Lavinia

"A magnificent act of reimagination, best read alongside a good translation of Virgil (such as that of Robert Fagles, whose translation is quoted here) so that Le Guin's brilliant interweaving of Lavinia's story with the original can be fully appreciated." THE TIMES "A world rich in ritual and piety is evoked, one teeming with divine omens and auguries. It's beautifully done. [An] intruiging, luxuriously realised novel." -- James Lovegrove THE FINANCIAL TIMES "Ursula Le Guin's vivid novel gives Lavinia a voice. It is a moving testament to the conversations that great writers sustain through the centuries." -- Dinah Birch TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT "Lavinia is a fantasy built on a fantasy, yet it rings true. Its author writes with a sophistication and clarity that make suspension of disbelief natural. Le Guin's ancient Latium is extraordinary, as is Virgil's, but her characters are rooted, real, ordinary." THE OBSERVER "This is a book that is as perfect as an autumn day or a truly great wine. This is life itself, coaxed onto the page. Such a perfect balance of feeling, metre and storytelling it is hard to describe." -- Guy Haley DEATHRAY "Lavina is based on events in Virgil's Aeneid; the battle scenes do recall the film 300 or the epics of antiquity. But it's everyday pre-Roman life that fascinates Le Guin: rituals seasonal cycles and the role of women. Lavinia herself has a strong voice, and Le Guin's lyrical prose builds a heroic love story." WATERSTONE'S BOOKS QUARTERLY "Le Guin has lovingly re-created the relatively simple Bronze age culture that ultimately gave birth to Rome. This is one of her finest achievements. It certainly deserves to be at the top of your 'must read' list." -- Laurence Osborn INTERZONE "If you enjoyed Virgil's Aeneid, you will enjoy seeing that one line fleshed out. If you like classical history, this is a fascinating glimpse of the little warrior states that eventually became part of Rome. For those who like poetic prose, a good story well told, and living through a different mind in another world, then Lavinia will be a book to enjoy again and again." HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY "Lavinia opens a thought provoking window into a long dead world, and offers something interesting from the hands of a writer who is extremely competent and passionately engaged with her subject matter. A fascinating read." -- Alex Meehan SUNDAY BUSINESS POST (IRELAND) "Impressively written and deftly handled, this is a graceful and enchanting novel that far from marring the legend Virgil created, delicately adds to it in a modest commentary on a character he left undone. Beautifully crafted and skillfully tackled." DREAMWATCH TOTAL SCI FI "Le Guin is a composed writer, clear and measured, and her account of the life of Aeneas's last wife, a woman Virgil scoots over in the The Aeneid, is captivating. This is a work of passion, written with cool expertise: a cracker." THE SUNDAY TIMES