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A review by missbookiverse
The Emperor's Babe by Bernardine Evaristo
4.0
Loved the eclectic mix of styles this was written in. It takes the epic poem as its base and makes it its own by throwing in colloquial English, Latin, and possibly more. The result may be anachronistic but it flows so naturally that you might question whether anybody has ever spoken differently during the reign of the Roman Empire.
Apart from that it gives history a much needed facelift. I don't know about you, but I was not aware of Africans being present in Britain during the Roman occupation (or I never really thought about it because they are never mentioned in literary sources). Turns out they were and Evaristo imagines what the life of one young girl, whose parents immigrated from Sudan, might have been like. Spoiler alert: it was pretty tragic, but I nevertheless enjoyed following Zuleika's education, loveless marriage, friendships, and romantic affair, watching her turn from a mistreated 11-year-old girl into an imperious head of the household and a fierce lover.
Apart from that it gives history a much needed facelift. I don't know about you, but I was not aware of Africans being present in Britain during the Roman occupation (or I never really thought about it because they are never mentioned in literary sources). Turns out they were and Evaristo imagines what the life of one young girl, whose parents immigrated from Sudan, might have been like. Spoiler alert: it was pretty tragic, but I nevertheless enjoyed following Zuleika's education, loveless marriage, friendships, and romantic affair, watching her turn from a mistreated 11-year-old girl into an imperious head of the household and a fierce lover.