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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
Re-read 7/1/09. I continue to re-read my favorites of Bradshaw's novels, and am glad to discover that this one is also as good as I remember. Bradshaw is very good at drawing out all the complexities of Charis's situation: there are no easy solutions in which Charis gets to have it all. I suspect I should be a bit cynical about the romance subplot (which fortunately does not take over the entire book), but I guess I'm secretly sentimental about such things after all.
In a film class in college, the professor stated that films about the Roman Empire tell us more about the time in which they were made than the actual time period. I feel that is especially true with this book. It's a charming story and held my attention more than I expected. However, it seems much too modern to be authentic for me. Charis, a noblewoman who feels trapped in the society she is born to, runs away after an awful marriage arrangement to become a doctor. Her first stop is Alexandria for training, disguised as a eunuch. The book chronicles her journey through her studies and the empire where she ends up on the frontier fighting the Goths. This was a different time period than I usually read, so it was refreshing to be in the thick of the Roman Empire. The author does a fairly decent job with the intrigues and problems of the time. As I said, the story is charming. Charis just feels too modern in how she interacts throughout the story.
I loved this novel. Although at first I struggled with the lack of chapters, the developing narrative and the historical details and complexity of the Roman empire are highly compelling. Bradshaw's characters felt real and believable. At no point does she let the reader down in the narrative, the characterizations, or the historical and psychological underpinnings of the story. I have never before really understood the Roman empire but with her novel, I begin to understand the breadth and depth of it. So many stories focus on Rome, but this novel focuses on Alexandria and travels across the empire more or less avoiding Rome and providing a description of life in other regions.
Excellent read if you have a background in history. Well researched. Though at times too much in-depth as far as the medical descriptions, a fascinating Roman tale about a strong, intelligent female.
I don't usually read this many books at one time, but keep losing them!
mmmm. This is one of my all time favourite books. Rereading it is like settling in for a delightful evening with an old friend.
I loved this book - my all time favourite. I read it like 20 times already and will read it again.
Ich hatte ein in der Antike spielendes Kinderbuch erwartet, es war aber abgesehen vom Alter der Protagonistin (16–25) eigentlich nicht auffällig für ein junges Publikum geschrieben. Es hört an genau der richtigen Stelle auf, nicht zu früh, aber auch nicht nach dem Aufzählen der weiteren Schicksale aller Beteiligten. Wo waren solche Bücher, als ich nur Bücher mit männlichen Hauptfiguren kannte und noch mehrere Jahre Geschichts- und Lateinunterricht vor mir hatte? Hat die Deggendorfer Stadtbücherei etwa doch versagt, oder habe ich nur nicht gründlich genug gesucht?