The Beacon at Alexandria

by Gillian Bradshaw

Book Overview

In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0395411599
• ISBN13: 9780395411599
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 376 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Beacon at Alexandria

This was a great book written on a woman that escaped her marriage to do what she had always wanted to do. In her world women were considered for marriage only. But this women found a way to become a physician and became famous.

Fascinating historical setting and a great story

Marvelously atmospheric, this Roman adventure is replete with medical details and eating habits as well as political intrigue, danger and romance. In 371 A.D. young Charis catches the eye of a despotic, repugnant and powerful official. To avoid a forced marriage, she disguises herself as a eunuch and leaves Ephesus for Alexandria, where she pursues the passion denied to her as a woman - medicine. Charis' hard-won apprenticeship to a dedicated Jewish doctor who practices among the poor provides ample opportunity to describe the squalor and wealth of the city, its prejudices and divisions and its ambitious medicine. Drawn through no fault of her own into the wrangling of early Christians, Charis is forced once again to flee and accepts a position heading up the hospital in a remote army outpost in Thrace where she triumphs over superstition and charges of witchcraft only to be captured by Goths and kept prisoner - her gender revealed. Bradshaw, a classics scholar, is also a compelling storyteller. Historical detail wells up organically through the action without ever seeming forced or artificial. Thoroughly enjoyable.

"I'm not an actual doctor ..."

Historical fiction and gender bending go hand-in-hand. It can almost seem like a hoary cliche, but this is an exceptional play on the usual idea. In this novel, Gillian Bradshaw's protagonist dons the garb of a eunuch with dual hopes. An impending marriage to a loutish Roman governor prompts Charis to take the alternate path in life that will allow her to pursue her dreams of healing.No historical novel is any good unless it is delivering all sorts of period detail. Bradshaw wraps Charis' tale in fine paper, depicting early Hippocratic techniques, fourth-century political and religious struggles, and life on the Roman frontier. Slavery gets off with a light slap, but attitudes towards it are probably portrayed accurately.Charis is a great creation. In fulfilling her dreams of healing for a living, she endangers her hopes for, ahem, true love. She can be a little saintly, but she makes mistakes and suffers the consequences, putting her career and romantic pangs in jeopardy. She makes a great narrator, and you'll wish your own doctor had her sense and compassion.

Can I give it 10 stars? Please?

This is, without a doubt, my favorite book of all time. I discovered it languishing in my high school library, not checked out in years, and after I read it I ran to the bookstore and tried to buy a copy. No luck -- it was out of print at that time -- and so, I am ashamed to admit, I swiped my high school library's copy and paid the exorbitant fine.It was well worth it.Bradshaw's conversational writing style hooks you immediately and takes you into the vast Roman empire shortly before its downfall, makes you feel as if you're really there, by focusing on one young woman, Charis, and her struggle to find her identity and be true to herself. The characters are people you wish you knew, the situations Charis finds herself in keep you on the edge of your seat, and the incredibly researched detail and descriptions add depth to the narrative without ever overpowering the story. Indeed, such meticulous detail only increases the reader's feeling of actually being there, actually seeing what Charis sees and smelling what she smells and feeling her emotions as real as you feel your own.BUY THIS BOOK. NOW. TODAY. Even if you've never liked historical novels, you'll like this one. Because it's not about the history -- although there's lots of it, and it's well-presented, since Bradshaw has a Master's degree in classics from Cambridge -- but about Charis, and what she goes through to discover her inner strengths and desires. She's a complex character who undergoes changes as she ages and learns, and she's a remarkable heroine who's honest, hardworking, dedicated, and very human. Some book characters you want for your real-life friends; Charis is the kind of character you wish you were.I read this book every year, and every year I'm amazed by how much I learn from it, how much it affects my outlook on life, and how indescribably enjoyable I find the time I spend in cultured Ephesus and learned Alexandria and wild Thrace with the most esteemed Charis and her wonderful friends. This is a fabulous character-driven novel for anyone -- lovers of adventure, history, medicine, LIFE.

beautiful, poignant and full of hope

Set in the 4th century of Roman Empire on the eve of its military collapse, the story pits a Greek/Roman noblewoman and a naturalized German prince against the arrogance, corruption and cruelty of an imperial culture they nontheless loved and hoped to preserve. A poignant classic told from the viewpoint of perpetual outsider

one of the best historical novels I've read

The Beacon At Alexandria is one of the best historical novels I've read. It really gave me the feeling that the past was a foriegn country, or (for the SF-lover) an alien landscape, painted vividly. But that wasn't the only appeal. What with a strong heroine, intrigue, politics, a "secret identity", narrow escapes, an unrequited love, hardship, rescue, and a happy ending, it really has everything to make an enjoyable, absorbing read.