive way. For years I was afraid to reread it in case it disappointed me but when I finally did so I finished it in 24 hours and then read it again. Well written, supportive, affirming and hopeful. A remarkable book for one written in early 1950s

Rating:
Summary: masterful cup of tea not for me
Review: I read this a few months ago; these are lasting impressions of the book.

I have read some of Renault's historical fiction, and this moden novel differs. The Charioteer is not infused with the history of a period, no descriptions of politics or great battles or historical details. Writing in this modern wartime setting is, I think, so close to Renault's own world that it evaporates from her prose. The characters and events, what events there are, occur almost in a dreamy vacuum. Renault writes inside her characters' minds, not looking out from their eyes into the world, but inward-turning. It's also a sort of cryptic, poetic style of writing, which I personally did not enjoy so much. If you are a fan of poetry and philosophical meandering, you may enjoy this, but readers looking for a visceral book in terms of place and time setting, characters, action, etc should look elsewhere. The book is filled with emotion, but it's emotion tempered by self-contemplation and self-doubt. The main characters are pressed down tight, a stranglehold on their actions and feelings.

It's brilliantly written, but I didn't enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: masterful cup of tea not for me
Review: I read this a few months ago; these are lasting impressions of the book.

I have read some of Renault's historical fiction, and this moden novel differs. The Charioteer is not infused with the history of a period, no descriptions of politics or great battles or historical details. Writing in this modern wartime setting is, I think, so close to Renault's own world that it evaporates from her prose. The characters and events, what events there are, occur almost in a dreamy vacuum. Renault writes inside her characters' minds, not looking out from their eyes into the world, but inward-turning. It's also a sort of cryptic, poetic style of writing, which I personally did not enjoy so much. If you are a fan of poetry and philosophical meandering, you may enjoy this, but readers looking for a visceral book in terms of place and time setting, characters, action, etc should look elsewhere. The book is filled with emotion, but it's emotion tempered by self-contemplation and self-doubt. The main characters are pressed down tight, a stranglehold on their actions and feelings.

It's brilliantly written, but I didn't enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: A departure
Review: I read this book before ever indulging in Mary Renault's ancient Greek fiction, although this story is every bit as entertaining, even set in World War II.

The two main characters, Laurie and Ralph, struggle with their love for one another as well as their devotion and dedication to their relationship, and their friendship as well.

This book is every bit as timeless as the ancient Greece novels, yet a bit dated of a read amidst modern day views and sensibilities about homosexual relationships. It does, however, send readers back to a time where more value was placed upon the root of a relationship and of love. It transcends the need for graphic sexual display, yet does not hide the nature of the involvement between the two men.

Of all the homosexual themed novels I have read, this is far and away my favorite. Even though it was written over forty years ago, it stands the test of time in its message of understanding the value of love, regardless of gender.

Rating:
Summary: Haunting. Two lovers you will never forget.
Review: I realize I've already written a review of The Charioteer but while perusing other customer reviews I came across a review which made me realize why I love this book so much. It is because ever since I finished the book for the first time back in 1986, I can't get Laurie and Ralph out of my head. They became so real to me upon that first reading that I have been compelled to return to the book again and again if only to spend a few more moments with some old friends. There are only a few other fictional characters I feel so close to, and none as much as these two.

Rating:
Summary: Hopscotch in the Minefield
Review: I was a little put off by the fact that the book was categorized as "Gay Studies". I read it anyway because I consider Ms. Challans to be one of the best ever authors. Rather than being about "being gay" I think the book is about how relationships are like playing hopscotch in a mine field. Being comfortable with a person one has come to enjoy (or finds attractive) can go from spooning to forking. But one must not assume! You know what happens if you assume! Andrew was not exactly complimented by the depth of Laurence's attraction to him. Good thing Laurie wasn't standing on that mine when it went OFF!
Ms. Challans (Renault to some o' ya) had the ability to write stories at several levels and budding writer's should refer to her as an excellent example of storytelling is done.

Rating:
Summary: Life enhancing
Review: If it is possible for a novel to enhance a persons life, then 'The Charioteer' did that for me. I first read the book over 20 years ago and its effect was profound. Each time I have re-read it, further insights into the characters and the era have unfolded. I have spoken to gay men of that time who have read the book and they confirm the complexities of homsexual relationships as written by Ms Renault. How different the'scene' is half a century later - and then, how similar. Very different from her historical novels, 'The Charioteer' is a study of humanity that places her firmly in company of the greats!


Rating:
Summary: Deeply moving story of human connection
Review: One of the most powerful novels I've ever read; it had a major impact on my life. A long-time fantasy of mine is that Merchant/Ivory would make it into a British TV mini-series. If you like this book, you will probably also enjoy "Maurice" by E. M. Forster.

Rating:
Summary: A timeless love story
Review: Reading this book as a heterosexual female, I can't say that I identified with any of the characters; but Mary Renault has written a remarkable book that explores the issue of love from various sides and gives us an in-depth view of a people coming to terms with their own sexuality and what it will mean for them in the world at large.

The time is 1940 and the place is England just after the retreat from Dunkirk; in the memorable words of Winston Churchill, it was their finest hour. At the center of the book is Laurie Odell, wounded in action, waking up in a military hospital to the fact that he will be crippled for life. The problem for Laurie is that he fears being emotionally crippled as well. Laurie is a graduate of a rigid British prep school where the head boy, Ralph Lanyon, was the object of his hero worship; Ralph is kicked out in a sensational scandal involving a hysterical accusation of homosexual activity with another boy in the school. Laurie is sexually attracted to Ralph and when Ralph is expelled, he realizes that the attraction was mutual, but that Ralph never approached him because he knew better than Laurie himself did that Laurie hadn't awakened to his own sexual orientation yet, and Ralph was not about to take that responsibility for him. While recuperating in the hospital, Laurie meets Andrew, a young conscientious objector who looks up to him as Laurie had looked up to Ralph. Andrew, however, is a total innocent, and his uncompromising religious views would make him look upon homosexual love as an abomination, even while he is attracted to Laurie. While on leave from the hospital, Laurie runs into Ralph, whom he hadn't seen since he was expelled from prep school seven years earlier, and learns that it was Ralph who piloted the navy boat that rescued him from Dunkirk. Ralph has been wounded as well, however, having had half his hand shot off, so the two of them are basically free and unfettered to start a relationship.

Ralph has grown hard and cynical after seven years of searching for love with increasingly superficial partners, and he has hit rock bottom with his current partner, whose sole attraction is his dazzling good looks. The attraction between Ralph and Laurie is immediate and compelling, and throws Laurie into a dilemma: he can hook up with Ralph and face up to the fact of his homosexuality which he has been hiding from everyone, including himself; or he can remain on a platonic basis with Andrew and remain sexually frustrated. At the core of his problem is trying to resolve how one can be gay and maintain his integrity at the same time. After meeting some of Ralph's associates, he isn't so sure. Laurie doesn't want to be dragged into the gay milieu, and Ralph sees Laurie as his means of escape from that milieu, and the bottom line for them both is, are they homosexual men, or are they men who happen to be homosexual.

Things get complicated when Laurie tells Ralph about Andrew (one of the things that attracts Ralph to Laurie is his fundamental honesty) and although he understands Laurie's dilemma, Ralph isn't about to let him off the hook; he tells Laurie that he has a choice: he can continue to help Andrew tell lies to himself about himself, or he can help Andrew face up to what he is. Laurie doesn't want that responsibility with Andrew any more than Ralph wanted it with him seven years earlier, and he temporizes until someone intervenes and Andrew has to face his own nature up close and personal. The resulting explosion shakes everyone up; Laurie finally realizes that being human ultimately means being true to oneself. What that means for Laurie is resolved at the end of the book.

There are several interesting secondary characters in the story, including Alec, one of Ralph's previous partners, decent, honest, but unable to commit more than superfically, and Sandy, Alec's current partner, insecure, demanding, jealous, but also capable of love, and Bunny, Ralph's latest, despicable, devious, and totally amoral. But the three main characters are the most compelling: Andrew, whose rigid, unbending morality finally makes him snap; Ralph, hard, jaded, yet with a core of innocence and trust that still makes him believe that love is not a myth; and Laurie himself, trying to resolve who he is and what he stands for as a man and as a human being. For all its being a World War II story, the problems and issues are timeless and make the book as fresh today as it was 60 years ago when it was first issued. Mary Renault has shown with "The Charioteer" that she is not only a great historical novelist, she is one of the best writers of the 20th century.

Rating:
Summary: Well Done!
Review: The Audio verison of this book is Excellent. The reader is a woman, whose name I can't recall. She does a great job. It seems strange at first, but then it flows very nicely. On Audio the Characters are even more real and Vivid. It's almost as if you were listening in on their dialoge. Since the book can be a hard read at times, this can be a great alternative.