Review of Fortune's Child; A Novel of Empress Theodora
Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress TheodoraFortune's Child: A Novel of Empress TheodoraFortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora is the latest work by James Conroyd Martin, noted for his excellent historical novels The Poland Trilogy and The Boy Who Wanted Wings. He takes us back further into time, to sixth century Byzantium, with this tale of love, betrayal and intrigue.
We are all, of course, Fortune's children. We know that she can be an abusive, fickle mother, as well a generous, caring one. This story follows the paths of two of Fortune's children, Theodora, the protagonist, and Stephen, a eunuch scribe residing in the royal palace in Constantinople.
Theodora is not born into royalty. While believing she is destined for greatness, the reality is that her life is engulfed in a nimbus of poverty, treachery, and oppression. The daughter of a Greek bear trainer and a Syrian beauty, she experiences her first tragedy at a young age with the death of her father. Her mother has to make her living on her looks through liaisons with various men. Theodora and her older sister Comito are sent out to work in the theater to supplement the household income. The theater business has a seamy side with the actresses portraying goddesses onstage and playing the role of courtesan offstage. In the sordid underground that thrives in the shadow of Hippodrome, the great chariot race arena of Constantinople, Theodora struggles to survive and care for her family. In this milieu, she finds herself subservient to men who abuse and betray her. Yet, her resourcefulness and wit enable her to prove herself a match for any man. Although the world described could have been portrayed basely by a lesser author, Martin depicts it tastefully and with discernment into the human spirit.
Stephen also faces tragedy in his childhood. Wrenched from his family in the hills of Syria, he becomes a slave to a traveling charlatan. When he tries to buy his freedom, he instead endures castration and more ignominious servitude. While he burns with passion of Theodora, his wounds have made him unable to fully love a woman.
In this well-researched novel, Martin evokes the exoticism and cosmopolitanism of ancient Byzantium. The reader is swept to this world from Pentapolis, a remote outpost in Libya through Egypt and the Levant back to Constantinople. Martin even gets Fortune to smile on her two striving waifs, lifting them to royal heights. It is well worth the while of any reader to immerse his- or herself into this beautiful tapestry and find out how.
Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora
We are all, of course, Fortune's children. We know that she can be an abusive, fickle mother, as well a generous, caring one. This story follows the paths of two of Fortune's children, Theodora, the protagonist, and Stephen, a eunuch scribe residing in the royal palace in Constantinople.
Theodora is not born into royalty. While believing she is destined for greatness, the reality is that her life is engulfed in a nimbus of poverty, treachery, and oppression. The daughter of a Greek bear trainer and a Syrian beauty, she experiences her first tragedy at a young age with the death of her father. Her mother has to make her living on her looks through liaisons with various men. Theodora and her older sister Comito are sent out to work in the theater to supplement the household income. The theater business has a seamy side with the actresses portraying goddesses onstage and playing the role of courtesan offstage. In the sordid underground that thrives in the shadow of Hippodrome, the great chariot race arena of Constantinople, Theodora struggles to survive and care for her family. In this milieu, she finds herself subservient to men who abuse and betray her. Yet, her resourcefulness and wit enable her to prove herself a match for any man. Although the world described could have been portrayed basely by a lesser author, Martin depicts it tastefully and with discernment into the human spirit.
Stephen also faces tragedy in his childhood. Wrenched from his family in the hills of Syria, he becomes a slave to a traveling charlatan. When he tries to buy his freedom, he instead endures castration and more ignominious servitude. While he burns with passion of Theodora, his wounds have made him unable to fully love a woman.
In this well-researched novel, Martin evokes the exoticism and cosmopolitanism of ancient Byzantium. The reader is swept to this world from Pentapolis, a remote outpost in Libya through Egypt and the Levant back to Constantinople. Martin even gets Fortune to smile on her two striving waifs, lifting them to royal heights. It is well worth the while of any reader to immerse his- or herself into this beautiful tapestry and find out how.
Fortune's Child: A Novel of Empress Theodora
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