Mistress of Rome

February 15, 2010
Quinn convincingly conjures the terrifying reign of Emperor Domitian in her solid debut that follows the travails of Thea, a slave girl and mistress to the emperor. While she is tormented by Domitian, she holds her secrets—a gladiator lover, a young son—close. When these facts are brought to Domitian's attention by Thea's jealous rival, Thea takes drastic actions to secure her family. Quinn's command of first-century Rome is matched only by her involvement with her characters; all of them, historical and invented, are compelling and realistic, and she explores their dark sides without crossing into gratuitousness. Readers will finish eager for a sequel, which is a good thing because Quinn has left the door wide open for a follow-up. This should make a splash among devotees of ancient Rome.

March 15, 2010
Born a Jew, Thea was one of a handful of people who survived the fall of Masada to the Romans in 73 C.E. As the novel opens, she is crouched over a bowl bleeding from self-inflicted cuts, penance for having escaped death as a child and for her continuing existence as a slave of Rome. It isn't until her spiteful mistress, Lepida, sends her to Rome's most popular gladiator with letters begging for his attention that Thea's life changes. Furious that Arius the Barbarian loves Thea rather than herself, Lepida sells the girl, thus beginning a chain of events that leads Thea from a life of misery to the attention of the Emperor Domitian, who takes her as his mistress. VERDICT Quinn borrows freely, though admittedly not always accurately, from first-century Roman history. Historical fiction fans looking for a more factual account of ancient Rome may wish to pick up the novels of Colleen McCullough or Robert Harris, but for sheer entertainment, drama, and page-turning storytelling, this tumultuous debut novel is well worth reading.Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK

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