A biography of Athens in the Golden Age as much as Socrates, whose life spanned the beginning and end of the idealistic Athenian democracy. I found the way Hughes parallels the Peloponnesian War and Athenian events with what we know of Socrates really absorbing and much easier to follow than my high school history class. Bettany has been in the dust & muck of the ruins of this magnificent but arrogant and destructive City and she's managed to form a more realistic version of Golden Age Athens in my mind. Socratic thinking has been passed through the ages and his thoughts are still relevant and lauded. A man of time but also for all time. This book suffers from the very problem that the author talks about in the beginning. Socrates is a doughnut topic. A lot going on around but the charactor in the middle is missing. This becomes essentially a book about the Golden Age of Greece that looks at the way this is reflected in the work and life of Socrates, not a classical biography. That being said, it is engaging and well written and aside from getting a little slow in the middle, a very enjoyable book.
I really enjoyed looking at the life of Socrates through the lens of Athens!
—sacredfire22
Fascinating subject, but cringe-inducing writing.
—MizPrissyPants
Excellent Book!
—thatgingrasgirl
