Reviews with content warning for Slavery - The Emperor's Babe

A really funny and unique book, that's a great mix of modern and ancient. It follows the life of Zuleika from age 11 to 18, in Roman London. It's fairly light-hearted, despite her being a child bride and becoming a slave owner. The mix of poetry and prose is really good, especially in audiobook form which flows so well together - though I can see this being more difficult to read in another format.

I loved the inclusion of a trans woman among her group of friends (despite the mild transphobia that comes from this being written in 2001), as well as the blase attitude towards homosexuality and the sex positive nature of the book.

A great short read and an enjoyable story even though the end is a little sad.

Warnings:
Though the main character is a child by today's standards the book is written with the (however mistaken) understanding that life expectancy at the time was around 40 so the events in the book take the character to almost middle age. Despite knowing Zuleika's age I mostly pictured her as a woman in her 20-30s, living life in the way that somebody of that age would in today's world.

Also, the rape mentioned in the content warnings is in the context of child marriage and the expected "marital duties" that accompany that. It isn't described in detail.

Content Warnings

luciuh's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Very fun good book but the vibes r def 3.5 stars for me immediately after finishing it. I really really enjoyed the writing style and the characterization of the individuals presented throughout the book. It’s immensely entertaining to read the hypocrisy of Zuelika and come to understand her as a person through the different fragments of life that play out for us throughout the novel. This is my second novel from Evaristo and i’ve found she’s immensely skilled at creating believable, flawed, and interesting characters. The Emperor’s Babe raises a lot of questions about patriarchy and the way it affects how relationships form, both historically and now in the contemporary world. It also creates discussion surrounding morality, empathy, and the impact of environment on how people grow and develop. Really enjoyed this novel.

edit: i think it’s mildly transphobic through one of the side characters

Content Warnings

chaos_fairy's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Set in Roman Britain, told in blank verse with a modern twist, about a young Black girl married off by to a middle-aged Roman; a refreshing read in a world of white-washed historical fiction, we get to see a more demographically accurate Londinium 211 AD — a fledgling commercial centre in the northern reaches of an empire ruled by the Libyan-born Septimius Severus, populated by not only native Bretons but also migrants from across the Roman Empire and beyond, including the main character’s Sudanese parents.

Evaristo infuses the narrative with modern language, a device I love in historical fiction when done well. Rather than using formal, ornate language common in historical fiction, Evaristo uses, modern slang, idioms and innuendos, differing speech patterns for peasants and merchants, soldiers and senators — far from what some might call historical inaccuracy (what would be accurate about Roman Britain speaking anything close to 20th century English, anyway?), the contemporary storytelling allows a more authentic relationship between the reader and the characters.

The writing is well-paced and entertaining, and both witty and insightful. It deals with difficult topics — Zuleika is married and experiences sex as a girl, before she can learn to understand desire. But it also paints a world where pleasure, joy and love are always possible.

Content Warnings