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debraeve 's review for:
The Wedding Shroud
by Elisabeth Storrs
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.