≡ Download Free Household Gods Judith Tarr Harry Turtledove 9780812564662 Books

Household Gods Judith Tarr Harry Turtledove 9780812564662 Books

Download As PDF : Household Gods Judith Tarr Harry Turtledove 9780812564662 Books

Household Gods Judith Tarr Harry Turtledove 9780812564662 Books

I have gotten totally absorbed in this book - very interesting how the lead character is transported to the Roman era 1800 years ago. I have been a little disappointed that she has not used resources she could have - like boiling water to be able to drink it and also use it during a baby birthing and even getting bread fungus for penicillin. but overall great characterizations and imagery and soulful reality of living in different times - it's not usually greener on the other side - the lead character learns. The reality of those times is well told without too much of the most painful aspects - the "beast games" of wild animals killing each other and a convicted criminal. Great story telling..


Tags : Household Gods [Judith Tarr, Harry Turtledove] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <div>Nicole Gunther-Perrin is a modern young professional, proud of her legal skills but weary of the daily grind,Judith Tarr, Harry Turtledove,Household Gods,Tor Fantasy,0812564669,Fantasy - General,Fantasy fiction.,American Science Fiction And Fantasy,Fantasy,Fantasy - Historical,Fiction,Fiction - Fantasy,Fiction Fantasy General,Fiction Fantasy Historical,Science FictionTime Travel

Household Gods Judith Tarr Harry Turtledove 9780812564662 Books Reviews

This work is not of the caliber of "I, Claudius", but it is a thoroughly enjoyable book, one that gives the reader a taste of life in the Roman Empire.
The main character is a self-centered lawyer, Nicole, who is not at all likeable. The beginning of the book establishes her as the poster child for a woman having a bad day, after which she makes the mistake of wishing for "the good old days" of ancient Rome as she looks at a votive plaque on her nightstand. The god and goddess depicted thereon take it upon themselves to grant her that wish.
Nicole wakes to find herself in the body of her distant ancestor, Umma. The descriptions of this world and the people who live in it are what drew me in so completely. This was a world where Family mattered, because it was likely that they were the only ones who could help you out in a crisis. Death was familiar; cleanliness unknown.
I never did grow to like Nicole, even though she grew less self-absorbed toward the end of the book. Her character seemed somewhat detached throughout, as though she were looking at her own life as a case study. She showed no great emotion at the deaths of friends or family. Still, I found the lessons that she learned interesting.
This is a great rainy weekend book. At 600+ pages, it isn't a short read, but it is quick and easy. In short, a fun and historically accurate book.
What an interesting book, full of thought provoking historical tidbits on what it may have been like living during the second century in a provincial Roman city. Carnuntum, where the historical action takes place, was an actual Roman army camp on the Danube and included a considerable civilian quarter. The city has been extensively excavated in modern times, and structures uncovered include a very large public bath house as well as a sizeable amphitheater, both of which play a significant role in this book.

The story is a little slow to develop, with an extended introduction of the main protagonist in modern times, which is then mirrored on the backside of the book with an extended epilogue detailing events following her return to 20th century life. However, sandwiched between the modern times introduction and wrap-up, the story provides much of what many of us are looking for in a book like this - what would daily life have looked like for an average person living in the classical period of western civilization. Since the main character is coming at her circumstance from the perspective of someone who has enjoyed the luxuries of modern life, the writers have a built-in mechanism to compare and contrast the differences between ancient and modern times through our ability to see into the mind of the main character. This is nicely done and cleverly executed.

The historical events in the book, and many of the story elements incorporated therein, appear to have been well researched, and at least much of it is based upon verifiable reality. Some of the extensive research will go unnoticed by the casual reader. A couple of good examples include

First, the price of the wine served in the restaurant/tavern is based upon actual graffiti scratched onto a barroom wall and discovered during excavations in Pompeii - "You can get a drink here for only one coin. You can drink better wine for two coins. You can drink Falernian for four coins."

Second, Titus Calidius Severus, the retired legionnaire who is the main character's neighbor and lover, is based on a real person whose tombstone was unearthed in the real city of Carnuntum.

As inscribed (in Latin), the tombstone reads T(itus) Calidius / P(ublii filius) Cam(ilia tribu) Sever(us)/ eq(ues) item optio/ decur(io) coh(ortis) I Alpin(orum) / item (centurio) leg(ionis) XV Apoll(inaris) / annnor(um) LVIII stip(endorium) XXXIIII / h(ic) s(itus) e(st) / Q(uintus) Calidius fratri / posuit

Translated into English, the tombstone reads Titus Calidius Severus, son of Publius, of the Camilia (voting) Tribe , an eques, then optio and decurion of the Cohors 1 Alpinorum, and then centurion of the Legion XV Apollinaris. Aged 58 years, served 34 years died, he lies here. Quintus Calidius his brother put this up.

For those of you who find the main character Nicole to be impossibly and hopelessly annoying, I say get over it. It's just a story, and some people are, in fact, impossibly and hopelessly annoying. We do get to watch her evolve emotionally and psychologically over the course of the book, and I don't find any of this evolution to be outside the realm of possibility.

If you are a fan of classical history, and the Roman Empire specifically, I recommend you read this book. It's not fiction of the highest literary order, but it isn't meant to be. It's a fun and educational look at what life may have been like 1,800 years ago, as lived by the ancestors of our western civilization.
I am a Roman history buff and really wanted to like this book. A number of people have had problems with the lead character's anti-male stance, which does remain quite common throughout the book. I never found the character of Nicole to be hateful or annoying, however, I was just annoyed with the writers. To paraphrase Jessica Rabbit, Nicole isn't bad she's just written that way. The part about the book that's great, besides its perfectly plausible (from a literary perspective anyway) time travel device, is the supporting characters back in the Roman province of Carnuntum, in Germany, where Nicole finds herself. Quite honestly the details of life in a Roman household could be picked up in almost any nonfiction book and one wouldn't have to deal with some of the ridiculous thoughts that the writers have given Nicole. But then we wouldn't get to meet the bed-hopping slave, Julia, the fuller, Titus Calidius Severus, or any of the other residents of Carnuntum in the time of Marcus Aurelius, or find out about birth control, medicine, head lice, bargaining and law from the perspective of a ordinary working woman. The book isn't terribly memorable but it will definitely make you appreciate your life and all the advances and conveniences of it, while providing an enjoyable if ultimately somewhat unsatisfying read. It's not nearly as good a book about ancient Rome as something like Richard Ben Sapir's the Far Arena, or for more serious reading Colleen McCullough's First Man in Rome, but if you like your Roman history it's still recommended.
I have gotten totally absorbed in this book - very interesting how the lead character is transported to the Roman era 1800 years ago. I have been a little disappointed that she has not used resources she could have - like boiling water to be able to drink it and also use it during a baby birthing and even getting bread fungus for penicillin. but overall great characterizations and imagery and soulful reality of living in different times - it's not usually greener on the other side - the lead character learns. The reality of those times is well told without too much of the most painful aspects - the "beast games" of wild animals killing each other and a convicted criminal. Great story telling..