Friday, September 12, 2008

The Warrior's Princess - Barbara Erskine

The Warriors Princess - Barbara Erskine (2008)
Barbara Erskine slips into familiar territory of telling us the tale of Jess, who is a London school teacher who suffers a date rape at the end of school disco, and doesn't know who did it. She flees to Wales, where her sister has a studio and home in the secluded countryside, and who just happens to be having a holiday in Rome. So while in Wales, Jess finds herself haunted by a young Welsh princess Eigon, and her family.

What unfolds is the story of Eigon, believed to be the daughter of a famous Welsh king, who when the family is captured by Romans, are taken to Rome to be killed at the Emperors games. Rome is undergoing great changes, and they are there at the time of the rise of Christianity and the persecution and death of many christians, including St Peter himself.

Did I enjoy it, yes I liked the tale, I always get a bit sucked into this sort of novel. However I found the characters a bit lacking. I wondered how so many 30 somethings could have so much spare time and money, and not actually have to work (teachers I know are always busy). The whole premise of lovesick men following Jess everywhere, was a bit tiresome for me. The middle of the book was very repetative and it could have lost 100 pages and been better for it.
Still a good book to curl up and go to bed with. 2/5

No comments: