Lion in the Gateway: The Heroic battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae [Library Binding]

Mary Renault (Author)

Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Harpercollins (September 1964)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060248610
• ISBN-13: 978-0060248611
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,390,152 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Persian Invasion of Greece, February 6, 2007

By 

Pollyanna (Columbus, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The lion in the gateway (A Four square book) (Paperback)

An enthralling story, it tells of the crossing of the Hellespont by Xerxes' army and the battles fought against the invaders by the courageous Greeks; Pheidippides marathon run from Athens to Sparta and the heroic stand at Thermopylae by a handful of Spartans. The rich, detailed background of vengeful gods and venerable seers gives this brilliant version of the ancient myth a living realism.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Book and Author, March 1, 2010

By 

LME "The Discerning Viewer" (Central CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The lion in the gateway: The heroic battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae (Shifting scenes) (Hardcover)

SOMEONE, PLEASE REPRINT THIS BOOK!!!!

This is a wonderful retelling of a fascinating period in history. The writer was immersed in the study of this time period, as evidenced by her works. The writing is engaging and this is the best account of the Persian Wars for children, grades 4-9 or so. It surpasses Alfred Church's book, The Story of the Persian War.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing History!, July 24, 2010

By 

StarGuy - See all my reviews

This review is from: The lion in the gateway: The heroic battles of the Greeks and Persians at Marathon, Salamis, and Thermopylae (Shifting scenes) (Hardcover)

I read this book when I was in middle school and I just read it again as an adult. It is truly, truly wonderful, taking you right back to this incredible epic struggle of the Greeks against the Persian invaders. There's so much history, so much culture, so much atmosphere in this book. Mary Renault brings these great people to life, in a direct and accessible way. And best of all, she shows us why this story is important, how our own culture, our own ideas of freedom, reason, and democracy came from that flowering of Greece so long ago, and how these ideas were forged and hardened in the battles against the Persians.