In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid [Paperback]

Penelope Lively (Author)

Book Description

Aeneas flees from the sacked city of Troy, entrusted by his goddess-mother Venus with a daunting mission: to find a new homeland for his people. Over 2000 years after Virgil wrote his epic The Aeneid, Penelope Lively retells Aeneas' story with pace poignancy and drama, while Ian Andrew's illustrations bring the characters beautifully to life. Together they create an introduction to The Aeneid which takes its place alongside Rosemary Sutcliff's classic retellings of Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey. The book includes a Latin pronunciation guide and a map of Aeneas' long, arduous, death-defying journey.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Inspired by the ancient masterpiece The Aeneid, by Roman poet Virgil, modern-day author Penelope Lively has penned a poignant retelling of the arduous journeys of Trojan warrior Aeneas. Doubtful young readers will be amazed at how readable and downright gripping these old tales really are, from the devastating ruse the Greeks wreak on the city of Troy, to the tempestuous seas the escaping Trojans cross and recross, to the violent battles they fight, all in the name of finding their true homeland.

Illustrator Ian Andrew's evocative, scratchy illustrations set the stage for award-winning author Penelope Lively's text, which captures all the terrible excitement and bittersweet emotions of these ancient travails and mythical encounters with supernatural beasts. Moved by this retelling, readers will surely want to seek out other epic classics, perhaps Rosemary Sutcliff's masterful retellings of Homer's Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad and The Wanderings of Odysseus: The Story of the Odyssey. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

... a good resource for teachers Books for Keeps Making this classical masterpiece accessible to children is a skilful task and Penelope Lively's text presents the key action without over simplifying. Carousel

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Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children's Books (October 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184507792X
• ISBN-13: 978-1845077921
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bridge Between Greek and Roman Worlds, October 13, 2009

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid (Paperback)

I recently finished reading Rosemary Sutcliff's "Dark Ships Before Troy" and "Odysseus' Wanderings" to my six year old son and it seemed only natural that we continue with this thread by reading a children's version of the Aeneid. Penelope Lively's "In Search of a Homeland" was a natural choice. All three books are put out by the same publisher and are geared towards the same young adult readership. Thus the narrative flowed almost seemlessly between the three books. Penelope Lively is a skilled writer and her story is firmly rooted in the Homeric structure Sutcliff recreates in her two books.

Having finished this third book of the Trojan War triology, I think the real value of the Aeneid is that it creates this mythic bridge between the Greek and Roman worlds. Before starting "Dark Ships Before Troy" we read numerous books of Greek Mythology to help set the stage for the Iliad. Having finished "In Search of a Homeland", I think it will be a lot easier to transition into the study of the Roman world. Vergil's Aeneid is a great poem and worthy of study for that alone. Yet for young children, I think the real value of the Aeneid is more as a bridge between two great civilization. Highly recommended.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will appeal to any student of Greek mythology and history, January 3, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Search of a Homeland : The Story of the Aeneid (Hardcover)

Ian Andrew illustrates In Search Of A Homeland, a story of the Aneid and a tale of war which will appeal to any student of Greek mythology and history. Chapters present the story with plenty of illustration and color: it's hard to peg the readers and age group of this title, which will reach from grades 5-8.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In Search of a Homeland by Joy Penwrite, April 30, 2009

By 

TEAMS 7th Grade Writing Class "TEAMS" - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid (Hardcover)

In Search of a Homeland by Penelope Lively


In Search of a Homeland is a dramatic story that includes life, death, passion, romance and bravery. The three main characters interact in a way that keeps my interest throughout the entire book. The story of the ancient Romans, originally written by Virgil, is a fabulous tale to read. I think the author did an excellent job retelling the story of the Aenied so you can understand it better.

Development of the main characters is well done. Penelope Lively, as she retells Virgil's story, handles each character sufficiently. Aeneas, Turnus and Dido are compelling character who are captivating. Aeneas from Troy is finding a new homeland for his people. Aeneas is a great leader. He is fearless as well as a excellent fighter. Turnus is Aeneas' enemy who is from the city Latin. Dido is the queen of Carthage who falls in love with Aeneas.

The plot is exciting and fascinating. The author starts out telling about the fall of Troy and the Trojan horse. Aeneas leads the survivors out of Troy moving toward Italy. They stumbled upon many dangers along the way. They come to Carthage and sailed on to Latin and for a massive battle. I thought the battle scenes were a little difficult to follow. It was hard to understand what was going on and where everyone was.

One of the central ideas in this book is that no one listened to the warnings to not bring the Trojan horse in the city of Troy, but should instead burn it. The Trojan horse was brought into the city anyway. The second idea is that gods and goddesses are not reliable. They did not save Troy, but instead let Troy burn.

I highly recommend this book if you are studying Ancient Troy and Rome. It is not a boring book to read because of all the crazy ancient methods. The author made it easy to understand and follow. It is also a wonderful book for reading out loud to the family.

By Joy Penwrite