Parvathy's Reviews > Mistress of Rome

The first time I realized I loved reading was when I was eight and had finished reading The Vicar of Wakefield. I still remember the feeling I had when I clutched the book in my hand and declared I loved reading. It was not because the particular book in question was extraordinary, regardless of its status as a classic, but it was the first time a book has completely captured my attention that everything else seemed pale in comparison. I have read a number of books after this one and loved a few of them immensely but it was not until I read Mistress of Rome that the same feeling captured me again. I was looking for a book in the historical literature recommendation section for my mother and by chance I caught her exclaiming that this one looks like a promising read. I didn't give much heed to this book at the time but checked out the book for my mother's sake. Before I knew it I was reading this book and was so entranced by the story that I forgot the fact that I was not planning on reading it in the first place. But these spontaneous spur of the moment decision yields the most surprising results as I am convinced that this book is a rare gem I would have missed otherwise. The story transports us to an era and place which is well known yet shrouded in mystery. It takes us to ancient Rome and tells us the story of a Jewish slave girl called Thea. Her abuses at the hands of her ever spiteful and jealous mistress Lepida Pollia. Her true love for the gladiator Arius the Barbarian. The way she deals with the every twist and turns the fates throw at her ultimately leading to her rise as she become the mistress of Roman Emperor Domnitian and there by the mistress of Rome. It was truly a remarkable read. It goes without saying that I liked Thea's character but I loved Arius the Barbarian as well. The way he fought to keep his demons passive. His fighting in the Arena, his love for Thea and above all his strength to stand against an empire bend on seeing his death. The love story between this two survivors is heart wrenching and it draws you in with its simplistic charm. The life of the Roman people portrayed in this book are not far fetched or unbelieving. Every twist had a possible feel to it. The best part of the book though were those parts narrated from the point of view of Lepida. Now there is a character that will stay in your memory for a very long time. Evil in form of a person or more conveniently Evil personified as a female owing to Emperor Domitian who is a strong contender for that former title. But while the emperor's evilness can be accounted for in his insanity Lepida's was from deep with in her soul. I loved reading about her little schemes and the way she manipulated the people around her for her means. Her spoiled and self absorbed narration made me wish for her downfall so badly that it became a big reason for my preoccupation with this book. Towards the end I was so tensed that I even thought of skipping a couple of pages ahead to learn the outcome before hand but was able to restrain my self as the story moved on in a fast pace. A huge applause has to be given to the author for coming up with a breath taking climax which left me without any more nails to sacrifice. But fair warning has to be given the faint hearted as this book is not for them. There are parts of the book that can make even the strong ones feel squeamish. The historical notes at the end were highly informative and left me in a state of awe for all those authors who piece such tidbits together to create entirely interesting stories of their own. Saying that I am not entirely sure that the book should be curbed to the title of historical literature. Though there were a lot of historical elements in the book but it never goes in much details in this regard. The historical wars and conquests are explained and lengthy descriptions are given for the Colosseum battles of the gladiators. But a wealth of information is not obtained from this book about that particular time period to qualify it as a historical fiction. Nevertheless this book is worth a read and definitely a keeper.