ISBN: 0446679666 Order from: Amazon.com
A powerful and well-written fictionalized story of a historical romance, the book describes both characters and the mileau well, but suffers from constraints of records and resultant choppiness.
Reviewed by David on February 01, 2004
Genre: Fiction (Ancient Rome, Romance, Historical)
Synopsis: Titus Flavius Vespasianus was a young rustic gentleman of little money when he encountered the slave girl Caenis. Caenis, the secretary to the Emperor Tiberius's sister-in-law Antonia, did not hesitate to show either her temper or her intelligence. However, Vespasianus, though unsophisticated, had both the persistence and the intelligence to court the fiery Caenis. Their friendship, and later romance will sustain them through some of the most difficult years of Ancient Rome.
Full Review: The author takes on a challenging and fascinating task: showing a human focus through perhaps the most tumulteous period in Ancient Rome. The fact that she succeeds is a high praise indeed, although not without cost.
While not a history, the book shows both the detail of everyday life and the momentous occasions that turned the course of history and controlled the lives of thousands. The Ancient Rome comes to life under this treatment.
The characters are very well described as well, both the main ones—Vespasian and Caenis—and the supporting cast. But here, in the fascinating life of the main pair, that the book shows its major weakness. In order to show the span of recorded events, the book describes episodes in the lives of its heroes with vividness and poignancy, and then jumps years or even decades to the next stop. This, with major events or at least periods taking place in the background, results in some distance from the reader, despite the author's best attempts to re-engage the sympathy in each new chapter.
The book's flaws are perhaps inevitable in the work of this scope, and despite those very flaws, both the era and the characters remain vividly real in the reader's imagination as the book comes to a close, showing the author's remarkable skill in both world-building and character portrayal.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 6; World-building: 7.5; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 1997, Warner Books, 2003, Mass-market paperback
ISBN: 0446679666 Order from: Amazon.com