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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this book and read it in one weekend. It was pure escapism for me. The main character is childish and needs to learn to examine her prejudice but the book was an enjoyable look at the inscrutable Etruscans at the time of the ancient Romans. The descriptions are enjoyable and if it is highly unlikely that anything like this would have happened, well, that's half the fun.
I look forward to reading the sequels.
I look forward to reading the sequels.
I do love historical fiction and also a good romance. Club them together, add some political twists and some drama – I am sold!
Cecelia has been brought up as a modest young woman – as expected from Roman women in those days. Growing up, she knew love in two forms. First from her loving father who died when she was still very young. Then she met Drusus, her cousin’s friend while living under the guardianship of her uncle. Drusus and Cecelia loved each other and wanted to get married, but her uncle had other plans for her. As a political movement, Cecelia was married off to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from Veii. Thrust into a whole new world, that was pole opposite to the world she was brought up in, Cecelia struggles between her disgust and her curiosity for this new culture and lifestyle. Caught up in her new life, she struggles and longs to return to Rome. Will she know love again? Will she choose her Roman background or her new family in Veii?
Cecelia is a warm and vibrant character and as a reader I got drawn to her immediately. I loved how real she felt. As she goes through various emotions of Love, disgust, curiosity, confusion, deceit and betrayal, I was right beside her for the rollercoaster journey. I discovered the Entruscan world right alongside her and experienced her dilemmas and freedom. There were moments when Cecelia brooded so much that it almost started to irritate me, but then she had a right to sulking what with her beliefs and choices being challenged at every turn. Vel Mastarna on the other hand is a character I absolutely adored. For a change, the male protagonist is not straight out of a fashion magazine with his good looks sort. But he is a good man who understands, cares and loves with all his heart. His dark past and sufferings also make it easy to fall for him. He is always challenging and pushing Cecelia’s boundaries. Their relationship is another aspect of the book that I really liked. Instead of insta-love, their relationship grew and strengthened over a period of time. There are various other characters in the book who each contribute something to the storyline. Elisabeth Storrs has created a beautiful and enticing setting for her series. The Entruscan lifestyle and its contrast to the Roman society are beautifully captured.
I particularly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to historical fiction/romance lovers.
Cecelia has been brought up as a modest young woman – as expected from Roman women in those days. Growing up, she knew love in two forms. First from her loving father who died when she was still very young. Then she met Drusus, her cousin’s friend while living under the guardianship of her uncle. Drusus and Cecelia loved each other and wanted to get married, but her uncle had other plans for her. As a political movement, Cecelia was married off to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from Veii. Thrust into a whole new world, that was pole opposite to the world she was brought up in, Cecelia struggles between her disgust and her curiosity for this new culture and lifestyle. Caught up in her new life, she struggles and longs to return to Rome. Will she know love again? Will she choose her Roman background or her new family in Veii?
Cecelia is a warm and vibrant character and as a reader I got drawn to her immediately. I loved how real she felt. As she goes through various emotions of Love, disgust, curiosity, confusion, deceit and betrayal, I was right beside her for the rollercoaster journey. I discovered the Entruscan world right alongside her and experienced her dilemmas and freedom. There were moments when Cecelia brooded so much that it almost started to irritate me, but then she had a right to sulking what with her beliefs and choices being challenged at every turn. Vel Mastarna on the other hand is a character I absolutely adored. For a change, the male protagonist is not straight out of a fashion magazine with his good looks sort. But he is a good man who understands, cares and loves with all his heart. His dark past and sufferings also make it easy to fall for him. He is always challenging and pushing Cecelia’s boundaries. Their relationship is another aspect of the book that I really liked. Instead of insta-love, their relationship grew and strengthened over a period of time. There are various other characters in the book who each contribute something to the storyline. Elisabeth Storrs has created a beautiful and enticing setting for her series. The Entruscan lifestyle and its contrast to the Roman society are beautifully captured.
I particularly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to historical fiction/romance lovers.
What a pleasant surprise this book was! It's not a literary masterpiece and it certainly has its weaknesses, but it's a very engaging first novel that augurs well for the sequel. I liked the fact that it was about a relatively little-known period and people (the Etruscans). Storrs has clearly done meticulous research, but she doesn't beat you about the head with it. Handily, everything about her surroundings in Etruria is unfamiliar to the young Roman, Caecilia, and that gives Storrs a good excuse to describe them in vivid detail. The plot is sufficiently complex to maintain interest, even if it's a bit overwritten in places.
Caecilia does many stupid things, which seems to annoy some readers, but I found her believable. She is young, naive, surrounded by an alien culture, and very isolated, with no-one to guide her or talk things through with. She was a misfit at home, and even more so here, with many people actively resenting her. No wonder she makes mistakes.
Storrs reminds me rather of [a:Gillian Bradshaw|84803|Gillian Bradshaw|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330729058p2/84803.jpg] in the way she weaves contemporary concerns into a historical novel without making them seem out of place. Her analysis of sexuality and the contrasting social position of women in Rome and Veii is fascinating and thought-provoking. I liked the cliff-hanger of an ending, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
Caecilia does many stupid things, which seems to annoy some readers, but I found her believable. She is young, naive, surrounded by an alien culture, and very isolated, with no-one to guide her or talk things through with. She was a misfit at home, and even more so here, with many people actively resenting her. No wonder she makes mistakes.
Storrs reminds me rather of [a:Gillian Bradshaw|84803|Gillian Bradshaw|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1330729058p2/84803.jpg] in the way she weaves contemporary concerns into a historical novel without making them seem out of place. Her analysis of sexuality and the contrasting social position of women in Rome and Veii is fascinating and thought-provoking. I liked the cliff-hanger of an ending, and I'm looking forward to the sequel!
This author definitely did her research! The beginning was hard to get into... almost too much detail. Once I found my pace the story got way more interesting. The angst was almost too much sometimes. I wanted shout at my Kindle... but I didn't. I will read the sequel, so it's got me hooked enough for that.
I don’t know much about the Etruscans, but really enjoyed this first foray and the juxtaposition of their society with that of Rome. This was one of those books that i enjoyed while reading, but i didn’t find myself so excited to pick it back up… there was a little bit too much over explaining, and a lull through the middle where Caecelia just *~literally could not~* with her new family&friends that felt repetitive and flat. I don’t know that i will continue with the series but i don’t regret reading this one.
This book suffers the curse of many historical novels: by trying to explain and detail every historical reference or archeological find, the story seems like an afterthought.
challenging
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed the Etruscan empire setting and learning more about their ways of life. I'd never heard of the Etruscan empire before and I used the book as a springboard to find out more.
That said, it was a bit of a strange book. I enjoyed the majority of it, but the story moved slowly and I wasn't that interested in most of what happened. I think I'd expected more of a love story and not the main character constantly wrestling with her religious beliefs.
That said, it was a bit of a strange book. I enjoyed the majority of it, but the story moved slowly and I wasn't that interested in most of what happened. I think I'd expected more of a love story and not the main character constantly wrestling with her religious beliefs.
It was a fun read for anyone who likes a good historical fiction. I am in the middle of reading the rest of the series.
Pretty good book. I really like hisotrical fiction and ancient Rome interests me so I enjoyed this book.
Hmmm, I liked how this book depicted both Rome and Etruscan culture (well, the latter through the eyes of a Roman), but I found the writing lacked something. Maybe it was constantly referring to the protagonist as "The Roman" and her husband as "The Etruscan..." Yes, I think that was it. It was a quite jilted, but otherwise, this was an entertaining piece of historical fiction.