Will appeal mostly to people who already have an interest in ancient Rome, the classics, and academia, but who knew dissertation defenses and academic conferences could be filled with so much drama? Chris was a much more nuanced character than I expected, and Prins does a great job of portraying the strengths and weaknesses of both main characters. Tessa's bittersweet triumph in the end is the perfect conclusion to this thoughtful novel.

The Latinist by Mark Prins is a clever and addicting dark academia thriller about a respected classics professor who is sabotaging his student Tessa so that no university besides his own would hire her. However, when Tessa makes a landmark discovery behind his back, he begins to feel his control over her slipping ...

First off, I think the set-up is brilliant. Tessa is writing her doctorate’s thesis on Greek mythology as her own life loosely parallels the story of Apollo and Daphne, which allows for an interesting meta commentary.

I also think the dual perspectives work really well here as the two main characters try to outwit each other in an almost cat and mouse game.

However, my main issue is with the story's organization and pacing. Especially towards the beginning, the story jumps back and forth between scenes and timeliness so rapidly that it disrupts the flow of the story and gave me whiplash. I also feel the ending was a bit rushed.

All in all, The Latinist is a messy but compelling dark academia novel about power and obsession—perfect for lovers of Greek mythology..

Ever since she was a teenager and fell in love with Roman poetry, Tessa has wanted to be a Classics scholar. By the time we meet her in The Latinist, by Mark Prins, Tessa is about to complete her Ph.D. at Oxford University after climbing her way up the academic ladder. Once she has her Ph.D., she can get a position at another university and make her mark on the scholarly scene. Except that no one seems to want to hire Tessa, despite her stellar track record, and she seems trapped in a highly ironic retelling of the story of Daphne and Apollo. I was utterly hooked by this book. I raced through it because I just had to know if the story would end differently this time.

Tessa lives a life that would seem circumscribed by non-academic standards. She tutors students studying the Classics at Westfaling College (a fictional college at Oxford University). She works on her dissertation about Ovid’s version of the Apollo and Daphne story in Metamorphoses. And she assists Chris, her thesis advisor, as he continues to expand his reputation as a pre-eminent Classicist. She’s either at Westfaling, the Bodleian Library, or her apartment. She lives an ordinary, scholarly life until she receives an anonymous email claiming to contain the real version of Chris’s letter of recommendation that’s been going out with her job applications to British and American universities. It is a devastating document that, if true, is torpedoing her academic career before it even begins. It also detonates Tessa and Chris’s relationship; she no longer trusts him to help her climb the academic ladder.

What follows is (at least for me and other fans of university lit) a gripping, dramatic chase between Tessa and Chris. Because part of this story is narrated by Chris, we know that he loves Tessa. He doesn’t want her to leave him. Even worse, we learn that Chris has been breaking some rules in order to get closer to Tessa. The letter of recommendation is Tessa’s first clue that not everything is as it seems with Chris, but he starts to unravel when she starts to ask questions. His behavior drives Tessa away and, in another ironic twist, pushes her towards an incredible academic discovery that will help her eclipse her mentor. Because I knew that Tessa’s story was supposed to be a retelling of Daphne’s, I felt a lot of tension as I waited for the dramatic transformation that would either mean that Tessa will be free of Chris or destroyed by him.

The retelling at the center of The Latinist is not the only thing going on. There are side plots and Tessa’s deeply satisfying discovery, meditations on mortality and honesty, true love and ironic love and infatuation, the scholarly record, sexism, and so many other topics that I would love to delve into someone. There was so much going on—and I was reading so fast—that I’m going to have to read this book again. And I was so entertained by it that I know I won’t mind a bit.

I really, really enjoyed this book.

Ok this book was great! Mark Prins did an amazing job on his new debut novel!
I've been patiently waiting for this approval so thank you so much W. W. Norton Company for this advanced ebook copy!

I couldn't put it down and then I had to stop some so I wouldn't finish it too fast because I did not want it to end.
Now this is a slow burn. But dang its amazing.
The writing is captivating. He catches your attention right off rip.
Our characters ate beyond intriguing and very interesting.
The drama is well done.
This is just a wonderful read.

Thank you so much for the chance to read it.

Thank you to Netgalley, W. W. Norton, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

This was a fascinating book on several levels. As an academic (albeit an American one at a much less prestigious university than our characters here 😊), this book gets it right. Too often novelists like to use the "academic" setting but have no idea what academics actually do or the reality of the often-crazed, insular world of competition and narrow victories that university worlds embody. Prins presents an authentic setting in the privileged Oxford milieu. Again, not a universal experience for people in the larger (usually less endowed) field of academics, but one that still rings true for the different levels of university life across the board.

The novel also does an excellent job of immersing the reader into the world of classical study. The myth of Daphne and Apollo plays center stage here and is largely re-told through the narrative of Tessa, a young American graduate student, and Chris, her British mentor and esteemed scholar in the field. The story shows us the social dynamics at play in disparate positions of power as well as the obsession and possession that can accompany these relationships. I'm still processing the ending. No spoilers, but I'm not sure if I'm satisfied or not with the way a competitive, brilliant woman is presented by the end. I need to think on this.

A final thing I'll note is that Prins does an admirable job of establishing a sense of creeping dread. While the story might seem to be one of dry academic ambition and the difficult path to an Oxford DPhil, a discerning reader will--from the get-go--sense the potential for an explosion of sorts. And then you spend the novel waiting to see if that will happen or not. This sounds much like the world of academe to me.

I think some might find the minutiae of academic work a bit tedious and the heavy classical material a bit much. (I personally loved both.) I saw some comparing this novel to the work of Donna Tartt and Dan Brown--neither is relevant, in my opinion. I'd call this literary fiction, an academic novel. But not a mystery or thriller. Also, some transitions in the narrative itself were a bit jarring and could use some further fluidity. Yet I found this to be an assiduous first novel and one that suggests great things from the author.

The world of academia is a common backdrop for all sorts of literature. Mark Prins’ debut “The Latinist” is certain to add to that august list.

Often ivy-covered exterior walls mask poison-ivy behavior within. Intrigue, romance, in-fighting, back-biting are some of the more benign behaviors exhibited by the genus academic. Add on an emphasis on ancient languages, cultures, and civilizations and you have the toxic brew that Prins provides in all its cringing gory.

A pivotal point in “The Latinist” involves maneuvering stones. Prins generally leaves no stone unturned. However, there were times that I would have wished he had done more “showing” than “telling”, especially during unimportant, trivial asides. Fortunately, the main storyline sustains interest throughout.
There is a lot to learn for those so-inclined: language, literature, culture, misogyny, arts, archeology, academia. At first glance it may seem intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. No prior knowledge is required, in fact “facts” may be not what we initially learned. Plus tidbits picked up during the reading may prove useful in future crosswords, trivia contests, or serious discussions about the not-so-long-ago past and its impact on the present.

“The Latinist” is bound to appeal to a wide range of readers. It will be interesting to follow its trajectory, as well as Prins’ future endeavors.

Thank you to W. W. Norton and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Latinist by Mark Prins requires patience, and possibly, a love for Antiquity. I have an abundance of the latter, but not always the former. So, after a slow start, this novel eventually captured my full attention.

Tessa Templeton is in the final leg of completing her DPhil at Oxford University under the mentorship of the head of the Classics Department, Christopher Eccles. While studying, Tessa has hit some major milestones that should have easily secured her future as an academic. But after receiving countless rejection letters and only one job offer from her university, Tessa is beyond disappointed and worried about her future.

Tessa eventually learns the reason why she has been receiving rejection letters: an anonymous email warns her that Chris is deliberately sabotaging her career with his lacklustre letter of recommendation. Tessa initially brushes it off but soon realizes that it is probably true (not a spoiler, this all happens in the first few pages). Amidst all this uncertainty, Tessa ends up piecing together information about a second-century Latin poet. This discovery is information that is sure to shake up the scholarly Classical World and put her career back on track.

Meanwhile, Chris believes himself to be in love with Tessa and will do what he can to keep her near. Yeah, he’s a boundary-crossing creeper.

The Latinist is a slow-moving book that alternates perspectives between Tessa and Chris. There are themes of obsession, ambition, and control.

The author drew inspiration from Ancient Rome with many primary sources and invented some to fit with the story. The Apollo and Daphne myth plays a large role in this tale.

I recommend The Latinist to those interested in Ancient Rome, the Latin Language, archaeology, and anthropology with some modern-day drama mixed in.

Thank you to W. W. Norton & Company for an arc provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com/

The Latinist is a dark academia novel based on the classic myth of Daphne and Apollo.

My only criticism/feedback is the format could have been broken into chapters or breaks in addition to Parts. Sometimes it was had to find a clean stopping point when I wasn’t able to sit and read all the way through.

Author Mark Prins’s debut novel takes the myth of Apollo and Daphne and translates it to the relationship between Oxford doctoral candidate Tessa and her supervisor, Chris. Decent idea for an academic novel, but its execution didn’t work for me.

The biggest problem for me was the erratic characterization of Tessa. Yes, it’s understandable that in her position (no spoilers here) she would have some conflicted feelings. But here, she is all over the place and some of her actions seemed completely unbelievable to me. A secondary—but important—character, Lucrezia, is underdeveloped. It’s hard to get a sense of her.

There is a heavy dose of scholarly content here, which will likely be too much for anybody without a fairly level of interest in mythology. I found it to be too much at times. Speaking of too much, there is a long period in the second half of the book where the two lead characters are (separately) away from Oxford doing other things. This bogs down the plot. At least Tessa’s activities relate to the main plot, but Chris’s are entirely personal. It’s an attempt to illuminate his background and character, but it seemed like a stretch to me and not necessary to the plot.

Though I had a lot of problems with this novel, there is a solid story here.

I think this book will have a very specific audience, and generally my library's patrons are not that audience. I enjoyed it, especially in the last quarter when the pace picked up, but I attribute that to having some experience studying classics

I wasn’t able to finish The Latinist. It unfortunately just didn’t capture me. It reads as very academic and smart, and I felt as though I was reading Dickens instead of a contemporary novel. I’m sure some readers will enjoy this immensely, but it’s just not for me. Good luck to Mr. Prins.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free arc in exchange for my fair and honest review.

A smart novel, to be sure. But maybe too smart by half? Both a retelling and a contemporary academia novel. I didn’t finish this one.

Reimagining the Daphne and Apollo myth and through lyrical prose, Prins tells the story of an aspiring scholar and her controlling mentor. The Latinist captures the nuances of life in contemporary academia, including the discovery of the work of a second-century poet and the control that a single renowned scholar, serving as a primary mentor, can have over the career of an aspiring academic. It's been a long time since I studied Latin, but many of those old lessons came roaring back, especially in my renewed appreciation for those who carry out translations. Huzzah to Prins for reawakening my appreciation for the field and for his accomplished first novel. I look forward to reading his next one.