The multiple facets of Renault's art, familiar to a host of admirers, are once again apparent [in The Persian Boy], a particularly sensitive depiction of boyhood and youth; an astounding grasp of the facts and the spirit of the ancient world; an unerring sense of the dramatic which, along with her superb descriptive powers, brings to life a great historical period. There is plenty of joy and terror in this book, tempered by a gloriously romantic idealism which is uplifting because it reflects a profound sympathy for the infinite variety in the beauty, power, and mystery of love.

Robert J. Lenardon, "Book Reviews: 'The Persian Boy'," in Library Journal (reprinted from Library Journal, October 15, 1972; published by R. R. Bowker Co. (a Xerox company); copyright © 1972 by Xerox Corporation), Vol. 97, No. 18, October 15, 1972, p. 3334.

Mary Renault's is a special brand of historical fiction, at once imaginative, dramatic, seductive, and scrupulous. In...