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The Golden Mean Audiobook
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(3.00) - 1,432 listener ratings
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On the orders of his boyhood friend, now King Philip of Macedon, Aristotle postpones his dreams of succeeding Plato as leader of the Academy in Athens and reluctantly arrives in the Macedonian capital of Pella to tutor the king’s adolescent sons. An early illness has left one son with the intellect of a child; the other is destined for greatness but struggles between a keen mind that craves instruction and the pressures of a society that demands his prowess as a soldier. Initially Aristotle hopes for a short stay in what he considers the brutal backwater of his childhood. But, as a man of relentless curiosity and reason, Aristotle warms to the challenge of instructing his young charges, particularly Alexander, in whom he recognizes a kindred spirit, an engaged, questioning mind coupled with a unique sense of position and destiny. Aristotle struggles to match his ideas against the warrior culture that is Alexander’s birthright. He feels that teaching this startling, charming, sometimes horrifying boy is a desperate necessity. And that what the boy – thrown before his time onto his father’s battlefields – needs most is to learn the golden mean, that elusive balance between extremes that Aristotle hopes will mitigate the boy’s will to conquer. Aristotle struggles to inspire balance in Alexander, and he finds he must also play a cat-and-mouse game of power and influence with Philip in order to manage his own ambitions. As Alexander’s position as Philip’s heir strengthens and his victories on the battlefield mount, Aristotle’s attempts to instruct him are honoured, but increasingly unheeded. And despite several troubling incidents on the field of battle, Alexander remains steadfast in his desire to further the reach of his empire to all known and unknown corners of the world, rendering the intellectual pursuits Aristotle offers increasingly irrelevant. Exploring this fabled time and place, Annabel Lyon tells her story in the earthy, frank, and perceptive voice of Aristotle himself. With sensual and muscular prose, she explores how Aristotle’s genius touched the boy who would conquer the known world. And she reveals how we still live with the ghosts of both men.
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"A well-written book chronicling the time that Aristotle tutored Alexander the Great. Historically accurate as to the sequence of events, the author is able to weave a story about the people and their possible thoughts, feelings, etc. I enjoyed reading it immensely and will enjoy discussing this book at our book club tonight. It should be a great discussion!"
— Jan (4 out of 5 stars)
The Golden Mean Listener Reviews
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" Didn't finish this book. I wasn't enjoying it, then a good friend said she'd finished it and it didn't get any better! Really disappointed as I bought it based on good reviews on CBC and in a newspaper (the Vancouver Sun, I think). "
— Jaimie, 2/7/2014 -
" I'm not totally convinced that the characterisation of Aristotle, who acts as the narrator, is accurate. The author does offer an interesting depiction of a genius whose mind is so active he has bipolar tendencies. I initially had some problems with the flow of the writing, the text seemed to jump from one topic to another and I'd often have to reread parts to get things in order. The book does improve as it goes on. "
— Tamari, 2/5/2014 -
" I would really only give this book 3.5 stars. It was pretty good. The writing style was a bit clunky for my taste. With the exception of Aristotle, the characters were not very fleshed out- caricatures only. I adored the first half but realized that I was waiting for more depth and emotion that never came. I was rather disappointed overall. "
— Blackley, 2/4/2014 -
" After NPR gave it a raving review, I anticipated a historical novel on the same level as Irving Stone's The Agony and Ecstasy, a powerful and eloquent read about Michaelangelo; but The Golden Mean, a well researched story based on Aristotle, falls short - a tedious and confusing plot with hard to follow dialogue, and characterizations, while historical correct, weak and forgettable. A major disappointment, but credit to Annabel Lyon for her determined research to understand the dimensions and impact on Western knowledge from the great Greek philosopher. "
— Randy, 1/11/2014 -
" I was hoping for so much more from this book. I enjoyed certain parts of it, but on the whole I felt is was a little dull and at times the writing was ambiguous. **Tons of language. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. "
— Alyssa, 1/9/2014 -
" This was ok - neat to read about what life may have been like for famous historical figures, but not riveting. "
— Rebecca, 1/3/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book, and felt transported back into time when life wasn't easy at all, and there were very different 'rules' that people lived by. Learning about Aristotle was very cool! I had been wanting to read this for a long time and wasn't disappointed at all. "
— Jennifer, 1/3/2014 -
" Strong, muscular prose that is fitting given the subject and time period - A well crafted story. One minor critique is Lyon's use of the word "fuck" in one of her character's speech. The earliest known origin of the word dates far after Aristotle's time. Its use in her story is noticeably jarring. "
— Margarita, 12/21/2013 -
" This book gained my favour by depciting my least favourite philosopher, Aristotle, as a simple, pure and true-to himself man, and young Alexander as a boy with a bg family burden he's dealing with as he can. realism, simplicity and purity are the main traits of this book, and they make it lovable and worth reading. "
— Rozonda, 12/20/2013 -
" Didn't finish this book. I wasn't enjoying it, then a good friend said she'd finished it and it didn't get any better! Really disappointed as I bought it based on good reviews on CBC and in a newspaper (the Vancouver Sun, I think). "
— Jaimie, 12/18/2013 -
" Truly interesting - i loved Aristotle's voice, his slight cluelessness, and deep wisdom. Wonderfully engrossing. I didn't want to put it down and read the entire thing in an afternoon. "
— deanna, 12/14/2013 -
" This is an historical novel about the life of Aristotle who tutors a young Alexander the great. An interesting read. "
— Phemie, 12/9/2013 -
" I really enjoyed this book, but found the constant psycho-analysis grating at times. "
— Rosie, 11/28/2013 -
" Gave up. If you know more about the period or are interested in it, this might hold your interest more. This is a fictional account of the time that Aristotle spent with the young Alexander (eventually to become The Great). It just didn't work for me. "
— Stephanie, 11/27/2013 -
" Pseudo interesting...a "what could have been" kind of relationship between Aristotle and Alexander. Overall, I found myself wishing for it to be over, or at least do something. "
— Allison, 9/14/2013 -
" Another one of these parables of Alexander and his teacher Aristotle written with a modern sense. The one battle was made up and I decided no thanks. "
— David, 8/25/2013 -
" I loved it. Annabel Lyon brings the ancient past to life in a vivid, easily accessible way. I thought all of her characters were human representations of the two dimensional historical characters that we all know. "
— Kirstin, 7/8/2013 -
" I really couldn't get into this book... perhaps I didn't give it much of a chance "
— Tamara, 5/24/2013 -
" Interesting, but not compelling. Aristotle led an interesting life, but this book isn't about his accomplishments. More about life as an established, reasonably well-off member of Alexander's court. "
— Nick, 3/30/2013 -
" Found it to be a difficult read- not that familiar with the historical context, and following the names! "
— Brenda, 12/12/2012 -
" I enjoyed reading the book, but I did not like the characters. Aristotle was described much too worldly and contemporary to be credible. "
— Annette, 10/30/2012 -
" I loved it. Annabel Lyon brings the ancient past to life in a vivid, easily accessible way. I thought all of her characters were human representations of the two dimensional historical characters that we all know. "
— Kirstin, 8/11/2012 -
" Didn't really enjoy the writing of this book. Hard to say why, since the subject matter was interesting: imagining the relationship that Aristotle had with a young Alexander the Great. I think it was the writing style that threw me off. That and the swearing! "
— Shital, 7/26/2012 -
" I enjoyed this fictional writing of interaction between Aristotle and Alexander the Great. "
— Kevin, 7/20/2012 -
" Aristotle as a depressive? Couldn't pick up this book again after getting mired down halfway through. The problem with writing fiction with Aristotle its that the author has to be nearly as sharp as he is. Lyon isn't up to the task. To be fair, very few people would be. "
— Eileend, 2/19/2012 -
" Really disappointing, the writing was terrific but was graphic in a way that was really disturbing and I wished I had not read. "
— Shirley, 9/28/2011 -
" Another finalist for the two major Canadian literary awards. I loved this book - Aristotle as the friend of Philip of Macedon and teacher of Alexander. "
— Lynn, 8/13/2011 -
" Another one of these parables of Alexander and his teacher Aristotle written with a modern sense. The one battle was made up and I decided no thanks. "
— David, 6/28/2011 -
" Another one of these parables of Alexander and his teacher Aristotle written with a modern sense. The one battle was made up and I decided no thanks. "
— David, 6/28/2011 -
" Interesting because it deals with Aristotle and the young Alexander the Great, but I prefer the Mary Stewart series about Alexander. "
— Sharon, 6/19/2011 -
" Interesting because it deals with Aristotle and the young Alexander the Great, but I prefer the Mary Stewart series about Alexander. "
— Sharon, 6/19/2011 -
" Only read 1/2 and was bored. "
— Charmaine, 6/17/2011 -
" Only read 1/2 and was bored. "
— Charmaine, 6/17/2011 -
" I found the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander beautiful. Not to mention the portrayal of education which has changed so much. There is a challenging depiction of Aristotle's view of Pythias and women. Gripping.<br/> "
— Angela, 6/6/2011 -
" I found the relationship between Aristotle and Alexander beautiful. Not to mention the portrayal of education which has changed so much. There is a challenging depiction of Aristotle's view of Pythias and women. Gripping.<br/> "
— Angela, 6/6/2011 -
" "Besides the fact that I can't figure out the plot, I'm enjoying this book. It's a fictional biography on the life of Aristotle and the writing style is phenomenal. She puts you in the point of view of him - a stubborn, early scientist who works with the King's son." "
— Wendy, 5/18/2011 -
" "Besides the fact that I can't figure out the plot, I'm enjoying this book. It's a fictional biography on the life of Aristotle and the writing style is phenomenal. She puts you in the point of view of him - a stubborn, early scientist who works with the King's son." "
— Wendy, 5/18/2011 -
" I liked this for the history. Not a memorable read for me though. "
— Kim, 5/17/2011 -
" I liked this for the history. Not a memorable read for me though. "
— Kim, 5/17/2011 -
" I loved it. Annabel Lyon brings the ancient past to life in a vivid, easily accessible way. I thought all of her characters were human representations of the two dimensional historical characters that we all know. "
— Kirstin, 4/22/2011 -
" I loved it. Annabel Lyon brings the ancient past to life in a vivid, easily accessible way. I thought all of her characters were human representations of the two dimensional historical characters that we all know. "
— Kirstin, 4/22/2011 -
" This really ought to have been an interesting novel about Aristotle and Alexander. But it just never came to life for me, and seemed plodding and dull throughout. "
— Dale, 3/11/2011 -
" This really ought to have been an interesting novel about Aristotle and Alexander. But it just never came to life for me, and seemed plodding and dull throughout. "
— Dale, 3/11/2011 -
" This was a captivating if at times crude read. Lyon gracefully renders such mythical historical figures as Aristotle and Alexander the Great in a complex web of emotions and intellect. "
— Joel, 2/9/2011 -
" This was a captivating if at times crude read. Lyon gracefully renders such mythical historical figures as Aristotle and Alexander the Great in a complex web of emotions and intellect. "
— Joel, 2/9/2011
About Annabel Lyon
Annabel Lyon is the author of several books for adults and children, including the internationally best-selling The Golden Mean, which received the prestigious Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. She teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia.