Glorious Exploits
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Glorious Exploits
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Narrated by:
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Ferdia Lennon
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By:
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Ferdia Lennon
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
It's 412 BC, and Athens' invasion of Sicily has failed catastrophically. Thousands of Athenian soldiers are held captive in the quarries of Syracuse, starving, dejected and hanging on by the slimmest of threads.
Lampo and Gelon are local potters, young men with no work and barely two obols to rub together. With not much to fill their time, they take to visiting the nearby quarry, where they discover prisoners who will, in desperation, recite lines from the plays of Euripides in return for scraps of bread and a scattering of olives.
And so an idea is born: the men will put on Medea in the quarry. A proper performance to be sung of down the ages. Because after all, you can hate the Athenians for invading your territory, but still love their poetry.
But as the performance draws near and the audacity of their enterprise dawns on them, it becomes difficult to distinguish between enemies and friends. And Lampo, whose ambitions have never stretched beyond having enough coin for the next jug of wine, finds his aspirations elevated, his heart entangled and his courage tested in ways he could never have imagined.
Glorious Exploits is an exhilarating and fiercely original story of brotherhood, war and art; and - in the face of the Gods' apparent indifference - of daring to dream of something bigger than ourselves.
©2024 Ferdia Lennon (P)2024 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
'Madly ambitious, cathartic like all great tragedy, but shockingly funny too, Ferdia Lennon's outstandingly original début is just glorious.' (Emma Donoghue, author of Room)
'Bold and totally unexpected, I loved this book.' (Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain)
'A very special, very clever, very entertaining novel.' (Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha)
What listeners say about Glorious Exploits
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Shenaling
- 16-09-24
Delighted to be proved wrong!
A beautifully crafted story with engaging characters you immediately slowly start to root for. Building in layers of tension, suspense, anticipation, laughter and love throughout this gorgeously narrated tale, my, but the Dublin accent really works! Could not stop listening, felt a little bereft when it ended. Well done Ferdia Lennon!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 20-03-24
Such a good audiobook
This is my kind of book, think of an Irish Hans Solo in ancient Syracuse, relating a tale. The best book I've read in a long time about the horrors of war and slavery, the transformative power of theatre and the importance of friendship. Now I need to find a copy of Euripides' plays.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Helen
- 27-01-24
Outstanding. A beautiful book beautifully read
I can’t remember when I last came across a new book I loved as much as this. Funny, voicey, lyrical, brutal, profoundly affecting, compelling. I’ve cried several times and neglected tasks I was meant to be doing because I didn’t want to stop listening. The prose is gorgeous but also clear, direct, fresh and engaging. Read by the author, who brings to life the characters with great skill. An uncommonly wonderful book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Rebecca Doyle
- 08-02-24
A unique take on the historical fiction genre
I loved this book. Very different to anything I've read in recent years....the dark humour...the unique spin on having the main characters speak in a Dublin dialect, the beauty of the writing...a true gem.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K. Clarkin
- 21-01-24
As moving as it is entertaining
One of the most unique books I have ever read (well listened to). While set in Ancient Syracuse, this tale has modern Dublin at its heart. A must read/listen.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Wollocombe
- 21-09-24
Such an odd story
Strangely gripping and irritating at the same time. Slightly predictable ending. Wonder what anyone not familiar with the classics would make of it. Enjoyable!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Shedman
- 27-02-24
A stunningly brilliant debut only slightly marred by poor audio quality
This is one of the highest-flying books by a new author I’ve ever read. The genius of combing ancient Syracuse with modern Dublin voices is utterly brilliant and creates multilayered echoes of conquest. colonisation and cruelty. I can’t recommend this author and this book highly enough.
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- graham robinson
- 19-08-24
Harrowing yet heart warming
A fabulous story, beautifully read. It’s a really unique plot and a book that I came to it with no expectations only that it had been recommended by our local bookshop. I’d certainly say give it a listen if you love reading / listening and want to lose yourself in a tale for a few hours.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- David Foster
- 08-08-24
Utterly Profounding
It is rare to find a book that so completely understands it’s place in the world. A poetic master piece told with all of the humour and tragedy that one might expect from Euripides own voice.
I laughed, I cried, but mostly I found myself stunned into contemplative silence. I suspect that the ending of this book will stay with me for a very long time.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rosie123
- 29-01-24
A joy
This is entrancing and a sheer delight from start to finish. I loved the portrayal of Lampo as a chancer but with fierce loyalty, determination and a true heart. The Irish accent was perfect to show that he was an 'ordinary bloke' whereas the 'aristos' all had 'posh' speech.
The next thing I liked was the brilliant prose, sometimes lyrical, befitting the telling of a brand new Greek myth, at other times straightforward storytelling in familiar language.
I also very much liked that I learned a lot about Eurypedes' stories and absolutely loved the way in which the story of the events in the quarry linked up with the old, famous tales.
I highly recommend the audiobook.
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