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3.41 AVERAGE
3.41 AVERAGE
‘This is our wedding shroud’, he said, ‘Eventually it will embrace us in death.’
‘The Wedding Shroud’ opens in 406 BCE, and brings to imagined life the Etruscan culture of ancient Italy. The novel’s heroine, a young Roman woman named Caecilia – the daughter of a patrician mother and a plebeian father – is married off to secure a peace treaty between Rome and Veii. Caecilia is married to Vel Mastarna, a powerful and wealthy Veientane in Rome, and then is taken to Veii where a second marriage ceremony is undertaken. The Etruscan city of Veii may only be physically 12 miles away from Rome, but culturally it is an entirely different world.
Caecilia has been raised in an austere (and outwardly puritanical) Roman culture that values duty, sacrifice and war. Women are not permitted to join in the serious conversations of men, are largely cloistered within their homes and are forbidden to drink wine. Their clothes are modest, plain and largely unadorned. In Veii, men and women mix far more freely. Women drink wine, wear flamboyant clothing, and take part in banquets. Caecilia finds it difficult to adjust at first, and tries to hang onto her Roman practices. She learns more about life in Veii from her slave Cytheris, her mother-in-law Larthia, and Erene the courtesan.
Caecilia soon discovers that some aspects of life in her new home are better. She has her own slave, Cytheris, and is expected to attend audiences with her husband. But there are aspects of life in Veii that Caecilia is less comfortable with, and Mastarna seems to have some ghosts of his own. There are some complex relationships in the novel, and Caecilia has to try to find her own way through superstitions, through class boundaries, and through the ghosts that haunt both her and Mastarna.
At times I found Caecilia very frustrating, and some of her choices were deplorable. And yet, those choices amplified the differences between cultures and the ease with which those who are vulnerable can be manipulated. There is a dark side to life in Veii as Caecilia discovers, and when she rejects Mastarna’s assistance, she seems doomed to continually suffer. As war with Rome seems inevitable, Caecilia is faced with some difficult choices.
I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to reading the second novel in the series (The Golden Dice).
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
‘The Wedding Shroud’ opens in 406 BCE, and brings to imagined life the Etruscan culture of ancient Italy. The novel’s heroine, a young Roman woman named Caecilia – the daughter of a patrician mother and a plebeian father – is married off to secure a peace treaty between Rome and Veii. Caecilia is married to Vel Mastarna, a powerful and wealthy Veientane in Rome, and then is taken to Veii where a second marriage ceremony is undertaken. The Etruscan city of Veii may only be physically 12 miles away from Rome, but culturally it is an entirely different world.
Caecilia has been raised in an austere (and outwardly puritanical) Roman culture that values duty, sacrifice and war. Women are not permitted to join in the serious conversations of men, are largely cloistered within their homes and are forbidden to drink wine. Their clothes are modest, plain and largely unadorned. In Veii, men and women mix far more freely. Women drink wine, wear flamboyant clothing, and take part in banquets. Caecilia finds it difficult to adjust at first, and tries to hang onto her Roman practices. She learns more about life in Veii from her slave Cytheris, her mother-in-law Larthia, and Erene the courtesan.
Caecilia soon discovers that some aspects of life in her new home are better. She has her own slave, Cytheris, and is expected to attend audiences with her husband. But there are aspects of life in Veii that Caecilia is less comfortable with, and Mastarna seems to have some ghosts of his own. There are some complex relationships in the novel, and Caecilia has to try to find her own way through superstitions, through class boundaries, and through the ghosts that haunt both her and Mastarna.
At times I found Caecilia very frustrating, and some of her choices were deplorable. And yet, those choices amplified the differences between cultures and the ease with which those who are vulnerable can be manipulated. There is a dark side to life in Veii as Caecilia discovers, and when she rejects Mastarna’s assistance, she seems doomed to continually suffer. As war with Rome seems inevitable, Caecilia is faced with some difficult choices.
I enjoyed this novel, and look forward to reading the second novel in the series (The Golden Dice).
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
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.
If you've ever wondered what Rome's closest enemy was like, look no further than the Etruscans! In a city about twelve miles away, this story follows a Roman bride given to the Etruscans as part of peace treaty. She compares the culture of the sumptuous and colorful Etruscans to the more stoic and repressive ways of the Romans, from the clothes and jewelry, to the food and festivals, through political systems and sexual morals. The details were good, but I probably won't be reading the rest of the trilogy.
(ebook)
(ebook)
*Received from Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review*
This was an infuriating read. I didn't want to continue, but had to know what happened at the end of the story. I didn't want to continue because quite frankly, I got bored. There was too much detail. Things were explained too much. The traditions and religion was spoken of too often. More than needed to understand the story. But I had to keep going because I wanted to know if Caecilia fell in love with Mastarna, and vice versa. If Mastarna got over his dead wife, if Caecilia got pregnant. And so I marched on, only to reach a HUGE cliffhanger!!!. The romance was lacking in the sense that they didn't try to be together until the very end, when hope was dwindling anyway. But the fact remains that I kept coming back to it, even after I was determined not to continue, so that deserves 3 stars.
This was an infuriating read. I didn't want to continue, but had to know what happened at the end of the story. I didn't want to continue because quite frankly, I got bored. There was too much detail. Things were explained too much. The traditions and religion was spoken of too often. More than needed to understand the story. But I had to keep going because I wanted to know if Caecilia fell in love with Mastarna, and vice versa. If Mastarna got over his dead wife, if Caecilia got pregnant. And so I marched on, only to reach a HUGE cliffhanger!!!. The romance was lacking in the sense that they didn't try to be together until the very end, when hope was dwindling anyway. But the fact remains that I kept coming back to it, even after I was determined not to continue, so that deserves 3 stars.
I only got about 25% into the book but I had to give up. The main protagonist was just completely unlikable to me.
Several other reviews have given plot specifics, so I'll skip those and discuss what I love about this book. I'm a former archaeologist who left the field because "publish or perish" almost killed my passion for the it. These days, I'm always looking for stories that bring ancient sites and cultures to life.
I know Elisabeth must have read hundreds of academic journals to impart such detail to her story, but she does it so seamlessly, you feel you've been transported to Italy in the fifth century BC. An example, describing a feast: "The dinner was sumptuous: cherry and dormouse, trout's roe, and, as a centrepiece, a roasted stag." (Yum, dormouse.)
Elisabeth also keeps you close to the heroine's emotional conflict and loneliness at marrying into an alien culture, her pride in being Roman. Sometimes I just felt ill for Caecilia. Her Etruscan husband Mastarna is a demon-haunted hero. Around them, Rome and Etruria race to war and none of their friends or relatives can be completely trusted.
More than anything, Elisabeth shares her great love for the Etruscan culture laced with the the bittersweet reality it no longer exists. If you loved The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, you will love The Wedding Shroud, although they cover two completely different cultures. Highly recommended for lyrical language and suspenseful plot.
I know Elisabeth must have read hundreds of academic journals to impart such detail to her story, but she does it so seamlessly, you feel you've been transported to Italy in the fifth century BC. An example, describing a feast: "The dinner was sumptuous: cherry and dormouse, trout's roe, and, as a centrepiece, a roasted stag." (Yum, dormouse.)
Elisabeth also keeps you close to the heroine's emotional conflict and loneliness at marrying into an alien culture, her pride in being Roman. Sometimes I just felt ill for Caecilia. Her Etruscan husband Mastarna is a demon-haunted hero. Around them, Rome and Etruria race to war and none of their friends or relatives can be completely trusted.
More than anything, Elisabeth shares her great love for the Etruscan culture laced with the the bittersweet reality it no longer exists. If you loved The Red Tent by Anita Diamant, you will love The Wedding Shroud, although they cover two completely different cultures. Highly recommended for lyrical language and suspenseful plot.
I love novels set during the ancient civilizations. Maybe my expectations were too high but I was disappointed with this novel. The main character was very frustrating. They talked about her being brave but I just found her annoying. To be fair there were parts where I had trouble putting the book down but I wanted more. The end was a let down to me. There is a sequel but I don't know if I will read it.
adventurous
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I admit to being puzzled by some critiques in reviews of the book, particularly impatience over the time it took Caecilia to accept Etruscan ways. Given her age, and her sheltered life prior, for her to jump with joy about cultural norms she had been taught to abhor would have been shallow characterization. The events of the novel from her marriage to the end is only about a year. It takes time for a person to come to terms with such a very different culture, especially if they have been told that culture is sinful and wicked, and they are young with little life experience. I found Caecilia's journey-in-stages to be quite believable, tugged along by increasing affection rather than ideologies, as such changes inevitably are.
In short, I believed in Caecilia's slow acceptance, and look forward to where her story goes next. Anything much faster would have been annoying, in fact.
While no Etruscan expert (I do Macedonia and Greece), I do have some familiarity with the culture and found Storrs' portrayal accurate so far as I could tell, the places where she had to flesh out what we don't know logical in her construction. I especially appreciated the attention to all the senses when describing the countryside as well as the city. Some historical novelists don't seem to have a good grasp of *place*. She did. I particularly appreciated the attention given to Etruscan religion, which is fascinating and quite different from Roman, even if the Romans seem to have borrowed some aspects of it (just as they borrowed from the Greeks, albeit often translated by Etruria). The contrast of cultural development between Rome in this era and Veii was stark, but from what I know, correct. Nothing ahistorical threw me out of the story.
If I have any complaint, it was with the ending. I don't object to cliff-hangers, and Caecilia's story arc for the first book is satisfactorily concluded, but the Epilogue's end felt a little too abrupt. I wanted the final scene to extend one more paragraph to include her choice--or to make the choice clearer. (If the choice was meant to be made, the fact I'm not sure what it was suggests a need for more clarity.) There would still be obvious fallout that would lead the reader to the next book, I think.
In any case, that's a minor complaint. The novel is one of the better historicals I've read in a while, and that it involved Etruscans made it only that much better for me. There are lots of historicals about Rome, but relatively few about Etruria. I look forward to continuing the series.
In short, I believed in Caecilia's slow acceptance, and look forward to where her story goes next. Anything much faster would have been annoying, in fact.
While no Etruscan expert (I do Macedonia and Greece), I do have some familiarity with the culture and found Storrs' portrayal accurate so far as I could tell, the places where she had to flesh out what we don't know logical in her construction. I especially appreciated the attention to all the senses when describing the countryside as well as the city. Some historical novelists don't seem to have a good grasp of *place*. She did. I particularly appreciated the attention given to Etruscan religion, which is fascinating and quite different from Roman, even if the Romans seem to have borrowed some aspects of it (just as they borrowed from the Greeks, albeit often translated by Etruria). The contrast of cultural development between Rome in this era and Veii was stark, but from what I know, correct. Nothing ahistorical threw me out of the story.
If I have any complaint, it was with the ending. I don't object to cliff-hangers, and Caecilia's story arc for the first book is satisfactorily concluded, but the Epilogue's end felt a little too abrupt. I wanted the final scene to extend one more paragraph to include her choice--or to make the choice clearer. (If the choice was meant to be made, the fact I'm not sure what it was suggests a need for more clarity.) There would still be obvious fallout that would lead the reader to the next book, I think.
In any case, that's a minor complaint. The novel is one of the better historicals I've read in a while, and that it involved Etruscans made it only that much better for me. There are lots of historicals about Rome, but relatively few about Etruria. I look forward to continuing the series.
