Lavinia by Ursula K. LeGuin
This wonderful novel takes the voiceless character of Lavinia from Virgil’s Aeneid and creates a whole story for her. Her mother, crazed by the deaths of her sons, fixates on marrying Lavinia to her nephew Turnus, king of Rutuli. Before long Aeneas and the fleeing Trojans arrive on the shores. Fulfilling an oracle, King Latinus decrees that his daughter will marry Aeneas which provokes a war between the Trojans and the Rutulians. Caught between all of this we hear Lavinia’s voice, trying to navigate her own destiny. Le Guin gives us glimpses of Aeneas the man rather than the hero from the treasured epic. It’s definitely one of the best novels based on the ancient epics I’ve read in a long time.
Bookdwarf 
I loved this book just as I loved reading The Aeneid when I was at school. Ms Le Guin certainly makes the characters accessible to modern readers.
What’s more, when I told Ms Le Guin how much I enjoyed the book she not only responded to my letter but agreed to endorse my own novel, The Wedding Shroud. So not only is she an amazing writer but also a lovely person.
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Just rockin’ on all the v’s in your first sentence!
Re culinary school: how about some big, delicious photographs? I’m thinking along the lines of the homesicktexan.com blog (which as a Texas writer I often visit).
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Thanks for the recommendation! I’ve read quite a few of LeGuin’s books, but hadn’t heard about this one.
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