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The Scapegoat: Ovid's Journey Out of Exile
The Scapegoat follows the ancient Roman poet Ovid – enormously popular during his lifetime, and banished by the emperor Augustus to a remote city on the Black Sea – on his fictitious journey out of exile.
In the year 14AD, Publius Ovidius Naso – known as Ovid – is in his sixth year of banishment in Tomis, a small port on the Black Sea. He resists joining a conspiracy against the Emperor and hopes that his friend in Rome will obtain his pardon. However, when Augustus dies later that year, the conspirators, terrified that their treasonous plan will come to light, move Ovid to a garrison along the Danube where they intend to kill him. He manages to escape, is caught, but instead of being killed, he is sent to Rome and is turned into an outlaw – and a scapegoat.
In the year 14AD, Publius Ovidius Naso – known as Ovid – is in his sixth year of banishment in Tomis, a small port on the Black Sea. He resists joining a conspiracy against the Emperor and hopes that his friend in Rome will obtain his pardon. However, when Augustus dies later that year, the conspirators, terrified that their treasonous plan will come to light, move Ovid to a garrison along the Danube where they intend to kill him. He manages to escape, is caught, but instead of being killed, he is sent to Rome and is turned into an outlaw – and a scapegoat.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 24, 2023
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7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 13, 2023
The Scapegoat is the fictitious story of Ovid in exile in Tomis and the journey that he goes non to get out of exile.
For me this is one of those books that I needed to persevere with as , at the start, it didn't draw me in for quite a while. In fact I was almost a quarter of the way through the book before I realised that at last I was enjoying the story. This may sound strange, but to me the beginning of the book felt more like a narrative, whereas once I got into it it felt that I was actually reading Ovid's story and the characters started to develop more clearly as the journey out of exile began.
The insight into the worshipping of Gods and the use of sacrifice is told at varying degrees throughout. As the narrative is expertly developed you are left wondering , along with Ovid, who he can or cannot trust and how many times will he be the scapegoat and yet still escape with his life.
The ending has a twist to it that leaves you with a smile on your face........ knowing that Ovid has , emerged the victor and we still read his works centuries later.
Ovid's story is an interesting one for the author to take and I like the fact that he chose to travel in the footsteps that Ovid is purported to have taken two centuries ago as he is able to paint an accurate picture for the reader.
By the time I finished the book I was in no doubt that this was a 5 star read, however due to having had to persevere at the beginning , which I feel some readers would not do, I would give it a 4 star rating. On another plus side, it has encouraged me to find out more about Ovid and read some of the works he was still allowed to write, even in exile.
For me this is one of those books that I needed to persevere with as , at the start, it didn't draw me in for quite a while. In fact I was almost a quarter of the way through the book before I realised that at last I was enjoying the story. This may sound strange, but to me the beginning of the book felt more like a narrative, whereas once I got into it it felt that I was actually reading Ovid's story and the characters started to develop more clearly as the journey out of exile began.
The insight into the worshipping of Gods and the use of sacrifice is told at varying degrees throughout. As the narrative is expertly developed you are left wondering , along with Ovid, who he can or cannot trust and how many times will he be the scapegoat and yet still escape with his life.
The ending has a twist to it that leaves you with a smile on your face........ knowing that Ovid has , emerged the victor and we still read his works centuries later.
Ovid's story is an interesting one for the author to take and I like the fact that he chose to travel in the footsteps that Ovid is purported to have taken two centuries ago as he is able to paint an accurate picture for the reader.
By the time I finished the book I was in no doubt that this was a 5 star read, however due to having had to persevere at the beginning , which I feel some readers would not do, I would give it a 4 star rating. On another plus side, it has encouraged me to find out more about Ovid and read some of the works he was still allowed to write, even in exile.
April 6, 2023
ENGAGING READ, EXCELLENT SHELF COPY
I picked up a copy of this book because I’ve always been intrigued by Ovid. He is an evergreen.
To my surprise, it's the kind of book that works on more than one level - you have your hero who goes on an adventure, learning from a wise mentor, hitting roadblocks, coming to know himself and the world around him before realizing that his true treasure was in himself all along, and if that's all you get out of the book, then that's fine, but there's more going on here.
The difficulty of the book is figuring out what that more is. The book constantly suggests and hints at lessons that seem at once a comment on ethics and metaphysics, history, and myths.
Mythological allusions abound next to Pythagorean lessons. There's always the sense as you read that there is something lingering under the surface, but the minute that you try to grab it (or write it in a review) it seems to disappear.
That seems to be the point of the book, that the message is clear if you read it without trying to grab it. Hold it loosely and it comes easily, try to describe it and it flits away. The book is allusive; it works on you without seeming to, and at the end you're left both satisfied as Ovid’s adventure concludes and also wanting more. Perhaps that's why I like this book so much - it doesn't yield its secrets easily, and you finish wondering what your personal legend might be.
I picked up a copy of this book because I’ve always been intrigued by Ovid. He is an evergreen.
To my surprise, it's the kind of book that works on more than one level - you have your hero who goes on an adventure, learning from a wise mentor, hitting roadblocks, coming to know himself and the world around him before realizing that his true treasure was in himself all along, and if that's all you get out of the book, then that's fine, but there's more going on here.
The difficulty of the book is figuring out what that more is. The book constantly suggests and hints at lessons that seem at once a comment on ethics and metaphysics, history, and myths.
Mythological allusions abound next to Pythagorean lessons. There's always the sense as you read that there is something lingering under the surface, but the minute that you try to grab it (or write it in a review) it seems to disappear.
That seems to be the point of the book, that the message is clear if you read it without trying to grab it. Hold it loosely and it comes easily, try to describe it and it flits away. The book is allusive; it works on you without seeming to, and at the end you're left both satisfied as Ovid’s adventure concludes and also wanting more. Perhaps that's why I like this book so much - it doesn't yield its secrets easily, and you finish wondering what your personal legend might be.
March 9, 2023
Publius Ovidius Naso, better known as Ovid, is best known for writing the Latin narrative poem Metamorphoses, which is regarded as one of the most important sources of classical mythology even to this day. As a contemporary of Virgil and Horace, Ovid was immensely popular during his lifetime as the first major poet to have begun work after the beginning of Augustus's reign. When Ovid was banished to a remote location on the Black Sea by Augustus, he referred to it as "a poem and a mistake" with his reluctance to discuss the details of his exile as a hotly debated subject.
Michael V. Solomon leads us on a fictitious journey alongside Ovid as he escapes from exile while encountering intrigue, murder, and treason.
The journey is very much personal as it is physical, as I had found in the beginning that Ovid was not a particularly pleasant character. However through his journey and wonderful character building by the author, you begin to piece together who Ovid truly is as a person in his reflection and self-judgment.
I found the tyrannical ways of Rome and those in power to be presented well along with the undercurrent of desire for peace and the end to bloodshed and war a strong factor in the novel.
The Scapegoat is a thrilling novel with an intriguing character study that is sure to please those interested in the Roman Empire.
Thank you to @randomthingstours and @unicornpubgroup for inviting me on to this tour!
Michael V. Solomon leads us on a fictitious journey alongside Ovid as he escapes from exile while encountering intrigue, murder, and treason.
The journey is very much personal as it is physical, as I had found in the beginning that Ovid was not a particularly pleasant character. However through his journey and wonderful character building by the author, you begin to piece together who Ovid truly is as a person in his reflection and self-judgment.
I found the tyrannical ways of Rome and those in power to be presented well along with the undercurrent of desire for peace and the end to bloodshed and war a strong factor in the novel.
The Scapegoat is a thrilling novel with an intriguing character study that is sure to please those interested in the Roman Empire.
Thank you to @randomthingstours and @unicornpubgroup for inviting me on to this tour!
March 14, 2023
Being quite apprehensive to read about exile and the pain that comes with leaving your native country, I highly appreciate reading this book. Brilliant idea to have Ovid embarking on his journey back to Italy via the lower Danube. This makes it far more interesting for Ovid and for us. Well done, easy to read, a vivid plot. Ovid clearly loved life and his joy and humor is evident in Solomon‘s book. Ovid feels very modern and evergreen.
March 18, 2023
What carries me away is Michael Solomon’s conjuring of a time that only apparently has not the slightest relevance to contemporary existence. A thoroughly researched work of the imagination, written with flair and skill, this is a book you will find hard to put down - a journey through time.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews