Wednesday, January 22, 2014

The Secret History: Theodora

On our December cruise, I got through a great novel, The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by Stephanie Thornton.  The subject matter was right up my alley - the late Roman Empire.  In fact, in graduate school, I quickly learned that the later Roman Empire, and early Christianity, was my favorite part of history.  So many peoples and churches vying for power! 

Here's my review of Thornton's novel:

This book kept my attention very well - I could hardly stop thinking about it when not reading it! Theodora's story in history is fascinating, for sure, but Thornton brings her to life in a very realistic, passionate way. You can only sympathize with young Theodora, who is faced with a horrific "childhood", and marvel at her true rags-to-riches story.

The setting of Byzantium has always fascinating me...Justinian's reign was a bright spot amidst years of war and turbulence. Thornton's descriptions and writing are mediocre but her storytelling is very nice!


If you're wanting to read some historical fiction, I highly recommend this book!

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