"The Beacon at Alexandria", Gillian Bradshaw

"The Beacon at Alexandria", Gillian Bradshaw: really good. One of the few books where the content actually reflects the praise on the cover (yes, this genuinely does feature fascinating descriptions of the theory and practice of Hippocratic medicine!) The classic 'girl disguises herself as a boy and runs away to escape an unwanted marriage' plot, but without the cliches and anachronisms of the genre; since Charis lives in the late classical period, she has the advantage of being able to disguise herself as a eunuch, which makes matters much easier. ( Read more... )