Customer Reviews

In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid

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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.

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.

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

The author, Penelope Lively, does for the Aeneid what Rosemary Sutcliff does for the Iliad and the Odyssey: makes it understandable to a grade school student.

It is the story of Aeneas very well told and the color pencil drawings by Ian Andrew are vivid and beautiful.

We appreciated the map at the back of the book detailing the sites traditionally associated with the voyages of Aeneas. And following that is a pronunciation guide for the Greek and Latin names so that read aloud you don't have to stumble about the names.

"Venus had spoken. Aeneas knew that the task was his: he must lead his Trojan comrades in search of a new homeland, though none knew where they should go. They turned their backs on the devastated city and set about building a fleet of ships. When summer came, the ships rode upon the water and old Anchises, their chieftan, urged that the sails be raised and the Trojan survivors leave the shores of Asia in pursuit of their destiny."

That hopefully gives you a better idea of the style and ease of the writing.

I really recommend reading this and then reading Virgil's Aeneid. It makes it so easy to know what is going on, who the characters are etc. to read this version first.

I purchased this because it was recommended in Andrew Campbell's Latin-Centered Curriculum. I am very impressed with the art work in the book and the clear presentation of the story.

I was convinced from the other reviewers that this was a good addition to our homeschooling units on Ancient Greece/Rome. It is a nice translation of the Aeneid, covering Aeneas' journey from Troy to Rome. But I wasn't sure what ages it was appropriate for.

When I looked at this one it seemed like a young reader could get through this--maybe even an astute 2nd grader. It is a big beautiful book with illustrations on each page and not too difficult vocabulary. And only 110 pages. My 9-yr old made it through fine but like most myths, I think this source will grow richer with time and repetition. What is wonderful about this work is that it is written on a level that he could be initiated to this great work of literature now, but will still be interesting when he studies it later on... 5th-8th grade seems most appropriate.

I was first introduced to this story by my mother as part of my sixth grade homeschooling curriculum. She intended this story to be a bridge from my ancient Greek unit to the study of ancient Romans. Instantly, I was hooked on the plot and always resented having to close the book at the end of the day's lesson. I hope that others will enjoy this rewritten classic as much as I have.
The Aeneid was originally written by a Roman poet named Virgil. During his era, he believed that Rome was in decline. Virgil decided to write the Aeneid to make the citizens of Rome see where they came from and to be proud of their ancestors. According to Virgil, the Romans descended from the defeated Trojans of the Iliad. He claimed to be inspired by Homer, but really his epic is an interesting combination of the Iliad and the Odyssey put into a "founding of Rome" context.
Penelope Lively's adapted version of The Aeneid is a highly entertaining and intriguing book to read. In Search of a Homeland tells Virgil's classic story of the founding of Rome at a level that's easy and appropriate for kids. This is the third and final book in a series. The first two books are Black Ships Before Troy and The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff and illustrated by Alan Lee. I preferred the first two books because the writing was a bit more complex and the illustrations showed much more depth and emotion.
Overall, In Search of a Homeland is a very good story and I recommend it to practically anyone who is interested in the ancient world and warfare. This is a fantastic book and the history behind the story is just as interesting.

I read this book for school. It was really good! Fairly easy to read, very simple, but interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who likes ancient Romans,Greeks,or Greek myths. 5-star!!!

THis was a huge hit with my 8 year old-- he read it by himself. I haven't read it yet but browsed through: the pictures are lovely. Now I feel like he has more of a handle on this ancient literature than I do! Recommend