The style is not one I enjoy. Too much telling.  Honestly, if the death of her youngest sister hits Theodora that hard, some effort should have gone into actually showing the relationship.  When a non-character dies, it lacks impact.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley.

                I first heard of Theodora when I was trying to find out information about Eastern Empresses after watching a mini-series about Charlemagne.  She wasn’t the Empress I was looking for, but she sure sounded interesting.  The problem with Theodora is that she is so far in the past that finding accurate sources about her is difficult.  The most famous is The Secret History by Procopius, but to say the author has issues with women would be accurate.

                So it is to David Potter’s credit that he is able to draw an interesting picture and to make Theodora alive as any good biography of a modern subject.   Potter does draw upon Procopius but he is careful in his use of The Secret History and fully discusses its use as a source before moving into his biography.

                It would be fair to say that one can only guess at Theodora’s motives for doing some of what she did, such as her shelter for other women actresses or prostitutes, but Potter does a good job of making his case by showcasing what life was like at the time.  In many ways, this ability to paint a time and place with words and accurate historical detail, without making the book dry as old paper.  Additionally, Potter is able to challenge Procopius’ portrait of Theodora without making the Empress into boring woman, unlike a biography of Lucrezia Borgia, which disproved the poisoning stories, but made Borgia into such a boring figure that I wished she had murdered someone.  Potter shows that Theodora was not the Empress slut that Procopius suggests/claims, but also makes her more fascinating because of what she actually did.

It's up as a Read Now.  Publisher is OUP.

"You are a unique woman, Theodora."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

 

Arrrrrgh! Come on Thornton, after all your efforts making the historical setting feel so real, you have to ruin it with this bit of trite nonsense? I'd expect to see this in a flimsy YA romance, not with you!

>_<

I am sad to say that for all my knowledge of history, I really know almost nothing of Empress Theodora. What a story I have missed out on! A woman who rose from less than nothing to become the most powerful woman in the Byzantine empire. A truly inspiring story.

I am very impressed that this is Stephanie Thornton's first novel. It is an excellent piece of historical fiction. The reader can tell that she has a passion for history...the research she put into this novel really shows. But it's not only the historical aspects that really shine. The characters are interesting and engaging. Theodora especially is a heroine to root for again and again. I mean, who doesn't love a rags to riches story? But this is a story that beats all stories of that type, in my opinion. When we look at a character like Theodora, what she had to overcome to rise so far, our hardships in life seem to pale in comparison.

It's a rare treat to read a novel that is not only interesting and entertaining, but also an inspiration that all things can be overcome with a little faith and a lot of pluck. I'm so glad that I was given the opportunity to review Stephanie's first book and I'm so looking forward to her next release.

Read more of my reviews at http://thetruebookaddict.blogspot.com/