Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore

Empress Theodora #1

by Stella Duffy

Roman historian Procopius publicly praised Theodora of Constantinople for her piety---while secretly detailing her salacious stage act and maligning her as ruthless and power hungry. So who was this woman who rose from humble beginnings as a dancer to become the empress of Rome and a saint in the Orthodox Church? Award-winning novelist Stella Duffy vividly recreates the life and times of a woman who left her mark on one of the ancient world's most powerful empires. Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore is a sexy, captivating novel that resurrects an extraordinary, little-known figure from the dusty pages of history.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Religion, Italy, Romance, Literary Fiction

339 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Stella Duffy was born in London and grew up in New Zealand. She has lived and worked in London since the mid-1980s. She has written seventeen novels, over seventy short stories, and devised and/or written fourteen plays. The Room of Lost Things and State of Happiness were both longlisted for the Orange Prize, and she has twice won Stonewall Writer of the Year. She has twice won the CWA Short Story Dagger. Stella is the co-founder of the Fun Palaces campaign for cultural democracy. Her latest novel is Lullaby Beach (Virago).
She is also a yoga teacher, teaching workshops in yoga for writing, and a trainee Existential Psychotherapist, her ongoing doctoral research is in the embodied experience of being postmenopausal.

Reviews

[Libbie Hawker (L.M. Ironside) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I'm trying to think of a way to describe this book, and "immensely satisfying" is the only descriptor that's coming to mind. That seems so weak, though! "Satisfying" implies just-okayness, but Theodora was anything but "just okay."

I think what feels so satisfying about this novel is the realization that fine craftsmanship is still alive and well within historical fiction. Since the success of The Other Boleyn Girl, the general tone of HF has taken a bit of a nose-dive as more and more authors (and publishers) strive to replicate that same success. Rather than telling a story that feels true and real, it seems to me that so many have just attempted to put the features of TOBG into whatever historical setting they happen to have on their plate. The result has been near-consistent disappointment with almost every historical novel I've read for YEARS...at least from larger publishers, who seem to be caught up in this frantic race to find the next TOBG rather than trying to find the next good historical novel. (Of course, this isn't the case for all books I've read since TOBG. It's just hard to recall that sometimes, when the market is so flooded with so many copies of the same-old, same-old.)

So I am very much satisfied, and gratified, and very happy to know that at least Stella Duffy is out there putting her all into her OWN really good historical novel. And this one is really good, and it really feels like it's hers.

It was such an enjoyment for me that I actually don't know where to start in talking about it. One of the things I just loved, loved, loved was the uniqueness of the "lower class" characters' voices. The actresses, whores, animal trainers, and teacher-eunuchs were remarkably real-feeling, and this was achieved with the PERFECT balance of modern-day four-letter-words and turns of phrases, worked very sparingly and deliberately against carefully constructed "sets" of detail and character motivations, voices, and dialogue that felt otherwise entirely a part of 500 C.E. Constantinople. As I write HF myself, I know what a really remarkable feat this is, to make not only individual characters but even entire strata of society feel so vibrant and true. Duffy's great care and forethought in the construction of her world -- not only the place and time but also the society -- was evident, and something a fellow writer appreciates and applauds.

The plot itself was perfectly paced. It opens superbly, right in the midst of young Theodora's already rich personality, and the main character's motives and actions feel authentic and logical, given the person she is. For those who know the real history ("real" history in air-quotes, as who knows what Procopius's problem was), all the best moments of the true Theodora tales are there, brought to vivid, breathtaking life for the reader. Some moments were heartbreaking; some were laugh-out-loud funny (I cracked up on the treadmill at the gym over Theodora giving her performance of Leda and the Swan..."Zeus! O God!" hahahah.) Many moments surprised, even for somebody who has a fairly good familiarity with the historical accounts of Theodora and Justinian.

Speaking of which, where gaps existed in the historical accounts, Duffy did a spectacular job of bridging those gaps with plausible scenes, richly detailed and well executed, which linked the known bits of history with stronger and stronger chains as Duffy's skill with character and atmosphere took over.

It was a truly fantastic book, beautiful and rich with superb character work and unforgettable voice. My only regret in reading it is that I was planning my own take on the Theodora story, to be written a couple of years in the future, and I had been tinkering with the idea of using a certain totally-fictional plot device that Duffy already beat me to. Nuts -- I'll have to come up with something else. I can't begrudge such a good author the "theft" of my idea (years before I thought of it, of course!) because her book was such a pleasure to read.

This book was SO CLOSE to being a 5 for me (pretty rare in my historical fiction reads, as I am just as hard-nosed about setting and accuracy as any other big-time HF fan) and I would have joyfully given it five, but for the occasional turn of phrase that pushed the anachronism envelope just a bit too far and plucked me out of the story. But I was only out for a heartbeat, and then I was right back in again.

This one was first published in 2010, if I remember correctly, right at the beginning of the tidal wave of bizarre linguistic discrepancies that has washed over and swamped recent historical fiction. What is UP with publishers doing this to HF? I can only assume it's publishers calling for a "beachier" voice (again, the influence of TOBG), because it's very difficult to imagine that Stella Duffy's otherwise gorgeous prose and careful attention to maintaining proper historical detail and atmosphere would allow for the infiltration of such modern language on its own, without the influence of a publisher who's panicking over an ever-diminishing share of the market. (How do you get more readers? Appeal to a wider audience, goes the common thinking, and I guess a wider audience isn't capable of handling real-feeling historical dialogue without the occasional "okay" thrown in...? Oh, publishers. SMH.) Anyway, the rare breach of modern voice wasn't really that bad. It certainly wasn't the most confusingly modernized HF I've read. (It wasn't even the most modernized fiction about Theodora I've read.)

I noted on Stella Duffy's GR author page that HBO has optioned her Theodora novels to potentially produce as a mini-series. YAY! I hope they do, as I've loved HBO's handling of A Song of Ice and Fire (also a series for which I am way too fannish and super-nitpicky). It would be a real pleasure to see the same team (or a similar one) bring this book to life on film.

I am downloading the sequel, The Purple Shroud, at this moment and will gleefully carry it off to the gym as soon as I click Save on this review, so I can continue experiencing Duffy's fantastic, artfully portrayed, near-perfect depiction of Constantinople and its amazing Augusta.

Buy it and read it!

[Natasa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Duffy’s enthralling story and congratulate her on bringing Theodora to life for all of her readers. This is a book about a historical figure, but also about strength. The strength of women, the strength of the poor, the strength of history. I have learned much in this novel and newly appreciate what it must have been like to be a woman in ancient times.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look at a woman not often mentioned in the history pages. Stella Duffy doesn't hold back and I respect that she didn't make Theodora seem too perfect but a strong woman in her own right. I am looking forward to reading the sequel.

[Carey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very poor, I kept on reading it as I expected with all the number of excellent reviews it received it was bound to get better - it didn't. Indeed, it got more and more ridiculous. I should have been warned when one of the reviews called Theodora as 'a wise-cracking tart with a heart'. Actually the more I think about this book, the more crap it was!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent historical fiction, beautifully written and well-researched. It's the story of the rise of Theodora from poverty to the palace. She was one of the larger-than-life women of the Middle Ages, the actress and prostitute who became the Empress of the Byzantine Empire as the wife of the Emperor Justinian in the 6th Century C.E. The author Stella Duffy not only brings this woman and other characters of her time vividly to life but also recreates the rather complex ("byzantine") world dominated by Constantinople, including its religious and political conflicts. The story ends with Theodora becoming empress, which I found to be disappointing as I thought there would be more about her later life, but I understand there is a sequel. This novel certainly leaves me with the desire to learn more about Byzantine history in general.

[Ann Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intensely seductive as a provocative dance, compelling as only history can be, Theodora draws the reader into the life of a common actress and dancer, who eventually became Empress of Rome.

As a child, Theodora learned the hard way. She was beaten when her spirit rebelled against the eunuch’s cruel instructions and when her outspoken opinions got the better of her. Her family was disjointed at best and friendships hard won, but the people loved Theodora. She was one of them. She could command the attention of the masses who daily flooded the Hippodrome, eager for amusement and those who sought her favor for an evening’s private entertainment deemed themselves lucky.

Yet, Theodora was also a woman in a time when females had few rights. She had no property and therefore, no power. Theodora became a mother while still in her early teens and she really didn’t know how to treat her daughter, Ana. While her nubile, athletic body captured the attention of Hecebolus, the new governor in distant Africa, Theodora’s intelligence and wit couldn’t hold him for long.

Cast out for another, more beautiful woman, Theodora sought to join the penitents surrounding the Patriarch. She hoped that by play acting as one of the true believers, she might find a away to return to Constantinople. However, Timothy saw through her guise from the very beginning. His plans for Theodora were great indeed, but before she could become his instrument of change, the actress, dancer and whore had to learn humility.

Theodora was sent into the desert, where food and drink were scarce and her clothes rough and simply made. To learn about God, they sent Theodora into the wilderness for forty days and nights of fasting and prayer. There, she underwent many changes. She rebelled against their teachings, then came to embrace them. Theodora remembered her past, cried about lost friends and lovers, yet still raised her face to the dawn. Slowly, in agony, her body rebelling against the strictures forced upon it, Theodora was transformed - and stricken with a growth that left her barren.

Rescued from her desert confinement, Theodora is sent to Macedonia and finally on to Constantinople. There, she is to advise the Emperor’s nephew, Justinian, in the ways of celebration. Justinian is not especially fair of face, but he is a great scholar. Theodora slowly begins to teach him how to impress the people, all the while struggling not to overstep her bounds.

Nevertheless, Theodora is too strong willed to remain subdued for long and eventually, she speaks out. Certain she will be commanded to leave the palace, Theodora hurriedly begins to pack, only to be called to Justinian’s chambers. There, the emperor-to-be proposes and a stunned Theodora accepts his incredible proposal.

Many obstacles still stand in the way of a royal marriage. Theodora is a former actress and dancer. Unless the law is changed, she cannot wed Justinian. Changing the law takes time and a healthy massaging of officials. Eventually, Theodora marries Justinian and, upon the death of Emperor Justin, becomes Empress of Rome. Theodora, one of the people, one of the lowest of the low, has ascended to the highest office any woman can hold!

Although history is filled with facts and figures, replete with dry, uninteresting events, Stella Duffy has taken this historical figure and brought her vividly to life. Theodora’s life was no doubt filled with incredible highs and lows. In her time, a woman who had no money, property or family connections had to make her own way. It was difficult and some never survived this trial.

Theodora, however, was a woman of strong spirit, outspoken in an age when women were expected to be biddable and subject to the whims of men. In every sense of the word, she was a rare, modern woman. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Duffy’s enthralling story and congratulate her on bringing Theodora to life for all of her readers. I have learned much in this novel and have a new appreciation of what it must have been like to be a woman in ancient times.

[Jessie Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

3.5 out of 5

Theodora was one of the most influential women of her time. As a poverty-stricken dancer, as the most celebrated actress/whore in Constantinople, as a penitent nun in a commune in the desert, and as the wife of the most powerful man in Christendom, she commands attention and vast amounts of interest. Defying social strictures and traditions of her day, Theodora rose from a common birth and life to the most exalted position available: Augusta of "New Rome" also known as Constantinople, the "sparkling gem in a Christian crown" in in 527 AD. Stella Duffy writes an easy-to-read and well-crafted and rounded tale of the infamous woman in one of the most interesting periods of the Roman Empire.

Born the second daughter of three to Acacius and an unknown woman, named Hypatia for this novel, Theodora was born into showbusiness as it was then. Her father was the bear trainer at the infamuous Hippodrome of Constantinople. It is the Hippodrome that is the most important place in Theodora's life: her earliest memories, the death of her father at the hands of his beloved bear, and eventually the site of the greatest triumph of her life: her coronation. Duffy writes Theodora as a determined, intelligent and capable young woman. Not the best singer, not the best dancer or even the prettiest girl, Theodora commands attention and awe from her presence, her wit, her spirit and her sheer ambition. Though the novel begins at age eleven for the protagonist, it is never immature or boring: I was captivated from the start.With a singer for an older sister (Comito) and a beautiful younger sister (Anastasia), Theo turns to her true talent: comedy. With it she makes a name, a fortune and a life she always believed was beyond her. I liked Theodora a lot: I actually wished this was a first-person novel rather than third, though I did get to see and enjoy insight into Justinian as well. She was the only female character I enjoyed, the rest seeming rather hard-bitten and begrudging of Theodora's success, even her sisters. I enjoyed - and believed - the growth and maturity Theodora grows into, especially on her travels from Constantinople. She learns humility, grief and even experiences for the first time a sense of equality while in the desert. For the first time, regardless of her sex or past professions or infamy, Theodora was what she has always sought to be: an equal. It's also terribly interesting to read about a indomitable woman who experiences such a wide range of life: from a whore to a penitent nun in an ascetic community, Theodora remains herself and full of fire. From failed love affairs, to child abandonment issues, Duffy presents Theodora as a complex woman. There is no easy answer to the hows and whys of what Theodora did historically, but the reasons Duffy fabricates/infers are more than adequate and totally believable for her version of the Empress.

Let's talk about Justinian, the Emperor. Presented as a bookish, scholarly but kind man, I initially didn't invest in the relationship between the two. Born Flavius Petrus Sabbatius, he was not from Constantinople, an ambitious "foreigner" with a thirst for power "born of a desire for change." A man of strategy rather than force, Justinian quietly emerged as a strong and very likeable character. While their marriage is portrayed initially as more of an alliance to harbor amity between both sides of the religious debate (they were on openly opposing sides of the heated religious debate), it grew into a nice, steady affection and love. The two characters brought out the best in each other: I liked their dynamic and relationship more and more as the novel progressed through their lives together. There is a nice dichotomy between the eventual August and his Augusta as well: Theo is of the City, poor and therefore "one of the people." Justinian represents the other classes of the varied, multi-national Empire: foreigner of the City, rich and royal. Justinian helps Theodora evolve from anti-government to actually being the government, an interesting and hardly believable tale based on fact.

This is a fairly easy read for a historical novel. I found the prose to be a bit stuffy and overloaded from time to time, the dialogue occasionally stilted and unrealistic, but neither issue overwhelmed my enjoyment of the rest of the book. Constantinople itself was one of my favorite parts of the entire thing: it springs to life as much as Theodora and considerably more than the rest of the characters. It is a vibrant city, teeming with life. Contradictorily the Christian capital of the world but still fighting an internal battle over divinity of the Christ, Constantinople is in a constant flux of religious dogma, a microcosm of the entire empire. With the Western side extolling the belief in Christ's humanity AND divinity and the Eastern parts of the Empire contesting He is wholly divine, a schism seems imminent. Between the religious debates and the constant political turmoil and maneuvering of the Blues and the Green, it's easy to see the cracks in the foundation. Duffy does a more than admirable job of explaining the different opinions/beliefs and the reasons for the tensions in the novel without a massive infodump. I will say I didn't like the jumps in the chronology at all: the barely glossed over times ("in those two years....." "For the next three....") because I was interested in a lot of the events/times skipped over.

Love her, hate her, despise her for her less savory acts but you cannot deny Theodora had an impact. On the world, on her Empire, and on religion. An influential woman who refused to stay in her place and do what she was told, I think many historical fiction fans will have fun with this easy-to-read, easily enjoyable novel. Her life began and ended at the famed Hippodrome, but Theodora's legacy and memory still reaches out over 1500 years after she died at the age of approximately 48.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the sound of this book from the moment I heard about it, and was thrilled to find it in paperback when I was in Sydney earlier in the year. With such enthusiasm, of course I had to read it right away, but I don't think it was due to high expectations that I finished it feeling largely untouched.

Theodora is the fictionalised account of an historical figure, Theodora, who grew up a child actress (and therefore prostitute) in Constantinople in the sixth century, a period commonly known as Byzantine Rome or the Byzantine Empire, a continuation of the Roman Empire founded in Constantinople (Istanbul, the capital of modern-day Turkey) by the Emperor Constantine, he who is famous for converting to Christianity and giving that previously heathen religion legitimacy. Theodora, in Stella Duffy's story, is a talented actress, not classically beautiful but sensual and with an ambitious heart. After she and her two sisters, Comito and Anastasia, are sold to the theatre at a young age following the death of their bear-taming father, she is trained in the arts of singing, dancing, acrobatics and other performing arts, and at twelve is sold to a man for the first time: an inescapable fate for these actresses, who because they are whores are not allowed to marry.

At seventeen, Theodora meets Hecebolus, a young, handsome and ambitious man assigned the post of Governor of the Pentapolis, five cities at the northern tip of Africa, west of Alexandria. Invited to go with him as consort (never wife), Theodora doesn't need much persuading, despite the advice of her friends in the theatre. She's determined to find someone high up in the church who can absolve her of her past and allow her to marry high up, and for that she needs to be in a high position herself. She takes with her a friend and minor actress as lady's maid and companion, Chrysomallo, who had little stage presence but a beautiful singing voice - and beauty to match. It's only a matter of time before Hecebolus and Chrys become lovers, forcing Theodora to strike out on her own into the desert.

Theodora does in fact realise her ambition and becomes a legitimate empress, as the title leads us to expect, but that's where the story ends. It tells the story of how Theodora came to that place, which is interesting, but nothing of what comes after (note: while looking for other reviews to link to below, I learnt that Duffy is planning a second book that continues Theodora's story). That was one disappointment, and perhaps the expectation came from the biography feel to the novel: you expect to get a person's life story; you can't help it.

And that's the other thing that I didn't care for: I'm not a reader of biographies, I find them hard to get into and they just can't engage my imagination or my sympathies very well, and while this book was fiction, like many novels that deal with people who were once alive and breathing, it suffers from a kind of biographical noose. Clearly authors take artistic licence with their subject matter, they have to and there's nothing wrong with that. But the way they tell the story, the structure and style of the narrative, has a distinctly biographical flavour to it. It could be the omniscient narrator that creates that particular distance, or maybe the habit of "telling" rather than "showing" that's prevalent in such stories. I've randomly picked a passage as an example:

Things were much harder for Anastasia. As Theodora said, their little sister was simply too sweet. Two sweet to work half a dozen men a week and take their money willingly, using it to further herself, to lift herself out of the brothel that was her backstage life and into a nice little apartment with a sea view and just one or two regular suitors. Instead she'd fallen in love with a pallid Lycian boy from the stables, keeping them both poor by turning down offers so often that in the end the offers ceased to come and she and the stable boy lived on what little they could earn from legitimate work. (p.58)

There's nothing wrong with the writing, the grammar or structure or pacing; I just don't care for the style. I felt constantly at a distance the whole way through, and while I admired Theodora as a strong, intelligent woman, I never came to care for her. And I wanted to. I was fascinated by this historical period, this world, and I wanted to delve into it, and into Theodora's imagined life. But it's a novel of omniscient narration interrupted by neat, lively dialogue, and it lacked a distinctive voice - Theodora's voice, perhaps - and failed to bring the world fully to life.

I am grateful for the map of the area at the time, especially because so much has changed over the centuries. While I did like the story, I can't find anything to be enthusiastic over. I got only glimpses into life in Constantinople, glimpses that left me hungry for more and largely unsatisfied, and the side issues of governance and the laws against prostitutes marrying, for example (force/sell girls into it and then blame them for it - don't you love it?!) were too briefly explored - I love engaging with a novel, reading between the lines, picking up on subtle hints and themes, deducing and analysing and so on. Duffy didn't leave me anything to do here, and that really disappointed me.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore was kindly provided to me by Netgalley for Penguin Group USA.

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore tells the story of Theodora, before and after she became one of the most powerful women in the Byzantine Empire’s history. The novel touches briefly on her adolescent years and how it began by the age of 5 when her mother offered up her and two other sisters as supporters to the Blue faction.

Theodora was a strong thinking and willful woman in a time when this was far from acceptable. Theodora's status was well known as an 'actress' when during these times being an 'actress' meant you were unable to marry and you were also unable to own property. During her relationship with Hecebolus she was his mistress, but nothing more. She did everything a typical wife would be expected to do, she just lacked title. This is when Theodora began her search for a priest or bishop who would be able to take her case to a higher court in order to have her sins absolved and to have the laws changed for her to be able to marry. She ends up being betrayed by her lady’s maid and friend, Chrysomallo, when she becomes Hecebolus’s lover and ends up with child. Theodora is forced to leave and learn to survive on her own using the only tool she knows; her body. The story continues with Theodora being introduced to Justinian and the path being paved to her becoming the future Empress.

This book is not a biography or a memoir, it is a historical fiction novel, and because of this I think I was expecting a little bit more from this. The author clearly did her research on the life of Theodora, but considering the fact that she was able to take artistic license with the subject, in the end it didn’t seem like she reached the potential the story could have had. In the end the story read like a biography and just told Theodora’s story rather than showing the life of Theodora and what made her the powerful woman she was known to be. I really didn’t care for Theodora all that much in this story; the character and overall story was definitely lacking.

[Mariana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I left disappointed with this book. I don't really know a lot about Empress Theodora apart from her past as an actress/prostitute before marrying Justinian so I wouldn't know about fact checking, so I expected the book to fill that whole. And it did! BUT I didn't feel like anything was happening for more than 3/4 of the book. Yeah, Stella Duffy explained quite well the training to become an actress, the physical and mental process which these girls make from a very young age, but everything else was quite shallow, she skimmed through a lot of parts I wished she didn't (like the politics when she became Justinian's wife, etc) and did the opposite when it wasn't needed.

I didn't like how she tried to ""redeem"" Theodora from her past as a prostitute during her spiritual journey through the desert because it felt very demeaning to prostitutes, it was boring, uneventful and it dragged since she left the City to follow her (abusive) lover to Africa. It could had been done much better if she simply told it after it happened. Theodora wasn't likeable at all and the secondary characters (with only a few exceptions) were cardboard at best. Another thing was that her curses where very modern and british idk it was weird to read it.

But not everything is bad! Duffy's writing flows well and I quite liked Theodora's relationship with Justinian, but i wish she hadn't end it there at Justinian and Theodora's first public appearance as leaders because that was actually what I wanted to read when I started this book. Oh, well, I guess I have to find another one about them.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few weeks prior to reading this novel, I came across a short chapter in a history book about Theodora. She was a larger than life character that knew how to command an audience. Theodora lived during a tumultuous time. There is not a lot of documentation about this period and a lot of what we know is speculation. I was really interested in reading Stella Duffy's take on the Empress Theodora.
Theodora: Actress, Empress, Whore by Stella Duffy depicts Theodora from a young child until her marriage to Justinian I. Theodora's life was not an easy one. As a young girl she was taught to dance, to learn how to turn off her emotions and most of all to survive. Her punishment for misbehaving in her dance lessons sounded torturous. At a young age she was sold to a theater where she began her career as an actress. The title actress was also exchangeable with the title of whore. However life's circumstances did not hinder Theodora from getting what she wanted out of life. In fact some might say she made life play by her rules.
I enjoyed the details that Stella Duffy gave to Theodora's life. The author dives into the head of one of the most influential women of ancient Rome and makes her come to life. I appreciated the fact that the author did not hold back from the grittiness and brash life of Constantinople and Theodora. Although there is not explicit sex scenes in this novel, it is spoken of very often. Theodora used her body in what ever way suited her best. Duffy doesn't gloss this issue over.
Overall I really like this book. It is an engaging read that will have you wanting to know more about this brazen woman.

[Laura Tenfingers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very informative and well told account of an amazing life. Theodora, who I must admit I knew nothing about, led an unbelievable life and lived the whole gamut of experiences. Very wow. Poverty, abuse, success, escape, persecution, religious lockup, return to origins, rags to riches... the whole shebang.

My only criticism is that I didn't connect emotionally with Theodora. I read on out of curiosity but I wanted to care more about her.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book though not entirely satisfying. The language used is often very modern which can be annoying and it seems a bit light on historical detail. Theodora is an interesting character and this book does a fairly good job of bringing her and the times to life.

[smokeandmirrors · Rating 2 out of 5]

Soooo tragically disappointing to me precisely because it started really well. In the beginning I did feel like Theodora was the author's specialest girl ever, in the way that Lymond is Dunnett's specialest boy ever, very capable and exceptional in various ways but flawed enough still to be interesting... About halfway through the book however she undergoes this intense conversion (?) / affirmation of faith (?) in the desert (she stays the same religion the whole time but goes from apathetic to committed to it) WHICH in all fairness I must say was always going to be less interesting to me because I'm not at all religious and found apathetic/pragmatic/cynical Theodora more interesting, BUT I do think the book runs into serious issues here even aside from my own views: this religious conversion is the point where Theodora decides she no longer wants to be a whore, a plot point which goes on to be undermined by, uh, the whole rest of the book, in which Theodora submits herself to the desires of her religious leader and dutifully goes around seducing men at his request. To be clear, the book could probably have negotiated this carefully by drawing a distinction between whoring for money and whoring for nebulous political advantage, but it doesn't! Theodora herself expresses disappointment and sadness that she's being asked to return to her old profession! She makes no distinction and as such it feels like an enormous elephant in every room from this point on that Theodora had privately expressed a wish to get out from under the men in her life only to find herself pushed down again and again. And the nail in the coffin for meeee was her romance with Justinian, or rather the tragic lack of it, because it is also initially just a job she has to do at the behest of various men in her life and then they lukewarmly realise they're in love now and she is explicitly more attracted to this random priest who wants to take her confession..... Tragic!!

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘You can waste a very long time looking back.’

The Byzantine Empress Theodora (c500-547CE) had an interesting career as an actor and a prostitute before becoming the wife of the Emperor Justinian. This novel by Stella Duffy, based on extensive research and accompanied by an impressive bibliography, is based on Theodora’s life from early childhood until just after her marriage to the Emperor Justinian.
The novel opens with the young child Theodora as part of a group being schooled by Menander about the Roman Empire so that they can converse intelligently as well as entertain with poetry, song, dance and acrobatics. Success, for those on the wrong side of the class divide, relies on patronage. The story of Theodora’s early life, set amid the religion and politics of the time, is colourful. The young Theodora is a prickly, opportunistic survivor who learns quickly and her growing notoriety is both an asset and a liability.

Theodora moves from prostitution in Constantinople and leaves behind her family to follow her heart by becoming the mistress of a provincial governor. Then, after being betrayed, she flees and after an intense religious conversion in the desert becomes the emissary of Patriarch Timothy.

I found it hard to warm to the character of Theodora as depicted in this novel. Theodora often appears cold and cynical and this created a barrier between story and reader. I think in part this is a consequence of the complex setting: historical; geographical; religious and political and partly a consequence of knowing some of the history to follow.
If you are interested in this period of history and in the Empress Theodora, this novel is well worth reading. I hope that there will be a sequel .

‘Justinian took a wife; and the manner she was born and bred, and wedded to this man, tore up the Roman Empire by the very roots.’ (Procopius)

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stella Duffy knows what it’s like to be working-class, to be a performer, to have faith, to be queer (her Theodora has a brief affair with a dancer, Macedonia, before meeting Justinian) and so what she writes feels real; as if it’s being imagined from the inside out, whereas most historical fiction is the other way around, a self-conscious effort to place yourself into another existence.

Her recreation of Theodora is a perfect example of how to write a flawed character and keep the audience’s sympathy; how a truly feminist writer allows women to be everything they are, even if that everything is not always nice or appealing.

I love her Theodora because she isn’t some 2D ‘strong woman’; she’s flawed and messy with an incredible amount of heart, she suffers and makes others suffer and never, ever apologises for being herself. (Duffy’s Justinian is equally lovely; gentle, awkward and sardonic, with such idealistic determination.)

It’s warm, sisterly (it sails through the Bechdel test with flying colours), frank, open-minded, and whole-heartedly embraces life. I love it and want everyone to read it.

[Theresa · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

First and hopefully last book I pick up and cannot finish for 2019. I somehow doubt it will be though. One of my resolutions for this year was to stop making myself finish books I don't like. Life is much too short and there are so many great books waiting.

This book was just not for me. As I read through I kept getting glimmers of a good story hidden beneath too many layers of gobbledygook. The writing was atrocious. I sometimes had to read the same sentence multiple times to even get a sense of what the author was trying to convey. It seems the only thing she was good at was dropping F bombs throughout the story. I realize the word could be used in a story about a "whore" but it wasn't even used well. It was liked the author threw it in everywhere just because she could.

So nope--- not gonna do it. I quit at almost 50%. Which honestly I think was giving it more than enough chance to get on track.

1*/3.48*


The "read" dates are wrong. I did not want this book to count as being read in my 2019 reading challenge.
Abandoned 2/1/19

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ambitious and interesting, well-researched, but not actually a very good novel.

It is clear that Duffy is trying to show, not tell; she just ...fails. At least when it comes to religion; Theodora's conversion has no emotional impact on me as the reader. By the end of the book, you sense that Duffy is just trying to finish; there's one sentence about how Theodora has lived in the imperial palace for five years, two of them as Justinian's wife; the wedding was, like, two pages earlier, and if you had asked me how long it had been since Theodora's return to the City, I would have said maybe a year.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a little while to really enjoy this novel, but after about 100 pages it just clicked with me and from then on I loved it. Duffy has quite a detached narrative style, but then a character like Theodora, who rises from poverty to empress, would have to be a tough cookie. I found myself warming to her spirit and intelligence over time rather than being manipulated emotionally by a Cinderella story. I have no idea how historically accurate it is, but it certainly made the ancient Roman empire alive for me.

[Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Jenn Ƹ̴Ӂ̴Ʒ Schu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a light historical fiction book that is loosely based on Empress Theodora's life. The book primarily focuses on Theodora's early life up until she is coronated. Other historical events and the Byzantine culture is limited in the story. I would have appreciated more details on the political parties' platforms. The fear of a schism in the eastern church did receive more attention with the theological differences. I also would have enjoyed reading about Theodora as empress. Will need a good non-fiction piece to fill in some blanks.
3 Stars

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew nothing NOTHING about Theodora. I was vaguely aware of Emperor Justinian, Theodora's eventual husband. Little historical facts are known: Theodora was the daughter of a bear keeper at the Hippodrome. After his death, she and her two sisters - ages 5, 9, and 11 - were "apprenticed" to a theatrical troupe, where they learned acting, singing, dancing, acrobatics - and prepared for adding "whore" to their resumes when they turned 13.

This book suggests what might have happened to turn "Theodora-from-the-brothel" into Empress Theodora. Fascinating.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabbed my attention on the first page and just couldn't put it down unless I had to, which was often as we've been travelling on some rough roads recently. I knew nothing about this woman, but what a totally fascinating character she was. Plenty of other great characters too.
Just realised there is a follow up to this so I'm buying it immediately!
Highly recommend this to all fans of historical fiction!

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I forgot to review this when I read it, but I really enjoyed it because I felt like it did a good job of building up her world to better understand her story.

[Corin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great read as well as an inside look at a time and place I didn't know a great deal about.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knowing nothing about Theodora before reading this book, I am left wanting to know more about her life as Empress. The information that was presented was all new to me. Disappointingly, the book ends, excluding Theodora's entire reign as Empress.

While the writing was sufficient to tell the story, there lacked the additional verbiage to make the book similar to other historical fiction that I've read and enjoyed. I don't intend for this to be a negative review. I enjoyed the book and would actually rate it 3.5, if only half stars were an option!

For instance, during a session of lectures and prayer, Theodora was to be receiving spiritual guidance from penitents who were already considered saved. Saved was something Theodora needed to be, or at least appear to be, to earn the right to return home to the City, which is what she wanted. Instead, she was comparing two brothers, both involved in her road to redemption......"Theodora passed the time wondering how it was that, two brothers, equally physically unattractive, one could have such charisma and the other be this dullard of a man.....his mother must have been sleeping around...perhaps it wasn't the Patriarch that was the family bastard, ... somewhere out there was a beautiful man with a beautiful voice, and it was the mother who had the dog-ugly face." She also spent time on this occasion, "...remembering all the good-looking men she had known. imagining them in the throes of orgasm..."!

In another instance, "Theodora...had always understood marriage to be a sanctified prostitution".

On a more serious note, there were places in the story that addressed access to faith, and how a person can come to their, "true self", explaining that it..."must be offered with every new moment". I found this all very interesting and entertaining and recommend it for others.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Advance reading e-book courtesy of Net Galley.

This was an interesting historical biographical novel of Theodora of Constantinople who rose from the underclass to become Empress of Rome and a saint of the Orthodox church. Due to family circumstances teen-age Theodora has to become a dancer/whore, which is the only profession available to young women of the underclass. From there she schemes and claws her way up to become the wife of Justinian and a powerful woman of the Roman Empire. A sequel (and HBO special) is forthcoming.

This was a little racy and at times I wondered about the language (was the F-bomb really used that much back in those days?). I also felt it was a little dry in places but the story was interesting enough that I kept reading and am looking forward to reading the sequel.

I would probably recommend this to anyone who wanted a good historical novel based on fact (maybe even Philipa Gregory fans), as long as they didn't mind a a few graphic scenes and four letter words.

[dianne b. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe because i attended public school - but if an entire book can't teach me one new word, i think it must be too simple. But i enjoyed this little romp, and am duly chagrined that after our trip to Turkey a few years ago, and my pseudo-study of Istanbul's history, including how way cool Justinian was (you can still catch fish from the cisterns fed from hills far away!)- i had no clue who his wife was or how incredibly interesting her history was. Probably, in fact, a huge chunk of his insights were hers. A good airplane or on-the-beach read.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

The style is not one I enjoy. Too much telling. Honestly, if the death of her youngest sister hits Theodora that hard, some effort should have gone into actually showing the relationship. When a non-character dies, it lacks impact.

[Maegan Marie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't say that I was all too thrilled with this book. And I SO wanted to be. It just didn't catch me like I had hoped it would and dragged on in some places where I found myself skipping over. Ah well.

[Jillian Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn't a big fan of the style of writing. Something just didn't sit well with me and I can't put my finger on it. Maybe because I ready Stephanie Thornton's book regarding Theodora first and Duffy's Theodora just didn't meet as high of wow factor in character portrayal.