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barcodeborrower's review against another edition
4.0
I knew nothing about Empress Theodora coming into this. I was swept away by how the author breathed life into the characters and I was so caught up in Theodora's climb to status and what she did to survive. A great read! Can't wait to read more of Stephanie Thornton's books.
_groovyginger_'s review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book, but I felt a few more themes and relationships should have/could have been explored. It would have made the book longer, but there's nothing wrong with that! Also, some of the Latin/Greek phrases used were not translated, and I think it would have been helpful to include a section giving meanings to these foreign terms; I've seen other historical fiction books do that.
jkd08a's review against another edition
2.0
Ehhh. I mean it was sort of all over the place. I suppose I liked it, but I didn't love it. Sort of become a chore. I did cross-reference Theodora's wikipedia page with the book and tbh, there were more accuracies than I was expecting.
jennybeastie's review against another edition
5.0
Moving history of the life of Empress Theodora, a woman who went from child prostitute to become the most powerful woman in the Byzantine world, and the focus of a great love story. Wonderfully written story of survival and the heartbreaking moments that make up Theodora's infamous, mysterious, endlessly unknowable life.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
4.0
Stephanie Thornton's The Secret History draws its "truth-is-more-interesting-than-fiction" narrative from Procopius' salacious contemporary account of the same title. My background is in Medieval History, so I've always been fascinated by Theodora, probably the most powerful woman to ever wear the Byzantine crown. Though born a pleb and spending her early years as an actress and prostitute (which were synonymous in her day), she rose to be the wife of Emperor Justinian (himself the son of a country bumpkin). She is most famous for convincing Justinian to stand and fight against the allied Blues and Greens during the Nike revolt of 532, saving his throne and squelching the people's resistance to heavy taxation, but her reign was checkered with political machinations, revenge against her enemies, and dramatic displays of her devotion to Justinian . I love learning about her simply because in a time when women were marginalized nearly out of the historical record, she made a huge splash! 3.5 stars rounded up to a 4.0 for Thornton's fascinating, though not scholarly, take on Theodora's sensational life.
wellington299's review against another edition
5.0
From the opening chapters, Stephanie Thorton and Theodora grabbed me and I decided I would start following this author who gives life to forgotten women in history. It was a raw rags to riches story in which a lowly actress rose to become Empress. Back then, actresses were looked down upon and just one rank above prostitute.
I loved Theodora's fire and venomous tongue along with her friend Antonia. Frenemies to the end, their banter were some of my favorite passages in the book.
This book pulls no punches in describing 6th century hard scrabble life. This can be described as a historical romance book but life was in no way romantic by then.
I fully support Stephanie's mission to shed light on forgotten women in history and look forward to what else she will dig up in the future.
hrtlss_grl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
sydneyholmes3010's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5