This book is beyond beautiful. There are no words to describe its sentimental value to me after reading it, page by page; continually grasping my imagination, taking me in to the world of Ancient Rome.
I, for one, have not read a book that had such a strong grip on my heart in which what a Latin learner may say as lacrimas, fell from the corner of my eyes.
This book had the handsome, aristocratic Marcus Lucianus Valerian and the not-the-kind-of-beautiful-the-world-sees girl of Hadassah. What a beautiful name, Hadassah. It spoke of innocence, purity and love; and she was all that.
The cliche of them falling in love may sound too much of a bore and a storyline, too overused for one’s liking, but the beauty of this storyline is that, it’s complemented by the beautifully described setting of Rome and Jerusalem along with the sub-plot of gladiator Atretes and his fight, literally, at the arena for his freedom.
Francine Rivers captured the essence of Ancient Rome ridiculously well; the hedonism, the lifestyle, the way they spoke. All the elements blended with each other like the colours of an abstract painting. Marcus and Hadassah’s love story wasn’t your typical Titanic, where the world revolved around them. In this book, the minor characters came alive, like Julia Valerian, whose unmatched selfishness resulted in a tragedy that will continually haunt me until now.
It’s without a doubt a mind-blowing experience, reading this work of Francine Rivers. This book took me to a place I could only imagine, but it also gave me a chance to yearn for something so much I felt compelled to beg.
It’s sequel, An Echo in the Darkness. But I’ll tell you about that another time. This book, deserves it’s own post… and more.
Highly Recommended Book. 5/5 stars
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