From the beginning of his rule, Emperor Hadrian
has caused his wife and his lead guard nothing but grief
and pain. His wife, Sabina, watches as her husband harms
the innocent and has his transparent affairs. His lead
guard, Vix, watches as his own son falls into Hadrian's
influence and bed. Antinous watches Hadrian's every move
as he tries desperately to win Vix over again. Taking an
inside look at the story of Hadrian and Antinous from all
the perspectives of family and friends, LADY OF THE
ETERNAL CITY brings new life to a tale as old as time.
The historical romance of Hadrian and Antinous has never
been more poignant and heartbreaking, and that's just
when everything is going well.
LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY takes multiple points of
view, including those of the empress's niece and of
Antinous himself. Some are in first person, others are in
second, but all are masterfully written and delightfully
varied. The plot is one that can be observed in ancient
Roman history, but it is made personable by the inclusion
of so many points of view. We almost feel that we know
Sabina personally. We feel terrible watching Vix choose
duty over friendship. Hadrian's madness, Antinuous's
fears, we feel it all. This prose has that gift in
spades.
I would have liked this book a lot more if it
hadn't been so broken up. Those multiple points of view
appear in every chapter, and the narrative can be
scattered and confusing. Occasionally, one forgets whom
one is reading. As for me, it made me quite uncomfortable
not being able to tell whether the Empress or Antinuous
were speaking of Hadrian's actions. To a more astute,
less involved reader, perhaps this would not be such a
hindrance. I think I was so buried in the story that I
couldn't separate things as well as I should have been
able to.
Ancient Roman historical fiction is fascinating
to me and LADY OF THE ETERNAL CITY has all you could
want. It is a very rich picture of what Ancient Rome must
have looked like to those who lived there and experienced
all it had to offer. There is a wealth of
characterization, tidbits of action, wonderful prose, and
delicate storytelling. This is an excellent novel which I
would recommend to any reader or scholar. If it's not
accurate to the bones, it at least gives us some of the
feeling behind the great Roman Empire.
Elegant, secretive Sabina may be Empress of Rome, but she
still stands poised on a knife’s edge. She must keep the
peace between two deadly enemies: her husband Hadrian,
Rome’s brilliant and sinister Emperor; and battered warrior
Vix, who is her first love. But Sabina is guardian of a
deadly secret: Vix’s beautiful son Antinous has become the
Emperor’s latest obsession.
Empress and Emperor, father and son will spin in a deadly
dance of passion, betrayal, conspiracy, and war. As tragedy
sends Hadrian spiraling into madness, Vix and Sabina form a
last desperate pact to save the Empire. But ultimately, the
fate of Rome lies with an untried girl, a spirited redhead
who may just be the next Lady of the Eternal City . . .
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