Bookseller Reviews
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A really glorious tragedy
Oh my gosh I loved this book. I picked it up expecting a little light entertainment and, within a couple of pages, was overwhelmed by how brutal and humane... READ MORE
The perfect balance between comedy and tragedy
A brilliant debut novel by Ferdia Lennon, Glorious Exploits it's a beautiful, funny and heartbreaking tale about how powerful art is and how it connects us... READ MORE
‘This book is a love letter to theatre and art alike.’
Wow wow wow.
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Fig Tree for allowing me to read this proof of Glorious Exploits because I think you may have just spoiled... READ MORE
Completely enthralling
I'm already calling this my book of the year- funny, adventurous, sad, thoughtful and so tense I could not put it down. By the end I was ignoring all my re... READ MORE
Genuinely Hilarious
This was such a refreshing read, with so much character-driven humour. The conceit is very original and well executed, but the characters truly bring it to... READ MORE
Just Superb!!!
Quality writing and storytelling. Reminds me in style and tone of Pat Barker's Greek novels. Suitably funny and tragic. Recommended.
A Modern Tribute to the Classical Playwrights
Ferdia Lennon's "Glorious Exploits" is nothing short of an absolutely fantastic modern tribute to the classical playwrights, blending the richness of their... READ MORE
Brutal, compelling and brilliant
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon is a novel that will grab you from the first sentence and won't let you go until the last. It is based on Ancient Greek ... READ MORE
A new take on historical fiction
I loved every part of Glorious Exploits, from its prickly characters to its tragic plot. Lennon’s style is a refreshing take on historical fiction; Lampo’s... READ MORE
Highly recommend!!
This novel gripped me from the start and took me on a journey full of twists and turns, several surprising but all deeply satisfying. Along with the main a... READ MORE
Amazing!
I'll be honest, I didn't really expect to enjoy a book about two potters in 412 BC staging a perfomance of Medea using captured Athenian soldiers, but this... READ MORE
Absolutely phenomenal!
I'll keep it brief because there's nothing I can say that hasn't already been better said by other reviewers. Glorious Exploits is nothing like anything I'... READ MORE
GLORIOUSLY GOOD
Glorious Exploits a historical romp set in 412 BC Syracuse, Sicily, after a failed Athenian invasion leads to the captives being incarcerated in the town's... READ MORE
A grand madness
How on earth can I describe the grand madness that is Glorious Exoloits? It’s set in 412 BC in Sicily, and tells the bizarre and unlikely tale of two unemp... READ MORE
One of the finest debut novels I've read
Ferdia Lennon's audacious, and utterly original novel is best surmised by one of its characters, Tuireann--a collector of antiquities, a lover of storytell... READ MORE
My Book of the Year!
This was an absolutely phenomenal read, quite unlike anything I've ever read before. The writing is beautiful, with a dry, Irish tone. You will fall in lov... READ MORE
an homage to the arts
a perfect blending of modern storytelling and ancient epic. a story full of hope, tragedy, passion and loyalty, this book truly had everything. it was poet... READ MORE
A Comedic, Unexpected Triumph Of A Read
A comedic and unexpected triumph of a read.
Following 2 foolish young men who decide on a whim to put on a play using prisoners from the quarry who knows... READ MORE
You don’t have to be into The Classics to love this book!
Lampo and Gelon are two regular potter lads who go down to the quarry to feed the Athenians and think, “Hey! Perhaps we should be directors and put on a pl... READ MORE
Play on Words
The plays of Euripedes performed by Athenian PoWs in a Syracusian quarry, all told in an unmistakably Irish-English idiom: that sounds worth exploring, rig... READ MORE
Mythology retelling meets Waiting for Godot
Thank you to the publishing house on Netgalley for sending me an early copy of this book.
From the first chapter of Glorious Exploits you are thrown into ... READ MORE
Read it - it’s brilliant!
I just loved this book. Original, clever, funny, beautifully written with an emotional punch. A story about friendship, the importance of forgiveness and h... READ MORE
Nothing short of Glorious!
Incredible from start to end, I kept going back to it and read the whole book in a day. It's original, poignant, funny at times, and a beautiful ode to the... READ MORE
My favourite read of 2024!
Very few authors can perfectly mix a blend of comedy and tragedy and have both effect you in equal measure. Lennon does this amazingly and leaves you with ... READ MORE
Hilarious and Heartbreaking
A thoroughly entertaining debut from an exciting new voice. A biting dark comedy that will crack you up and make you cry in equal measure. Perfect for fans... READ MORE
Glorious indeed!
This was an unexpected gem. Obviously the setting and plot outline piqued my interest enough to start reading but I wasn't prepared for how completely imme... READ MORE
Hilarious, heartbreaking - glorious!
An absolute triumph, and a more than worthy winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. Despite its historical setting, the novel's Irish voice makes it... READ MORE
Vibrant and brave
I’ve got to admit, the ending of this novel took this book from a 7/10 to a 10/10 for me. I thoroughly enjoyed reading its entirety, but the story really c... READ MORE
A much needed novel
Winner of the 2024 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize with good reason... Lennon crafts an evocative tale filled with plight and humour. Many people have comp... READ MORE
Glorious, glorious, glorious!
This novel is so skilfully executed, a glorious masterpiece that shouldn’t work, but does, beautifully. Expect dry Irish humour with a mythical backdrop, h... READ MORE
Refreshingly original
This lived up to its title in that it was "glorious" and there were lots of exploits.
The narrator is Lampo, who is an unemployed Sicilian potter . The ... READ MORE
Glorious!
Lennon's debut is witty, full of charm, and glorious! It's 412BCE, Syracuse, and we follow two friends and their escapades of trying to put on a play in a ... READ MORE
So funny and enjoyable
This book is absolute madness in the best way - it covers war, art, literature, friendship, love, community, and family. It's funny, sad, and brutal - 'Glo... READ MORE
Synopsis
Ancient Sicily. Enter GELON: visionary, dreamer, theatre lover. Enter LAMPO: lovesick, jobless, in need of a distraction.
Imprisoned in the quarries of Syracuse, thousands of defeated Athenians hang on by the thinnest of threads.
They’re fading in the baking heat, but not everything is lost: they can still recite lines from Greek tragedy when tempted by Lampo and Gelon with goatskins of wine and scraps of food.
And so an idea is born. Because, after all, you can hate the invaders but still love their poetry.
It’s audacious. It might even be dangerous. But like all the best things in life – love, friendship, art itself – it will reveal the very worst, and the very best, of what humans are capable of.
What could possibly go wrong?
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9780241998007
- Number of pages: 288
- Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 19 mm
- Weight: 214g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allA very clever conclusion, interesting story
This was an interesting story of a very different kind to the usual stories about this part of the Meditteranean.. Some great descriptions that brought the... READ MORE
A stunner from the start
A novel well worthy of our times, Glorious Exploits blinded me with its brilliance. Transported back to 412BC Syracuse where Athenian would-be-invaders, no... READ MORE
Poignant, funny, dark, violent, heartbreaking, tender and eminently readable
This might just be the most original book I read last year (thanks to an ARC) - and I loved every word.
Best friends Gelon and Lampo live in a rapidly ... READ MORE
Crazy and rather fantastic
421 bce and the great Athenian conquest of Sicily has failed. Now the remnants of the army are kept confined in a quarry outside Syracuse and are starving... READ MORE
Incredible and unique
This book is delightful and original. I read an advanced copy though NetGalley and it was one of my top reads of 2023. It's written beautifully, with a nar... READ MORE
a story about stories and how their telling connects across cultures.
Glorious Exploits is a book that, at first glance, you might think is simply a humorous tale. It’s a historical novel set during the Peloponnesian War. So ... READ MORE
Funny historical fiction
5th century BC Syracuse recently fought off an attack by the Athenians and hundreds of Athenian prisoners are kept in a disused quarry. where they are slow... READ MORE
Original and hugely entertaining
Glorious Exploits is sensational! What an amazing read; bursting with life and action and I couldn’t put it down. Difficult to believe this is a debut. T... READ MORE
Glorious Exploits
The bench mark by which I will compare all the rest of this year’s books . Utterly original , very funny and profoundly moving . Absolutely first class wri... READ MORE
Great fun
An irreverent and rather cheeky take on the Ancient World and Greek drama in particular. Laugh out loud funny at times the two main characters are on missi... READ MORE
A glorious tribute to the importance of storytelling
In many ways Glorious Exploits is like an Asterix novel for grown ups with numerous humourous moments, a dash of romance and sublimely-drawn comic characte... READ MORE
Flann O'Brien Meets Euripides
This is a strange book. It's sort of like Flann O'Brien meets Euripides and I'm still not sure if I liked it or not. Set in 412BC, the Athenians have just ... READ MORE
4.5 stars - a witty visit to Ancient Greece
*I received a free preview copy of this book from NetGalley*
‘What people expect rarely happens. Things which seem impossible come to pass. It’s always ... READ MORE
An enjoyable debut with a big heart
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.
Set in Syracuse in the aftermath of the Peloponnese wars, this debut novel is an... READ MORE
Unique!
Thank you to the publishers for this review copy.
This is quite a unique read!
Funny in part, but also moments to tug at your heart strings.
I will cert... READ MORE
Surprisingly intriguing
Maybe my book hangover caused the lower rating, it’s more of a 3.5.
Following idealistic friends with a curious, yet daring, dream we are met with a sto... READ MORE
I LOVED THIS BOOK !
This is a story of enemies. Gelon and friend Lampo want to put on a play. It's 412 BC and the only cast they have are Athenian prisoners, half starving and... READ MORE
Glorious Exploits
Set in the aftermath of the ‘Sicilian Expedition’ - a failed attempt to conquer Sicily by the Athenian forces during the Peloponnesian War. It was disatrou... READ MORE
Glorious novel
Glorious Exploits is the most unlikely novel I’ve read in years. Set in the aftermath of the Athenian defeat in Syracuse, it has two young Syracusan lads, ... READ MORE
Grand So
Absolutely glorious. The pace cracks along, helped by Ferida's distinctive and wonderf voice.
It's full of love for art and poetry and the power of Euripi... READ MORE
Worthy winner
Unfortunately have just finished glorious exploits and am envious of anyone that hasn’t yet read it.
This is such a good story, well written, witty and t... READ MORE
Tragic yet triumphant!
The stage is set now it’s your turn to enter the scene… you are there BC, rubbing the dust from your eyes, gripped as stench and sweat invades you, wonderi... READ MORE
Glorious Exploits
The statement at the end of the book is "the world (is) a wounded thing that can only be healed by story". This resonates strongly today.
This book is st... READ MORE
Funny and tragic
This book is so evocative - I read it in one day, laughing and crying by turns. It takes a historical event and through it examines mankind’s potential for... READ MORE