Helpful Score: 3
Wow. Just wow. Im not even sure where to start in reviewing this book; it was such a great read. It flowed well, and was just the right mix of historical accuracy and literary liberties to be fascinating. The cover art was what drew me, as well as the title; I thought I had a good idea of what would happen, a rags to riches stories in the form of a slave girl who ends up with the whole world on a platter as the Emperors mistress. But it isnt that simple at all, and none of the situations our Thea finds herself in can be characterized by a single emotion. This book is vivid!
One of the things young writers are often taught is that everything within the story must have some kind of purpose. Kate Quinn has mastered this skill. All throughout the story, she introduces characters that could easily fade back into the background, but remain an active part in the plot line. Each is also more a person than a character; they make impressions on you as if you are meeting them face to face and as the story continues you learn more and more about each of them. They dont always get along with each other. They dont always like themselves and the things theyve done.
Thea has a lot of internal conflict going on that influences her choices and the situations she finds herself in. That conflict makes for more strife than ease, but thats what life is really like. Its within her world as an unhappy slave that we enter the world of Rome. As a slave, Thea has a rather cynical view of the world, and that view is directly contrasted by her mistress, Lepida Pollia. Its obvious from her first appearance that Lepida is a self-serving girl, and obliges the readers by staying around for the duration of the book to cause a number of problems. She is a jealous creature, but that serves as a foil for Theas character. Thea is such a surprise as she develops. She has more strength of will and courage than I ever imagined she could, and her journey is both fantastic and rough. She deserves her happy ending.
I feel like theres not a lot I can say about the story itself just because everything is so intricately intertwined that if I give you even a single sneak peak, Ill mess the story up for you. The book is a little bit bigger than your usual paperback novel, but dont let that intimidate you. It reads so well that youll be through a dozen pages before you realize it. I highly recommend this five-star read to anyone even remotely interested in the historical romance genre; it is a standard to which all future books must compare themselves.
www.whitneycarter.wordpress.com
One of the things young writers are often taught is that everything within the story must have some kind of purpose. Kate Quinn has mastered this skill. All throughout the story, she introduces characters that could easily fade back into the background, but remain an active part in the plot line. Each is also more a person than a character; they make impressions on you as if you are meeting them face to face and as the story continues you learn more and more about each of them. They dont always get along with each other. They dont always like themselves and the things theyve done.
Thea has a lot of internal conflict going on that influences her choices and the situations she finds herself in. That conflict makes for more strife than ease, but thats what life is really like. Its within her world as an unhappy slave that we enter the world of Rome. As a slave, Thea has a rather cynical view of the world, and that view is directly contrasted by her mistress, Lepida Pollia. Its obvious from her first appearance that Lepida is a self-serving girl, and obliges the readers by staying around for the duration of the book to cause a number of problems. She is a jealous creature, but that serves as a foil for Theas character. Thea is such a surprise as she develops. She has more strength of will and courage than I ever imagined she could, and her journey is both fantastic and rough. She deserves her happy ending.
I feel like theres not a lot I can say about the story itself just because everything is so intricately intertwined that if I give you even a single sneak peak, Ill mess the story up for you. The book is a little bit bigger than your usual paperback novel, but dont let that intimidate you. It reads so well that youll be through a dozen pages before you realize it. I highly recommend this five-star read to anyone even remotely interested in the historical romance genre; it is a standard to which all future books must compare themselves.
www.whitneycarter.wordpress.com
Helpful Score: 3
I really did enjoy this book and stayed up very late last night to finish reading it. I am a great lover of Roman history and was so glad that I had watched the HBO series, "Rome" a few years ago about 3 times. It really helped me picture and relate to the times and morality of this story. The story helps paint the picture of morality in this early Christian era. The story gives us a picture of a time when almost nothing was considered morally "wrong" except disrespect for the Emperor and his religion. The story is very colorful and well explained even though there is a very large cast of characters in the story. It proves the statement that "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and gives a good insight into the personality of the Emperor Domitian. The savage morality of the women involved is very interesting as they struggle for power and wealth. My only objection to the book is really minor and is a complaint that I make frequently about the historical novels I read. My complaint is this; the writer at the end of the story slips out of the historical context and begins to use written language that is an anachronism to the time of the book. Most of these examples came from the young son of the "Barbarian". For example, he refers to someone else as a "dummy". There are other examples of this....but I am just being grumpy today. It is still a very good book!! The copy I just posted is a brand new book; I am the first to read this copy. Genny
Helpful Score: 3
I really enjoyed this book! A good story line, lots of information about this time in Roman history without alot of detail into the gore and sex.
Helpful Score: 1
This book felt a little bit too long to me. I felt the story was a good one. A subject that I've not read much about before so it was all new and shiny. I liked that the author included the lives of many people that were in different classes--the gladiator, the slave, the elite and socialite of the times. I found the story line of Vix (12 year old gladiator) to be a bit much. I tried to look up his history to see where the author go this idea from and didn't come up with much. Ms. Quinn states in the end notes that his story isn't done yet so I look forward to finding out more and then can again look up the actual history. I loved the story of Thea and Arius. Lepida is a great villain, but I felt like she never grew up in the story. She just stayed at the same level of villainy as when she was a girl in her early 20's when I expected her to get more cunning and devious with age. There are other great secondary characters in this book that really help the story and hold the book together.
Helpful Score: 1
Kate Quinn is one of the best writers of historical fiction! HF is my favorite genre and I know a lot of the authors. She is at the top of my list of favorite authors. You need not even read the blurb for her books, a winner every time!
