Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) Author: David Potter Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: November 4, 2015 Pages: 288 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, depict the sixth-century emperor Justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, Theodora (497-548). This majestic portrait gives no inkling of Theodora's very humble beginnings or her improbable rise to fame and power. Raised in a family of circus performers near Constantinople's Hippodrome, she abandoned a successful acting career in her late teens to follow a lover whom she was legally forbidden to marry. When he left her, she was a single mother who built a new life for herself as a secret agent, in which role she met the heir to the throne. To the shock of the ruling elite, the two were married, and when Justinian...
Today marks five years since I began this blog! In that time, I have read a LOT of books, and it has been a tremendous honor to have readers who like my reviews! I have also had the honor to interview some of my favorite authors and host guest posts from the leaders in historical fiction. I sincerely appreciate the readers, authors, publishers, and anyone else who has helped the success of this blog. Here's to plenty more years of celebrating women in history!
Congratulations on five years of book blogging! You're an intrepid spirit and your work is really appreciated by us authors.
ReplyDeleteAll the best,
Lennie