Stealing Athena

Two determined women trapped in male-dominated worlds come alive in this novel about the controversial "Elgin marbles." Aspasia, mistress of Pericles, influences the creation of the sculptures. Mary Nisbet, rich and pretty Scottish wife of the Earl of Elgin, charms the Turks into letting the treasures go to England centuries later. Kudos to Susan Denaker for making each of these women stand out--Aspasia with a distinctive accent and an awareness of her vulnerability in Greek society, and Mary with a Scottish burr and a good grasp of her own charms. The manipulative earl, powerful Pericles, gossipy servants, and self-important noblemen are individually voiced, adding color and tension to the alternating duo of dramas. Entertaining and informative, this is well worth listening to. J.B.G. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

March 3, 2008
Lord Elgin may be famous for bringing the Parthenon's sculptural masterpieces to England during the Napoleonic wars, but for Essex (Leonardo's Swans
), it's Lady Elgin who pays for it, in fortune and in reputation. More about money than sex, and more about art than either, Essex's latest alternates the story of Scottish heiress Mary Hamilton Nisbet Bruce, countess of Elgin, with that of Aspasia, courtesan lover of the great Pericles and the inspiration for the Parthenon's Athena. Essex begins with 21-year-old Mary, newly wed and pregnant, en route to Constantinople with her diplomat husband. She soon discovers his obsession with dismantling the Ottoman-controlled Parthenon and his plan to reconstruct it in his Greek revival home. Over years, Mary endures his neglect and gives him five children before turning to fellow Scot Robert Ferguson, a powerful Englishman who stands by her during a racy divorce trial. That trial, in which English society spurns Mary, is mirrored by Aspasia's run-in with an Athenian court for sexual impropriety. Both of their stories are overshadowed by the marbles themselves; their creation, recovery, transport and restoration provide the most vivid passages of the novel. Essex shines light on the women who inspired and protected some of the greatest art ever created, and the men who exploited them.