In this year of the London
Olympics, young and old alike are excited by the romance and the endeavour, the
sweat and the tears of the greatest sporting event ever devised. With its
themes of striving for excellence, self knowledge, and the conflict between
family duty and self realisation it will appeal not just to young adults but to
everyone who remembers what it is to be young and ambitious.
Perfectly timed for this summer's Games, Julia Newsome takes
us back 2,400 years to the early Olympics. We follow young Themis in his
struggle to get to the Olympics and triumph there. What is remarkable is the
way in which ancient Greece and the Games themselves are brought to life in
riveting detail. Themis's story is cleverly intertwined with that of modern-day
Suzanne in her parallel efforts to reach the 2012 Olympics. I learnt more about
Greece and the Greeks from this book than I did in two years of living there.
This is a great tribute to the author's research and makes the book a gripping
read. The cover proclaims 'You Don't Get to the Olympics unless You're the
Best.'. You don't write a book like this unless you also are!
From a recent Amazon review by Philip
Prowse
Cumbrian Author Julia Newsome will be signing copies of The Boy with Two Heads in Penrith, Carlisle and Wigton next week as part of the Olympic Torch celebrations.
Wednesday 20th June
- The Wordsworth Bookshop, Penrith 12.00 noon
- Bookends, Carlisle 4.30 pm
Thursday 21st June
- The Fountain Gallery, Wigton 10.am
No comments:
Post a Comment