REVIEW: Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin

Publisher: Harcourt

Format: Hardcover, 288 pages.

ISBN 10: 0151014248
ISBN 13: 978-0151014248
Reviewer: Victoria
Copy: Purchased at a used book store.

On the Back of the Book. . .

In The Aeneid, Virgil's hero fights to claim the king's daughter, Lavinia, with whom he is destined to found an empire.  Lavinia herself never speaks a word in the poem.  Now Ursula K. Le Guin gives her a voice in a novel that takes us to the half-wild world of ancient Italy, when Rome was a muddy village near seven hills.

Lavinia grows up knowing nothing but peace and freedom, until suitors come.  Her mother demands that she marry handsome, ambitious Turnus.  But omens and prophecies spoken by the sacred springs say she must marry a foreigner - that she will be the cause of a bitter war - and that her husband will not live long.  When a fleet of Trojan ships sails up the Tiber, Lavinia decides to take her destiny into her own hands.  And so she tells us what Virgil did not: the story of her life, and of the love of her life.

Lavinia was a minor character who spoke not a single word in the Latin epic poem The Aeneid by Virgil.  The Aeneid was commissioned by Augustus, the first emperor of Rome, as part of his grand propaganda machine in order to link him to the ancients and the gods to give him legitimacy as sole ruler of an empire that had once been a Republic.  Virgil died before he could complete the poem, and asked for it to be burned, but Augustus used the poem despite the dead poet's wishes.  Bits and pieces of this history are intertwined in Le Guin's narrative, giving Lavinia's world a sense of realism.  It is obvious that the author fully researched the time period of these events, immersing the reader in a kaleidoscope of cultural history, religious and politics.

This novel is beautifully told, taking dips and turns through a poetic history.  The timeline of the novel is not linear, but brings us back and forth through the heroine's life.  Lavinia tells her version of events in a first person narrative that is both elegant and honest.  She is pious, dedicated and strong-willed.  Her conversations with Virgil's wraith provide the reader who is not familiar with the history and tale of The Aeneid the information they need, and delight those who have read the classic epic poem.

While Le Guin offers us Lavinia's perspective of events, she also gives us what Virgil could not: the aftermath of the war.  Aeneas becomes a dedicated husband and father and a strong and just king.  Ascanius, Aeneas' son from his first marriage, becomes a head-strong youth who lusts for the glory of war.  Lavinia becomes a fully wrought woman who desires peace and the duty of raising her son.

Lavinia is one of those novels that only appear once in a while. It is breathtakingly honest and carries a beauty that most authors can only dream of. Ursula K. Le Guin is a master of her craft, and she has created a memorable, intelligent, and heavily researched work of art.

Characterization:  10
Plot: 10
Style: 10

Overall Rating: 10