I’m so happy to end 2019 sharing with you THE best historical fiction novel I read all year.
Goodreads Blurb
The Road to Alexander (The Time for Alexander #1) by Jennifer Macaire
After winning a prestigious award, Ashley is chosen to travel through time and interview a historical figure. Choosing her childhood hero Alexander the Great, she is sent back in time for less than a day. He mistakes her for Persephone, goddess of the dead, and kidnaps her, stranding her in his own time. What follows, after she awakes under the pomegranate tree, is a hilarious, mind-bending tale of a modern woman immersed in the ancient throes of sex, love, quite a bit of vino, war, death and ever so much more.
Review
I didn’t really know anything much about Alexander the Great before I read this book but now I think I’m a little bit in love with him. I’m not surprised; everybody is in love with Alexander. Actually, everybody seems in love with everybody else. Of course, that brings its own negatives, such as jealously, but it was also great to see members of the same sex loving and enjoying each other with no shame about it. Whether The Road to Alexander’s depiction of such love is historically accurate or not, we need some more of this in our lives.
The Road to Alexander is more of a love story anyway than it is a historical representation of the life of Alexander the Great. If you are looking to see Alexander at war and sharp focus on his growing empire, this is not the book for you. Most of the battles play out off-screen. Plus, we are spared pages covering weeks of walking by Alexander’s army by means of a fast-paced story focusing more on core relationships. A big winner, if you ask me.
I was also a big fan of how the author made clear comparisons between our world and Alexander’s. Some are pretty obvious (believing the world is flat versus round) but some are more culturally interesting (attitude towards open relationships). We also learn a lot about the gods, religion, philosophy and the beliefs of the time, as well as the daily life, health, and hygiene. And the author does a great job intertwining these facts into a fictitious story.
Do you want to know the best thing about The Road to Alexander? It’s only book one of a series. I can’t wait to get stuck into the next instalment. How about we make a deal? I out book two at the top of my TBR and you put book one. It’s a win-win situation.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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