Reviews

The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo

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hannahrhian's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.5

septan's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this, it was completely unexpected but so lyrical and funny it was just a pleasure to read. Short but satisfying.

gittav's review against another edition

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4.0

If you can appreciate good writing - a mixture of an unconventional style, unlikely protagonist - and can keep an open mind when it comes to modern poetry, this might turn out to be a wonderful reading experience. The words jump off the page! You only need to read the synopsis to know you've stumbled across a fresh spin on Roman historical fiction. A black young woman (teenager still?) in Londinium starts an affair with the Libyan emperor when her husband is away for months on end, spending time. A teenager still, stuck in a childless marriage, stuck with a husband who spends month with his white Germanic concubine on the continent with whom he has many children.

For a few blissful months, she is allowed to feel the emotions she was robbed of having been married off at 14. She has become the concubine; but even this relationship is fruitless.

Vale, Zuleika. You stride away,
a palm-less wave, and I know

that to ask for more,
is to lose you.

Historical Accuracy
A large part of the valuation of historical fiction relies on its accuracy. This was never an objective Evaristo, so if you read this genre to learn something about the culture, you might end up disappointed. Evaristo cleverly uses anachronisms to convey a certain cultural experience she believes to be close to what Roman London might have been like for contemporaries. For example, she uses Latin and Pict words to mix with English to create a multicultural London that we can understand. The intention is to convey Londinium's cultural melting-pot and she does it really effectively through her witty, colloquial use of language. Similar to how modern teenagers create their own language and words.

Free Verse
I had never read a novel in verse, but I thought it was very appropriate. Like Latin poetry, it does not rhyme but it does occasionally make use of alliteration and assonance and it is thus quite appropriate for a novel set in Roman Britain. The novel is made up of a multitude of short sections; some function as chapters, others are poems (in the more conventional meaning of the word). This makes it easy to stop reading and getting back to it without having to reread bits.

It is very raw, emotional and especially vividly described. It is not a light read. This book is thought provoking and not literature for the masses. The luscious language and style Evaristo uses combined with Zuleika's story should be appreciated equally. This is not simply entertainment, this is Literature.

Note: Review from 2012 updated.

milli_04's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? Yes

4.75

katie_barty's review against another edition

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4.0

“To leave a whisper of myself in the world, my ghost, a magna opera of words.”

rachelygr's review

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2.0

I hate to start off the year weak and I hate giving low ratings to my favorite author but I have to be HONEST. THIS WASN'T IT!!! Probably I was affected by the fact that this entire book is written in free-form poems (which as a low-key poetry hater was troubling). More than that I did not connect with the characters or the plot. I'm sure, knowing this is from Bernardine Evaristo, that there is more depth to this than I'm seeing but it just wasn't there for me.