A New Site to the Story of Aristotle
By Annabel Lyon
Alfred A. Knopf, 256 pages, $24.95
Annabel Lyon’s The Sweet Girl focuses on Aristotle’s daughter, Pythias. The book exposes just a sliver of time of Aristotle and Pythias’s life. Life is humming along. Aristotle is respected and revered and Pythias lives a comfortable, sheltered life where her father allows her to read and discuss his many books and philosophies. Unfortunately, Alexander the Great dies and Macedonians are no longer welcome in Athens. The family must leave Athens and return to Macedonia. Shortly after the move, Aristotle has an accident and dies, which changes Pythias’s life dramatically. Pythias must now run a household and quickly find money to survive. She finds herself in some unfortunate circumstances and wonders if all the philosophies of her past will guide her to happiness after all. She must learn who to trust, as well as, other practicalities of life that were not contained in her many books.
Lyon’s novel presents the reader with insight to very different times. Her details are vivid and this reviewer could image being in Athens and Macedonia sitting next to Pythias. The ending left this reader hanging, though, and this reviewer was hoping for just a bit more to the story.
Reviewed by Seniye Groff
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