Anna of Byzantium

by Tracy Barrett

Anna Comnena has every reason to feel entitled. She's a princess, her father's firstborn and his chosen successor. Someday she expects to sit on the throne and rule the vast Byzantine Empire. So the birth of a baby brother doesn't perturb her. Nor do the "barbarians" from foreign lands, who think only a son should ascend to power. Anna is as dismissive of them as are her father and his most trusted adviser--his mother, a manipulative woman with whom Anna studies the art of diplomacy. Anna relishes her lessons, proving adept at checkmating opponents in swift moves of mental chess. But as she matures into a young woman, her arrogance and intelligence threaten her grandmother. Anna will be no one's puppet. Almost overnight, Anna sees her dreams of power wrenched from her and bestowed on her little brother. Bitter at the betrayal, Anna waits to avenge herself, and to seize what is rightfully hers.

Book Details: Format: Paperback Publication Date: 10/10/2000 Pages: 224 Reading Level: Age 12 and Up

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Medieval, Middle Grade, Childrens

211 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 11, 1999

About the author

Tracy Barrett has written more than twenty books for children and young adults. She’s much too interested in too many things to stick to one genre, and has published nonfiction as well as historical fiction, mysteries, fantasy, time travel, myth and fairy-tale retellings, and contemporary realistic novels. She knows more about ancient Greece and Rome and the European Middle Ages than anyone really needs to know, can read lots of dead languages, and used to jump out of airplanes.
  Tracy grew up near New York City, and went to college in New England and graduate school in California. She majored in Classics and earned a Ph.D. in Medieval Italian. She was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study medieval women writers and won the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Work-in-Progress Grant in 2005. She taught Italian and other subjects at Vanderbilt University for almost thirty years. She lives in Tennessee with her 6’7” husband, a rescue cat, and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.

Reviews

[``Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Comnena was the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor, Alexios. Born in 1083, she was the author of The Alexiad, which told of her father's reign and still regarded as an important source of information for that era.

This YA book about Anna's life was an informative and quick read for anyone interested in learning more about the Eastern Roman Empire.

Princess Anna was the first born child and was viewed from the beginning as her father's successor. She was given a rigorous education which included astronomy, history, geography, math and military affairs.

The brilliant Anna was a scholar, physician and hospital administrator as well as an historian.
But her heart was broken when she was 13 with the birth of her brother John, who would replace her as heir to the throne.

Anna would spend the next years of her life trying to regain her position as heir, even resorting to a plot to murder her younger brother upon the death of her father.

The plot was discovered and Anna forfeited her estates. She had married at the age of 14 and had 4 children. Upon the death of her husband she would enter a convent where she would dedicate the rest of her life to the study of history, philosophy and writing her famous book.

Anna was a fascinating woman whose works are still read today.

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always been fascinated with the Crusades. Seven years ago when I did my own mini-study of them I remember running across the name Anna Comnena as a frequently quoted eleventh century Byzantine historian. Although I never completed that study due to homeschooling requirements, I also never forgot about Anna and always wanted to learn more about her.

This young adult novel is a fictionalized version of Anna's early life at court in the last days of her father, Alexius I Comnenus. Anna adored her strong, powerful father and beautiful mother. Contrary to western customs, her father could and had designated her as his rightful heir. But Anna was also intelligent and young--a dangerous combination when power and a throne are at stake.

For a first novel, this is absolutely incredible! I look forward to more great historical fiction by Ms. Barrett! I cannot recommend this book highly enough to all teachers and homeschooling parents as an excellent book for the 4th through 6th grades.

Thanks again Krista for another great tip!

[Small Review · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engaging. It was nice to read about a person and period that are less popular. Full review to come.

Originally posted on Small Review

Yikes, Anna! Talk about your family drama. Backstabbing, coups, attempted coups—Anna's family doesn't play around.

Anna is a strong, confident character who is easy to root for (but would probably make an awful sleepover party friend). She reminded me of Isabella in her steadfast determination and "take no prisoners" attitude. This is a good thing and I definitely raged alongside her whenever she was wronged.

Even though there are a few liberties with the historical timeline (probably to make it more MG appropriate) and this tale is definitely told from Anna's extremely biased perspective, this is still a great historical primer. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the Royal Diaries series.

Originally posted on Small Review

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's difficult to give this kind of novel, one with wide appeal to teens or children of the present day, the kind of context it deserves without having very difficult violence and atrocity events dominate the telling. But this author does that (not offending sensibilities of young minds) while making the telling itself, whole piece and contained within a complete and revealing to personalities style. All at the same time in easy read and interesting copy.

She's made Anna an every girl with strong self-identity and a verve of intelligence and personality that is exceptional on all counts. And she describes the Byzantium world of that 11th century to a 4 star or better degree. My only problem is that in this easy read and YA version of historical fiction I always find voids that are little addressed for the types of issues that cannot lay openly exposed for YA sensibilities. Because this time is so very harsh. And often brutal way beyond this telling here. Brutal as the parrot's outcome that bit her brother. And far more often "common" too than in the world that Anna viewed every day at court, and later within her convent historian work world.

This would be a 5 star exposure to past girlhoods and class divisions within those 11th century mores of royalty, succession, and power influences. Sophia's story and also that outcome of Anna's first promised blonde warrior, both of those also include the particular reality of that world. Life and conflict being most ordinarily short, cold, and final. And death from illness quick and often.

[Sid · Rating 1 out of 5]

When my english teacher told me we were going to read this book, I was like Ohoooooooo SHINY. When I started reading it I realized Anna liked to complain. A lot.
She complained.
And complained.
And complained some more.
Al she talked about was that she wanted to kill her baby brother. (and she tried to. She was 5 when this happened.)
OMG IS THIS WHAT HAPPENS IN HISTORY?

[Kailey (Luminous Libro) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This historical novel tells the story of Anna Comnena, daughter of Emperor Alexius I, Princess of the Byzantine Empire in 1083 AD. Anna is in line to inherit the throne and someday rule the entire empire, until her grandmother plots against her to undermine Anna's right to rule and establish Anna's little brother, John, as the next emperor.

Anna is incredibly intelligent and well-educated, spending hours pouring over history books in the palace library and learning from the scholars there. She also becomes very good at seeing to the heart of people's character, using her emotional intelligence to understand their hidden motives.

There are so many manipulative people in the palace, using their words to influence Anna and secure their own futures. Since she is surrounded by lies, Anna becomes obsessed with cherishing the truth, seeking truth in religion and philosophy, and also finding truth in her books and manuscripts. Because others use words as their weapons, Anna learns to play a strategic game with her words, using her speech as a way to protect herself and assert her dominance and power in the political games.

As far as I can tell, the story follows the basic history of the real Anna, but with some changes in the timeline, some added imaginary characters, and lots of imagined dialogue and details. The basic plotline mostly follows the real history of the time, and even the details like clothing, diet, education, customs, mannerisms, and laws are historically accurate.

I loved the captivating writing style! It really showed me Anna's heart, and the way that the situations in the plot pulled her in many directions. When she was embarrassed, I was embarrassed for her. When she cried, I felt her pain. The writing describes her so vividly that she feels like a real person.
The writing also does a wonderful job of painting all the supporting characters in splendid colors, each person unique and full of depth.

There is also an immediacy and suspense in the writing, as we wait for Anna's world to fall apart. The novel begins with Anna in a convent, stripped of her title and riches, and she starts to tell how it all came about, beginning with the day her baby brother John was born. So throughout the book, we already know things are going to go horribly wrong, and the suspense is how and when and who and where it will finally end. Who will eventually betray her? How will John gain the upper hand? It's masterful storytelling that kept me on the edge of my seat!

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seriously loved this book when I first read it in middle school. I think it whetted my appetite for historical novels that vividly evoke setting.

Anna makes a fascinating antiheroine and somewhat unreliable narrator. The reader must employ powers of discernment when reading her characterizations of those around her. Anna is very young in the course of the whole novel (partially because Barrett trimmed the history to fit her readers, though she explained her choices in an author's note) and expectedly precocious. Anna was raised to be empress, but the machinations of her grandmother overtook her father, who decreed that his son would be his heir. I don't know that much about Byzantine history around the time of the Great Schism (of which no mention was made, though it had happened but a few decades before the novel's opening), and am definitely in the dark about the intricacies of the royal family of this period, mainly, whether things went down as this novel would have it. Barrett writes Anna as a scheming, power-hungry, conflicted young royal. Her mind, trained for diplomacy, later turns to medicine and history once she is ensconced in a convent.

Barrett clearly had the chops to write this as a novel for adults, and it could have been twice as long with a more faithful adherence to the real timeline and events. However, I enjoyed re-reading this as a young adult novel. It deals with questions of power, mercy and self-interest in government, a wee bit of xenophobia, and the dramatic/personal side of politics. Many of the children's/YA books I read about royals were of the waiting-lady-drama and whom-shall-I-be-forced-to-marry sort, and this was a refreshing diversion. I also greatly appreciated Barrett's evocation of the period. Her scholarship informed every page of the novel. I believe I originally read Anna of Byzantium for school, and it's an ideal "living history" book.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story succeeds in bringing to life the court of the Byzantine emperor in the 11th century - a setting that I don't think I've encountered before, particularly in a children's book. You get the sense that Barrett knows her history well, and she's chosen a character and period that seem rich and fascinating. Instead of playing Anna as a sympathetic every-girl, Barrett shows her as someone truly born to the purple, taught to rule from an early and keenly aware of what is her due. While this was refreshing and rang of historical accuracy, I never quite connected to the story in any way - I would've liked something a bit more in-depth, maybe. Still, I would recommend it to anyone interested in the period, or anyone looking for historical fiction taking place outside of western Europe.

I forgot to note that the book has a pleasantly in-depth author's note in terms of what she fictionalized and what is true. Also, I think the cover is pretty fab and has held up well in the 10 years since it was published. I couldn't help but wish, though, as the book highlighted differences between succession and rule in the East versus the West, that it had also played up some of the religious differences. Apart from a few mentions of hymns (in that wonderfully familiar style), the religious characters and the convent where Anna is sent could have just as easily been (disappointingly) Western. Bah.

[Danielle Louise · Rating 2 out of 5]

In my undergrad Crusades class, one of our assignments was to write a first-person account of the Crusades. We could write as a member of the masses (a soldier, a peasant, whatever), or we could pick a historical figure. I chose a historical figure (Queen Melisende), and I remember my professor writing, "I don't think you quite captured her." And that's exactly how I feel about this book -- I don't think Tracy Barrett quite captures Anna.

Barrett's Anna is a fairly flat character: ruthless, obsessed with power, and with no layers to her personality. The book gives very little sense of her place and time. The Crusades are really only mentioned in passing, and we don't see much of their effect on Anna or Byzantium other than the inconvenience of removing her father. This might be more disappointing to me than to other because I thought that, like my college assignment, the book would be an account of the Crusades and surrounding events from her perspective.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Biography

Award: Garden State Teen Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2002; Volunteer State Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2002

Star Rating: Four Stars

Grade Level: 7-12th grade
Although the vocabulary is relatively simple, the themes of pride, vanity and revenge can reverberate with any age group. The pleasure of reading this short and concise narrative of the life of Princess Anna Comnena is truly to see that there were not exclusively male authors and scholars during the medieval period in history. Anna is an excellent role model for the burgeoning young thinker, whether they are male or female.

Summary: Anna of Byzantium is the gripping and emotional retelling of the life of an underappreciated princess in an often ignored period of history. Anna was raised to the be the Empress of Byzantium as rule was passed from ruler to whomever they picked to follow in their stead, not necessarily their eldest son or child, as was the more common practice in the rest of Europe. She was trained in the classics, by her teacher Simon and in politics, diplomacy and governing by her grandmother, who was also her father’s most trusted advisor and regent in his absence.

This is seems to be her inevitable, but not dissatisfying future, until the birth of her brother John and her foolhardy actions that displeasure her grandmother. So she fell from the grace of her father and his throne, as she had been warned by her teacher Simon that her pride would make her fall much like Icarus and his wax wings. Anna is a patient woman though and waits for the moment to strike her brother and regain what was rightfully hers; however she is betrayed by those she trusts the most and imprisoned for her crime.

Evaluation: Tracy Barrett, the author, has done extensive research in the lives and times of a number of medieval women writers, among them the Byzantine princess Anna Comnena. She explains in her author’s note that, although the real Anna Comnena lived from 1083 to 1153 and she was to have assumed the throne upon the death of her father, the emperor, as stated in the biography, some of her life story has been fictionalized. Ms. Barrett states, “I have changed some of the facts of the story, mostly by compressing the period in which the events took place, eliminating some characters, and inventing others.” She then goes on to explain explicitly what details were modified, including the number of Anna’s siblings, Anna’s marriage to her betrothed, and the supporting characters that were works of fiction. Otherwise, the book is accurate to the details of Anna’s life, as I discovered from reading her entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica, upon completion of the novel.

Her biography is relevant to young adults today, as it is so surprising to find a woman of such intellectual means in a period of supposed intellectual darkness. The biography is free from bias and is not patronizing to the reader. Anna’s voice is clear and very modern, which should appeal to young adults. The content is up-to-date, as the research Ms. Barrett did was completed as recently as the year 2000. Her story is complete and objective; with language and dialect that reflects the Byzantium Empire of that time and the tone and voice of a princess. The very construct of the a woman scholar and writer from this time period is in and of itself controversial, not to mention the fact that she was the heir apparent to the throne of the wealthiest empire in Europe/Asia Minor at this time. Ms. Barrett deals with the construct of Anna with delicacy neither debunking her nor placing her on a pedestal. Although, there is not a bibliography of sources, endnotes, footnotes or a list of recommended readings included there are special features such as a period map and family tree of the Byzantium royal family.

Description of the ending:Anna of Byzantium has a closed ending. The conclusion is reassuring and the problem is solved. Although, Anna does not gain the crown in her failed attempt to usurp her brother, she does not live without solace in her monastical “prison.” For the remainder of her life she works on transcriptions of histories and mythology and the story of her father The Alexiad

Suggestions: I am seriously considering teaching this in conjunction with Canterbury Tales< /i>and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, as there are so few documented examples of women writers from the medieval period. Thus, my students will be allowed to identify the characteristics of various literary genres, movements and critical approaches. It would also enable them to analyze text from a feminine perspective.

Read Aloud: I nodded assent, and Theodora left, reappearing a few minutes later with her hymnal. She turned to a page marked “April 1: Mary the Egyptian,” and I read:
”You severed the temptations of the soul and the passions of the body with the sword of temperance; the crimes of the mind you choked with the silence of spiritual discipline, and wit the streams of your teas you watered the entire desert, and made to grow in us the seeds of repentance: therefore we celebrate your memory, holy one.”
I admired the warlike imagery of the opening. I know all about fighting my passions as though in a battle. At the bottom of the page was the name Kassia. (Pg. 196)

“What do you think, Simon?” I asked. “Should I forgive?”
As usual, he answered with a story. “Do you remember the tale of King Thyestes? He stole the throne of Mycenae from his brother, Atreus, by a trick and then committed adultery with Atreus’ wife. Atreus pretended forgiveness and invited Thysestes to a banquet. After Thysestes and dined richly on a stew, Atreus revealed to his that he had eaten his own children. . . . You see, Little Beetle? Once it starts it doesn’t stop.”(Pg. 167)

“It is not strange for me to live her now, in this community of women. Unlike some of the degenerate western countries of which I have read, and whose representative s I met during the Crusade, the women of Byzantium do not mix with men. We have own palaces, or at least our own apartments in a larger palace. The little boys stay with the women until they reach the age when they need training in arms, and then they move to the men’s quarters.” (Pg. 23)

[Kiki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the book! Though it was a bit confusing, I think the this book is a good way to see how royals lived in the Byzantine Age.

[Alina Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have quite the history with this book. When I was 10 years old and living in Okinawa, Japan, my Air Force dad got reassigned to a base in Texas. I had to leave my fourth-grade class and beloved teacher, Mrs. Perkins, about two months before the end of the school year. Moving as a kid is always a tough, but right before the end of the school year? That was pretty brutal.

I’ve always been the type to be “teacher’s pet”, and things were no different with Mrs. Perkins! She adored me and made me feel less ashamed of my not-so-stellar math skills. In her words: “If you’re getting a B in your worst subject, then that’s pretty good, Alina!”

Mrs. Perkins gave me a copy of “Anna of Byzantium” as a farewell gift. I suspect she thought I had a lot in common with Anna — smart, precocious, a little bit subversive. When I read this at 10 years old, I found it fascinating and frightening. Anna, daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius I, was embroiled in a high-stakes game of royal politics.

Then, this spring, the Cleveland Museum of Art opened a special exhibit called “Africa and Byzantium.” Byzantium! I knew that word. I thought that plucking my old fourth-grade book off of the shelf and reacquainting myself with Anna’s life would be fitting preparation for the exhibit.

Though 23 years have elapsed since my last reading, “Anna of Byzantium” holds up well. It turns out Anna was a real person who really did expect to be Empress of Byzantium — only for the throne to be given to her younger brother John, instead. (Recall that when I was 10, the Internet was a nascent thing, so I couldn’t easily verify any of the details in the book). I remembered Anna being subjected to strict rules and royal customs, which makes sense; “Byzantium” refers to the Late Roman Empire, a Christian theocracy that produced mostly religious art. (As a result, the art exhibit was a little dull. When artists are limited to such a small range of appropriate subjects, things tend to get monotonous).

Back to the book. The author, Tracy Barrett, is a retired Vanderbilt professor and scholar of medieval history. Jeez! “Anna of Byzantium” was her first foray into children’s literature, and although the writing can be somewhat simplistic at times (particularly the dialogue), the book is clearly the work of someone who is a subject matter expert. As a work of historical fiction, “Anna” is surely much more interesting than reading about the Byzantine Empire at face value. Much more interesting to experience what it was like to live during that era as a real person.

The real Anna Comnenus really did live out the remainder of her life in a convent, completing a multi-volume history of her father’s rule. Widely regarded as an intellectual genius, Anna aspired to be empress and tried to usurp her younger brother, John. In the book, Anna is depicted as smart and cunning, but also short-sighted and with a bit of a temper. She’s thrown into the political game from infancy, and when the throne is lost to her, only then does she start to mature.

I’ll keep my copy of “Anna” forever. It’s a good book and a little piece of my own personal history.

[Shannan Schoemaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna of Byzantium - takes the reader on a journey to the court of the Byzantine Empire through the first person female perspective of the heir to the Byzantine throne, Anna Commena, from age four to eighteen. Written by Traci Barrett a typically nonfiction history writer, the court life of the Byzantine Empire comes to life in her first historical fiction novel. Barrett leads the reader through this coming of age tale of the young Anna as she is groomed for the throne by two contrasting personalities: her loving yet intelligent mother and conniving, power hungry, manipulative grandmother. The story is artfully crafted and the narrative takes place as a story Anna is reflecting on and recalling from her past, the reader is informed of Anna’s fate at the beginning of the novel which sets the stage for the second narrative, her past. Because of this, although the reader is transported into the past they are still constantly being tugged towards the future and the inevitable outcome.
After being betrayed by her own brother and power-hungry grandmother, Anna is stripped of her right as heir by her father shortly before his own death. Devastated Anna plots revenge and waits for the time to strike and attempt’s to seize the throne from her brother, but once again she betrayed by a long time friend and companion, however this time out of love. They do not want Anna to lose sight of her true nature as a kindhearted and gentle woman and become the power hungry creature her grandmother wanted her to become.

I was never bored or anxious to finish the book because the characters were well developed, well written and the character dialogue was excellent, even if it didn’t use appropriate syntax and colloquialisms for the time period. More details about the characters lifestyles or personalities other than Anna’s, her grandmothers and mothers would have been beneficial to the story-line and made all of the characters and the setting more realistic. However, the development of the main character, Anna, was well done.

Anna’s gradual development from emotional, vengeful, vain, and power-hungry to scholarly, accepting and humble was enjoyable. Towards the end of the novel I found myself hoping against hopes that Anna would ultimately succeed and become the strong female ruler she would have been had she maintained the line of succession, however the ending allowed for more personal growth than political since Anna ultimately became an important historical figure due to her writing and work on her own book the Alexiad, a biography of her father’s rule of Byzantium a significant historical document in its own right and a unique example of female writing and literacy in the “Dark Ages.” A good introduction to the time period, the Byzantine Empire, the Crusades, Female's in history and the art of living life at court.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when it was first published but just acquired a discarded ppb copy and reread it today. It is a fast read. The author has managed the unusual trick of making a thoroughly unlikable character one you sympathize with and root for. Anna may have been born to the purple but she didn't get many breaks in life. She had been heir to the throne until an unwise remark got her little brother promoted to the position instead. When her father died, she and her mother, who mostly seemed somewhat decent, at least compared to many of the family, plotted to kill her young brother. The plot failed through complete lack of sensible planning and the foresight of her brother, and Anna and her mother are sent off to separate convents for the rest of their lives. Since she was a teenager at this time, that was going to be a very long period. While at the convent, she wrote a biography of her father in eleven volumes (which might not be as long as it sounds since likely a volume was a scroll, not a book. On the other hand, she sure had plenty of time on her hands so maybe it is as long as it sounds.) I would imagine it is pretty hagiographic. It is called the Alexiad, after the Iliad of Homer. Modesty was most definitely not one of this girl's virtues. However, although the author gets you to sympathize with Anna, you get a lot of hints especially at the end that her brother was a surprisingly decent person especially considering the truly awful family he was born into. The typical punishment for the crime of trying to kill the emperor would have been to have their eyes gouged out then maybe killed. Sending them to different convents was amazingly merciful for the period. There were other hints as well.

I found this book wonderful because it was a good story. However, more importantly, it was historical fiction for children on a place children rarely hear about until High School, if then. Byzantium was a much more advanced society socially, culturally and in giving women more rights and in physical comfort than the contemporary European countries were at that time.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit, I had never heard of this book before. The cover isn't particularly flashy--neither is the title, nor the jacket copy. Considering all this, it feels like a minor miracle that I read this book at all. I saw it on a library shelf and had been wanting to read more historical YA, and I don't know a lot about the Byzantine Empire besides the survey look from World History and AP Euro, so I wanted to give it a try. I thought I might give up on it early on.

To my surprise, it's a lot more engaging than the cover, title, or jacket copy led me to believe. I should've trusted the publisher; the book was clearly not published for mass-market appeal, after all. The first chapter didn't grab me immediately, and I don't usually like frame narratives (here, you start near the end and then stay in the past as Anna tells you how she got there, until the end). But I found that it worked really well here. Barrett's language is simple but evocative, and she did a good job making me care for the characters.

Even Anna, I was doubtful about in the beginning. I didn't relish the idea of reading a book about someone who is wronged and wants revenge, but the ending had better closure than I thought, and the ending was more satisfying than I believed possible from where it looked like it was heading.

I didn't expect any romance, and this is by no means a book I'd categorize as romance, but I really enjoyed the hints of it. I was getting really into it, but it was nipped in the bud pretty quickly.

Overall, if it's not a book I imagine myself returning to, it is still a lovely historical account that nevertheless sweeps you up in a good story, and resolves fairly well, all within only about 200 pages.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be shelved with Alisa Libby's Blood Confession under 'counterintuitive subject matter for young adult historical fiction'. Certainly the theme of the older, more capable female child being passed over in favor of the younger, less capable male one is no surprise, but the denouement of the plot is unusual for the subgenre to which it belongs, and I do wonder why Tracy Barrett thought Anna Commena's Machiavellian ambition and thouroughly messed up psyche made her a likely heroine for a book of this sort.

That aside, I enjoyed it immensely. There is a baffling scarcity of historical fiction set in the Byzantine Empire, and this helped fill that gap with ease. In addition, the choice of character did what I wish more historical fiction did, expanding upon a personage who is merely a footnote in history, but whose sparse biographical details offer rich literary possibilities. The choice of intended group for the book limited it a great deal - I would have preferred something four hundred pages long, with none of the hesitation that young adult novels with ineptly chosen subject matter betray - and left the characters feeling more like sketches than fully drawn portraits, but the interest of the plot made up for that most of the time.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every now and then, a book falls into your hands at just the right time. Last week, I went to a Medieval Treasures exhibit at the Frist Center and yesterday I read Anna of Byzantium. The temporal setting is not exactly the same: Anna's Byzantium is 1083, a few hundred years before most of the art I enjoyed. But this book, written during a time when literacy was a gift, not a given, made me think about many of the same issues I pondered as I looked at illuminated manuscripts in glass cases.

Anna is the eldest daughter of Constantine, the Emperor of Byzantium. She is bright, confident and enjoys learning. Her learning comes via a personal tutor and her grandmother, who helped her father seize the throne years ago.

This book has family angst (Anna and her brother take sibling rivalry to a whole new level), intrigue (will Anna follow her mother's gentle lead or her grandmother's conniving one?) and history aplenty (Venetian ambassadors, Crusades).

As an added bonus, it's a young adult book, so it's a quick read and there's no sex or violence. If you'd like to spend an enjoyable afternoon in Constantinople (not Istanbul), spend it with Anna of Byzantium.

[P · Rating 3 out of 5]

See full review here: https://mostlywaffle.wordpress.com/20...

I usually avoid books which are written in first person, but this one was different. The prose is elegant without being too ornate and Anna’s character is drawn well. She is a flawed character (she is impetuous, proud and ill-tempered) but it makes the reader empathise with her more. I understood her need to acquire what was her birth-right. I couldn’t help but root for her even though I knew that she would never be the Empress of Byzantium. Her fall was spectacular and was nothing short of tragic. Although this book does not deal with military aspects of the First Crusade fought during her lifetime and it does not have layers the way Pride of Carthage does, it does transport you to Anna’s Byzantium. Nevertheless, the book is so full of factual errors that it made me curious about the author’s sources (which are not listed). This book might not appeal to serious readers of Byzantine history, but it is a well-written book. It is just not historically accurate.

[Anajoy-rusticgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the back/Partly mine:

Anna Comeni is a princess, her father's first born and his chosen successor. Someday she expects to sit on the throne and rule the vast Byzantine empire. The birth of a baby brother doesn't perturb her. Nor do the 'barbarians' from foreign lands, who think only a son should ascend to power. Anna is as dismissive of them as are her father and his most trusted advisor-his mother, Anna Dalassena, a manipulative woman with whom Anna studies the art of diplomacy. Anna relishes her lessons, proving adept at checkmating opponents in swift games of mental chess. But as she matures into a young woman her arrogance and intelligence threatens her grandmother. Anna will be no ones puppet. Almost overnight 'thanks to a loose sentence speaking to a friend, and her sneaking brother spying' Anna sees her dreams of power wrenched from her and bestowed on her little brother. Bitter at the betrayal, Anna waits to avenge herself and seize what is rightfully hers.

[Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anna of Byzantium is loosely based on a historical figure, but I found her narrative voice in the first half of this book excruciatingly boring. The pace of the plot picked up about halfway through, and I ceased to be annoyed by the dryness of the tone, but overall it was not a great read. The main reason that I finished it is that I was pinned to the bed (by a nursing baby) and never got around to picking up another book in between nursing sessions.

That said, it did improve significantly in the last part of the book, and the history was good. I read the author bio in the back just after finishing it, which told me that this was the author's first novel. For a first effort, it was pretty good, but still the narrative voice wasn't engaging enough for me.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Though Anna of Byzantium is interesting and well-written, with vivid characters and moving scenes, I did not like it. Almost all of the characters act from purely selfish motives, using deceit and any means possible to get their desires, so it is difficult to figure out which side is the "right" side, because neither is fully in the right. Much of the story is very sad as it is clearly not written from a Christian worldview, and evil frequently triumphs, even in the end. As the book is not historically accurate, I found no redeeming quality.

[Micaiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read. I enjoyed it by all means, however you could never fully love most of the main characters. My meaning being, you saw how Anna was a little selfish and prideful and that wasn’t right on her part, and you see how the others could be so awful you hated them, it was hard to “fall in love” with a character except two. But it was well written that you wanted to keep reading until a problem resolved itself.
A well done book.

[Bookchick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whiny. The protagonist reminded me somewhat of the character from Catherine, Called Birdy but not as funny. I commend the author's attempt to write about this time period, but the characters and plot were not engaging.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! After I read this I just had to read more about the history of the Byzantine empire-- and about Anna Comnena.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for CC1 wk11 and 12..krb 1/5/16

We all loved reading this historical fiction and had great discussions about the characters. Mom cried at the end of course..krb 1/14/16

[akissforcatullus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anna Komnene was snubbed from inheriting the crown and becoming Byzantine empress, but she still etched her legacy into history by becoming the first female historian (she wrote the Alexiad, a history of her father's reign which, among other things, contains an account of the First Crusade from a Byzantine perspective).

Had her plot to kill her brother in an act of revenge for him inheriting the throne been successful, and she became empress, not only is that a morally wrong way to gain power, but the power she gained would have gone to her husband, who’d be the emperor, which the extent of how much control or say she would’ve had in that case is beyond me. Either way, I think the outcome of her life distinguishes her more than being empress realistically would have. Sort of. Well, we hear directly from her in her book, the Alexiad, which pulls her away from the distortion of being only written about. And had the assassination been successful what’s to say she wouldn’t have been disposed of similarly? Revenge breeds more revenge and unforgiveness breeds more of itself, too.

The story is a fictional interpretation of the real Anna’s life. The writing style is to the point and stays on the surface mostly.

Takeaway: futile is the pursuit of power and revenge. Trust in God’s plan.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully suspenseful mix of history, mystery and intrigue, Ms. Barrett has created the fascinating read of a young girl's life as a royal princess expecting to inherit her father's throne and someday become the next empress. Full of period details, atmosphere and explanations of the daily life of someone growing up in a palace during what some would call the Dark Ages, this book grabs the reader from page one and won't let you put it down until you have discovered Anna's fate on the last page.
I highly recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more of Ms. Barrett's works. Brava on your first endeavor, Ms. Barrett, Brava!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost every little girl dreams of being a Princess. I did. But the more I read about the real lives of royals, I realize I would NEVER want to be one. 😅 The first half of this book moves a little slowly, but once I was into the plot, it was hard to put down. It is hard to feel any sympathy for Anna for most of the story. She is entitled and rude and selfish. But this book ends with a satisfying change in the difficult Princess. She learns humility and some sacrifice. This is definitely a book I would have enjoyed reading for school.

[Piper Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Read-for-School* Intriguing and full of suspense, I absolutely loved this book! I think it’s a good introduction to that time period and area. I wish the book was longer and had more depth, but I loved it all the same. For the first couple chapters, I was skeptical and all I could think was that Anna was a brat. Buuut, as the story went on, I couldn’t help starting to love her and was rooting for her the whole time and wanted her to get her rightful spot back. It’s one of my new favorites, definitely recommend!

[Kendrick]

This book shows a lot of detail of how it is like for Anna.