The Emperor's Babe
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Book Overview
"Lots of fun . . . like an episode of Sex and the City written by Ovid."-- Kirkus Reviews Bernardine Evaristo's tale of forbidden love in bustling third-century London is an intoxicating cocktail of poetry, history, and fiction. Feisty, precocious Zuleika, a restless teenage bride of a rich Roman businessman, craves passion and excitement. She wanders through his villa, bored, or sneaks out to see her old friends, seeking an outlet for her creativity. Then she begins an affair with the emperor, Septimus Severus, remembered to history as the "African Emperor," and she knows her life will never be the same. Streetwise, seductive, and lyrical, The Emperor's Babe is a "glittering fiction" with a "heroine of ancient times for the modern age" ( The Times ). "The adventures of a sassy, sexy girl about town . . . Funny, engaging, and a daring evocation of the possible genesis of black British history."-- The Independent on Sunday "Smart, imaginative, and readable . . . A rich farrago of historical fact and outrageous fancy."-- The New York Times Book Review "Zuleika leads us on a riotous, racy whirl through Roman Londinium--while displaying her lyric gift throughout, and at last her heartbreak to the core, and her own embrace of doom. . . . a captivating tale in verse."--Robert Fagles
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0142001716
ISBN13:9780142001714
Release Date:February 2004
Publisher:Penguin Group
Length:250 Pages
Weight:0.52 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.0" x 7.8"
Related Subjects
Contemporary Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Literary Literature & Fiction Poetry RomanceCustomer Reviews
3 ratings
Poetry that reads like prose
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 19 years ago
I had to read this book for a seminar I was going to attend. Not being a great poetry reader I did not expect to enjoy it. I read the book in one session, and after the first few pages did not remember that I was reading poetry. It flows really easily, the language making it very easy to dive into the strange world of the author's Roman London. The modern slang and approach make the setting familiar in some ways, and then the very different customs of the period bring the reader up short. The scene set at the local "games" needs a strong stomach to read. Highly recommended.
and now for something completely different
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I bought this book with low expectation for both the poetry and the story. I'm happy to say that I was wrong. Emperor's Babe is sexy, stylish and just the most original book I've read in ages. The heroine is a tough little customer, a hip Afro Roman living in Londinium who meets the man of her dreams and loses everything else. By the time you come to last page I promise that you will be moved by her story.
Astonishing lyrical prose -- and funny!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
It's been a while since I've been knocked off my feet by a book in way The Emperor's Babe did. Maybe not since I read Rimbaud at highschool... Proverbs keep flying through my head when I want to describe the book: funny, intelligent, sophisticated, heart-warming, etc. etc. What struck me first (of course) was the verse. Steady two line most of the time, but changing pace in more intimate sections and by that changing atmosphere at once. The book is somewhat of a classic lyrical epic and bc of that rhythm it grips you from the first pair of lines, and (I have to say this) it swings!!Second: the main character, Zuleika, is a welcome apparition in present-day literature. Zuleika is tough, smart and gets what she wants. No whining like Bridget J. or all the other 30-ish single women-books and definitely nothing of the "I've lived through it all" Oprah-books. Zuleika's got a certain sense of girl-power (sorry for that word) and that makes you love her from the start.And then the story: London 211. It's dirty, rotten and sexy. But that's all I say, just go and read. And after that go and look for her first book "Lara". You won't be sorry...
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