Mistress of Rome

by Kate Quinn

Book Overview

The first in an unforgettable historical saga from the New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Briar Club.

"So gripping, your hands are glued to the book, and so vivid it burns itself into your mind's eye and stays with you long after you turn the final page."--Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author

First-century Rome: One young woman will hold the fate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425232476
• ISBN13: 9780425232477
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 0.92 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great book!!!

Wow what a good book. The characters were great and the story was amazing!

Fantastic glance into one of my favorite times in history

Wow! Kate Quinn is the Ancient Roman equivalent of what Phillipa Gregory does for Tudor England. Quinn’s characters are 3D from the moment she describes them. I felt like I could literally taste the gladiator sweat or feel the poisonous stare of the Emperor. She makes the story come alive in my mind. I highly recommend all of her books!

Beautifully Raw and Real!

This is one of my new favorite book, and cannot wait to get the others in! It's so beautiful and such a great story! I Couldn't recommend highly enough!! GET THE BOOKS!!

Terrific read

I loved this book. It was delicious fun! Although the author has a sequel and prequel in the planning, this book is a nice complete novel and does not leave you hanging. I loved following Thea's life and I loved hating Lepedia. If you are looking for a fun page turner, this is it.

I loved this.

Not only was it a fun page-turner, but it was historically accurate as well! I love the Ancient Greece/Rome time periods and I love how natural the plot was, along with the very modern dialogue that made the characters so relateable. I found it absolutely excellent, will recommend this to my friends!

Absolutely loved this juicy historical novel!

I could nitpick and say there were too many modern sayings in this novel to call it an historical novel. It's hard to believe, for example, that ancient Romans used the term b*tch on wheels to refer to a really awful woman. Or the word scram. That's more fitting in a novel set in the early twentieth century than a novel set during the Roman Empire. But those gripes aside, this was an engrossing read and it did what all novels should do: It entertained the reader! You will actually care for the main protagonist, Thea, who is a slave who had the misfortune to serve the spoiled and mean-spirited, Lepida Pollia. Thea has so little. It seems her life is changing for the better when she meets and falls in love with the star gladiator, Arius the Barbarian. But Lepida finds out about the affair, becomes jealous because she wants him for herself (and he despises her). Subject to the whims of her hateful mistress, Thea is sold to a master who puts her to work in a brothel. Thankfully, that stint doesn't last long and she's purchased by a master who loves music, and finds in her a marvelous singer. She becomes a highly sought-after singer in Brundisium, not far from Rome. Heartbroken to be separated from Arius, she is somewhat comforted by the fact that she carries his child. Years pass and she and Arius do not cross paths. Then, Thea, called Athena now to go with her classy image, catches the eye of the Emperor Domitian. He makes her his mistress and soon she is being called the mistress of Rome. How all the players come together in the end: Thea, her gladiator, their son, the fate of the sadistic emperor and the evil Lepida, all made for a tantalizing tale that will keep you up at night. Don't rush through it, savor it, because you will miss the characters once you're finished reading it.

A delectable read

The place is ancient Rome, the time AD 81. The characters, from a slave girl to the emperor of the entire Roman world, are richly portrayed. Prepare to enter a beautifully recreated world full of the wonders and cruelty that was ancient Rome. Thea is a young Jewish slave, purchased for Lady Lepida Polia, a spoiled rotten, obnoxious fourteen-year-old Roman. The girls are the same age, but miles apart in status. Both are beautiful, but Thea is destined to win the hearts of men with her lovely voice while Lepida wins them by deception. Thea must accompany her mistress to the games at the Coliseum and while there, a new gladiator, Arius the Barbarian, catches both girls' eyes. Lepida tries to lure Arius with her snake-like charms, but the gladiator is only interested in Thea. Incensed, Lepida sells Thea to a whorehouse to separate the lovebirds. While Arius continues his regimen of violence in the coliseum, Lepida is married to a senator whom she doesn't love. She goes along with the wedding in the hopes that her new status will bring her closer to the emperor and all that his connections might bring. Meanwhile, Thea's exquisite singing voice has brought her to the attention of many of Rome's finest houses, including that of the Emperor. Much to Lepida's disgust, Thea is made Emperor Domitian's mistress. When I first received this almost 500-page historical fiction novel, I admit I was a bit hesitant. I feared the book would be bogged down with historical facts, and present a dull, dry story surrounding the rule of Emperor Titus Flavius Domitianus, a.k.a Domitian. Not so. I'm happy to report that the Mistress of Rome is a rich, spicy, enthralling story that grabbed me almost immediately. There was just enough historical background provided to set the proper scene, yet not distract the reader from the plot. There was, however, plenty of romance, betrayal, and family intrigue. The author is to be congratulated for creating a world so real, so genuine that every roar of the coliseum crowd could be heard. The reader becomes enveloped in the story and like a fly on the wall, is privy to all the goings on at the lavish imperial parties (and yes, that includes orgies). The character of Lepida was deliciously evil, a woman you love to hate. Her years long rivalry with Thea is much of what makes Mistress of Rome such a delectable read. It should be noted that the story is told in the first person as well as third person narrative. The first person sections are told by both Thea and Lepida and this jumping around did take a bit of getting used to. However, once the story got going, it was fun to see how Lepida interpreted an event versus Thea. Quill says: For a taste of Roman beauty and brutality, richly seasoned with just the right amount of romance, pick up a copy of Mistress of Rome.

Yes, yes, yes!

I saw this book at the SCIBA in October 2009 and it seemed to be calling me for a number of reasons. I love reading historical-fiction books that focus on Rome, I was looking for a good historical-fiction book to read, and... it was free! Game, set, match!! Now when I read historical-fiction books I usually read cats like Conn Iggulden, Simon Scarrow, James Duffy, Scott Oden, and David Gemmell. I need a certain "literary carnage" and blood on the pages. Lots of violence, lots of gore, and lots of killing. While this book didn't have the over-the-top stuff I look for in a historical-fiction novel, this book did have EXACTLY what I was looking for in an historical-fiction novel. Doesn't make sense does it? Trust me, it does. I was immediately drawn to Arius because of his in-your-face brutality and "who give a crap" attitude. While this entire book was very good, I did find myself becoming impatient when I wasn't reading about him. Lepida Pollia was one of those special book characters that you can love, loathe, adore, and hate all at the same time. Kate did an excellent job of giving us diehard fans just enough of Roman carnage and brutality, while putting just the right amount of romance to appease "that"crowd. Not that there is anything wrong with "that" crowd (I'll wait while you run and get the rotten tomatoes). :-) Kate blends Roman life, Roman debauchery, Roman bloodlust, Roman lust-lust Roman politics, and Roman life in a story that entertaining and intriguing. Now comes the hard part... waiting for the sequel and the prequel! *sigh*... THANKS Kate!