Beautiful ( )

This book is enchanting. It's a story of how Aeneas founded Rome, but told from the Sybil's perspective.

I never read the Aeneid, but I got the the idea that author was trying to tackle an epic story. The book did become burdensome to read at times.

I do agree with one of the reviewers that are too many characters. Maybe the original Aeneid had all these characters and she felt she needed to include them.

She wrote well enough so that it warrants me to check out the sequel. ( )

I really enjoyed this -- a deep, engrossing read, with wonderful characters and a very satisfying, unique story. I wrote "unique" with some trepidation, since this story has, in fact, been told a gazillion times, broadly the journey the defeated Trojans took after their city's fall and the founding of Rome by Aeneas, the Trojan prince. But the story is told by Aeneas' "oracle," a former slave and child of rape called Gull. Through her eyes, we see one of the (many) great cataclysms of ancient world, the destruction of cities (and knowledge) prompted by sea-faring and the attempt by the Greeks to capitalize on their victory at Troy by taking over the Mediterranean. Graham is excellent at putting us firmly in Gull while at the same time panning out to gives us a sense of the overall world (a skill I'm definitely working on). The start is a bit slow and the pace leisurely, but it really pays off at the end. ( )

This book was amazing, I was still thinking about it way after I was done. ( )

I've read many stories about Troy, leading up to the fall of the city, but this is the first I've ever read that's set afterwards and I thought it was fascinating. To read of the survivors and their travels, and starting a new city was very interesting and I thought it was very well done. A bit slow to read, but I didn't have any trouble finishing the story in 2 days. ( )