tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post114821288610768845..comments2023-11-29T07:39:34.401+00:00Comments on Carla Nayland Historical Fiction: Julia, by William Napier. Book reviewCarlahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1151308754665714202006-06-26T08:59:00.000+01:002006-06-26T08:59:00.000+01:00"The Age of Arthur" is a fascinating source for th..."The Age of Arthur" is a fascinating source for the history of the period, Carla, and well written, but it needs to be used with caution. When Morris goes off on his dream that Arthur founded a Roman-style imperial government in Britain, I can't accept it; but if you tune out the mad bits, the book is very valuable, and one of my own favourites.<BR/><BR/>The Atacotti appear in my novel "Lord of Silver", set in Britain in 366-7 A.D. It went out of print at my own request last year, and another publisher is looking at it, so perhaps it will become available again.<BR/><BR/>Years after writing it, I read Rosemary Sutcliff's "The Eagle of the Ninth", and found that there was a plot element that was almost the same. I didn't steal it from "The Eagle of the Ninth", but I wouldn't blame anyone who thought that I had.<BR/><BR/>I'd be happy to send you one of my copies if you will give me your postal address (which I will keep confidential, of course). Don't post the address publicly here, but send it to me at:<BR/><BR/>alanfisk@yahoo.comAlan Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05516320333001972924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1151054106636159222006-06-23T10:15:00.000+01:002006-06-23T10:15:00.000+01:00Well, the Author's Note only mentions St Jerome, b...Well, the Author's Note only mentions St Jerome, but primary sources always sound more impressive :-)<BR/><BR/>What did you think of <I>The Age of Arthur</I>, Alan? I loved it. Speculative of course, but what book about the period isn't? I've seen it heavily criticised in some circles, and that seems a shame to me.<BR/><BR/>Which of your books features the Attacotti? I'd be interested in seeing another portrayal.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1151051653447772422006-06-23T09:34:00.000+01:002006-06-23T09:34:00.000+01:00I thought I was the only historical novelist to ha...I thought I was the only historical novelist to have used the Atacotti. I bet Napier got them from the same source that I did: "The Age of Arthur", by John Morris.Alan Fiskhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05516320333001972924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148400605165397812006-05-23T17:10:00.000+01:002006-05-23T17:10:00.000+01:00Er, yes, you are, and yes, it would a bit - though...Er, yes, you are, and yes, it would a bit - though I don't think it's too much of a spoiler to say that her final illness is a tragic consequence of the plot.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148398636903775212006-05-23T16:37:00.000+01:002006-05-23T16:37:00.000+01:00Perhaps it bothers me because (if the book follows...Perhaps it bothers me because (if the book follows the archeology) she just gets sick and dies - an all too common occurrance, but it still amounts to getting run over by a bus, rather than a tragic consequence of the plot.<BR/><BR/>(I realize that I may be wrong in ways that would require a spoiler to explain!)Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148379801667094202006-05-23T11:23:00.000+01:002006-05-23T11:23:00.000+01:00Gabriele - the bath scene is very short, only abou...Gabriele - the bath scene is very short, only about half a page, so don't mourn overmuch :-)<BR/><BR/>Rick - I know what you mean, but oddly it never bothers me if I know the central character isn't going to survive. Maybe it comes from reading historical fiction where the fate of the characters is often known in advance - e.g. books on Mary Queen of Scots or Lady Jane Grey. Which reminds me, I forgot to put in my usual note about whether the characters are historical or fictional; I'll edit the post.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148343297865983252006-05-23T01:14:00.000+01:002006-05-23T01:14:00.000+01:00There's be something very depressing to me about g...There's be something very depressing to me about getting to know an appealing young woman, knowing in advance that she'll get run over by a bus at the end, still in her early 20s!<BR/><BR/>As for religion, my hazy recollection is that Christianity only became the formal religion of the Empire, with real pressure against pagans, with Theodosius, around 400 or so. Christians had the voltage, but I suspect that pagans were still the majority in just about all regions and classes in the period around 350.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148337683152002932006-05-22T23:41:00.000+01:002006-05-22T23:41:00.000+01:00Carla, your review did help me to decide. Loan yes...Carla, your review did help me to decide. Loan yes, but not buy. And since loan isn't possible (at least not without a lot more trouble and probably fees than I'm willing to put into) I'll have to do without the bath scene. *sniff* ;)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148336758179752462006-05-22T23:25:00.000+01:002006-05-22T23:25:00.000+01:00Tony - thanks for your comment. I've heard the 'p...Tony - thanks for your comment. I've heard the 'party card' analogy for post-Constantine Christianity in the Roman Empire, which seems quite a plausible idea. Religions don't change overnight, and the process was probably long, complex and interesting. I was hoping the novel might explore some of the potential ramifications of not having your 'party card', and was a bit disappointed that it didn't really do anything with it at all.<BR/><BR/>Alex - yes, I think I get the idea! I didn't read it as harshly as that and quite liked it, on the whole. As Bernita says, much can be forgiven for an engaging character, and I did like Julia. <BR/><BR/>Bernita - indeed, religions take ages to disappear altogether. There's an arguable case for seeing a continuation of Iron Age (some argue even Bronze Age) beliefs in the numerous holy wells revered in England in medieval times, and in the well dressing ceremonies in the Derbyshire Peak District - which if true is continuity spanning thousands of years. My problem was not that there were pagans in high places in 350 AD - it would have been more astonishing if there weren't - but that the author didn't take this potentially fascinating story element and run with it. <BR/><BR/>Gabriele - I thought of you when I read the bath house scene! If you can tell that the book isn't something you'd like to read even though it's in your period of interest, then the review's done something useful.<BR/><BR/>Susan - I liked it and thought it was a good story, on the whole. I'd say it's well worth giving it a whirl if you're vaguely interested in post-Roman Britain, especially if you can get it from a library.Carlahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11901028520813891575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148326227294743132006-05-22T20:30:00.000+01:002006-05-22T20:30:00.000+01:00I don't think it sounds like something I'd read. I...I don't think it sounds like something I'd read. I'm not fond of books about girls growing up, not even Roman girls. Now, the Marcus and Roman baths stuff would be another matter, but I can't get the book in a library here and I don't want to spend money on it. ;)Gabriele Campbellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17205770868139083575noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148309610573325112006-05-22T15:53:00.000+01:002006-05-22T15:53:00.000+01:00Sounds like an interesting book, Carla!Sounds like an interesting book, Carla!Susan Higginbothamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13517907583894026599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148306866059625122006-05-22T15:07:00.000+01:002006-05-22T15:07:00.000+01:00One can forgive a certain amount of gratuitous adv...One can forgive a certain amount of gratuitous adventure if the characters are engaging.<BR/>As far as the Christianity element is concerned, things are slow to change in the outposts of any empire. A hundred years is nothing, as I know from my own experience in the boonies.Bernitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05264585685253812090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148287036922445232006-05-22T09:37:00.000+01:002006-05-22T09:37:00.000+01:00I didn't like the book at all. It was certainly a ...I didn't like the book at all. It was certainly a story of two parts and they didn't mesh well together. From the use of the London burial to using Hadrian's Wall it was all too contrived. I think he loved the idea of the burial, but really didn't do much with it. I wanted to like the book, but it fell into all sorts of cliches (right down to the author saying that he was inspired by Rosemary Sutcliff, but managing to spell her name incorrectly, if memory serves ...) Did I say I didn't like the book ;-)Alex Bordessahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18360540101147770320noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19922276.post-1148244635682584202006-05-21T21:50:00.000+01:002006-05-21T21:50:00.000+01:00The Roman Empire had adopted Christianity as the o...<I>The Roman Empire had adopted Christianity as the official religion a generation before </I>Julia<I> is set</I><BR/><BR/>And a generation before that, Christians were being persecuted. I'm a bit wary of the term 'official religion' in the Roman empire. It's misleading for the pre-Constantinian empire, and may be so after him. And the emperor was not head of the Church, no matter how much he may have tried to interfere with it.<BR/><BR/>Constantine, for all his edicts in favour of Christianity, hedged his bets and didn't convert until his deathbed. Any banning of pagan rituals cannot have been earlier than his assertion of sole control of the empire in AD324, so possibly within the lifespan of the Spitalfields woman. (And David Potter's <I>The Roman Empire at Bay</I> raises questions about how extensive such a ban actually was.) Constans issued an edict banning <I>superstitio</I>, but another that pagan temples should be left undisturbed. <BR/><BR/>I suspect that Christianity in the fourth century was a bit like membership of the Communist Party is in modern China - no-one forces you to be a party member, but you're not going to get very far if you're not. I imagine it was the same in Rome. You could get on if you remained a pagan, but it was a lot harder. Actual total banning of pagan ritual seems not to actually come in until Theodosius' reign. (Or at least, even if there had been bans before, enough people ignored such edicts that they needed to be repeated.)Tony Keenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07125792825206480340noreply@blogger.com