The Charioteer Author:Mary Renault "A remarkable achievement...set in England during the war, it is the story of a young man who is coming to terms with the fact that he is homosexual, and of all the novels I have read on the theme it is the one that carries the most conviction, that seems to make the rigfht distinctions, that shows the finest and subtlest insight." — Granville Hi... more »cks, Saturday Review
The title is taken from Plato's Phaedrus. The charioteer is the self; the winged horses which draw him, the spitit and the flesh, or perhaps more accurately, aspiration and desire. The conflict suggested by the myth is the theme of this superb novel.
"This is no detached narrative; compassion is at its heart."
Renault's tale about a British soldier coming to terms with his homosexuality is wonderful storytelling and keeps your interest throughout. A change of pace from her ancient Greece-type of books, but just as entertaining.