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There are currently 27 member reviews
for The Latinist
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Dorinne D. (Wickenburg, AZ)
An Enriching Reading Experience
I found this book to be a bit difficult to get into, since the subject matter involves early Latin verse including the mythical romance of Daphne and Apollo. Not my usual genre as you might imagine. But once into the story involving Tessa, an American student working on her doctorate at Oxford University, and her advisor-mentor, Chris, I found myself eagerly navigating through the Latin poetry and nuances to discover the current story of Tessa's scholarship abilities and Chris's obsessive behavior. A very different reading experience, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I believe that I have enriched my reading experience through this novel.
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Paula K. (Champaign, IL)
A Literary Thriller Suffused with Obsession and Revenge
Reimagining the Daphne and Apollo myth and through lyrical prose, The Latinist tells the story of an aspiring scholar and her controlling mentor. Prins captures the nuances of life in contemporary academia, including the discovery of the work of a second-century poet and the control that a single senior person, acting as a mentor, can have over the career of an aspiring academic. Although I found The Latinist a little slow at the start, it was not long before I was hooked. The book will appeal to a wide range of readers and be especially popular in academic communities.
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Stephanie K. (Glendale, AZ)
Scholarship, Passion, Suspense and Obsession
Tessa, an American scholar, begins her academic career at Oxford unaware of the dangerous games she's playing with Chris, her brilliantly flawed British mentor. While at first she has the cushion of Chris's wife Diana and her lover Ben to keep them safely apart, both Ben's and Diana's sudden departures wreak havoc in the form of obsessed and unrequited love. For anyone ever delving into literary academia, Tessa's and Chris's story leaves the reader fascinated yet terrified. Within the background of ancient history and archeological digs, their thoroughly modern relationship will seem both familiar and odd as professor and student circle around each other, one cunning and the other innocent, only to shockingly do an about-face. Anyone intrigued with dead languages, ancient mysteries and the workings of overwrought minds will find this one of their new favorite reads.
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Carrie M. (Rahway, NJ)
Modern Day Academic Daphne and Apollo
A perceptively written modern day Daphne and Apollo tale on the campus of Oxford University. Mark Prins uses his knowledge mixed with emotion and humor to capture to the academic environment and pressures felt between professors and their students. Tessa must prove herself academically to others despite the efforts of her protégé advisor Chris, who tries through romance to sabotage her work and block her academic pathway. The supporting characters add dimension, perspective and intrigue to his narrative, and provide Tessa with information, support, and clues in finishing and figuring out her situation with Chris. On the other hand there are supporting characters who favor Chris. The details of Tessa's discoveries, going back to discover the similarities between modern and ancient civilizations, add to the reader's involvement, and fascination with academia and how success is achieved even with the odds are against you. It may take the reader a short time to absorbed in this modern-day Daphne and Apollo tale, the reader will find it an engaging, fascinating and engaging read.
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Portia A. (Monroe Township, NJ)
Erudition and Obsession
An interesting juxtaposition of scholarship and desire, the story it tells is compelling. There is no point in rehashing what has been written concerning the plot..just read it.
ps: it has been 75 years since my high school Latin classes, but It was good to see the translations.
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Courtney H. (Warren, PA)
An Exploration into Contemporary Godhood
In The Latinist Mark Prins uses wit and expert knowledge to retell the classic Greek myth of Daphne and Apollo. Prins does an excellent job of capturing the toxic nature of Apollo and his lovers, especially Daphne, through a lens of contemporary academia. The nature of Tessa and Chris's relationship, as well as their relationship with their supporting characters can be read as a retelling of Dahne and Apollo, but their story also can stand on its own as an original New Age narrative. Prins narrative flows well and is enjoyable to read. The amount of detail and allusion Prins include adds to the richness of the story without detracting from the enjoyment of the experience. This book managed to be witty, engaging, and relevant all at the same time. I highly recommend this book for readers seeking a fresh take interpersonal problems that have existed from ancient to contemporary times.
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ClaireM
The God and the Maiden
Sharply drawn character studies are interwoven in the The Latinist with mutual desire, intense ambition, and dangerous obsessions. The refined life of Oxford dons and their PhD proteges is an object of scrutiny as much as the fragments of ancient words and the bones of ancient bodies. Rising above tropes of the kind littering the machinations of protagonists and antagonists in an Inspector Morse (or Lewis or Endeavor) mystery series, or the effete vampires in The Discovery of Witches, author Prins bends the lens so the reader is privileged to view the dark violence of the most beneficial of relationships, the mentor and mentee.
As the ground shifts under assumptions made in past and present, the reader is treated to a delicious unveiling of facts—the young and old, modern and ancient plunder the work of one another to further their own aims. Beautiful locales and perfectly rendered details are eclipsed by the intricate twists of word and action in this tale of lust for the life of the mind, the triumph of ambition, and double-edged sword of love.
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