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Ancient Rome #1
Domina
Agrippina, wife of Claudius, mother of Nero, was a beautiful and talented woman who saw her father murdered, was banished by her brother, and was killed on the orders of her son. Her freed man, a one-eyed former gladiator named Parmenon, tells of Agrippina's battle to survive in and control the depraved and violent Imperial Roman court, and the crumbling relationship between mother and son.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2002
40 people are currently reading
394 people want to read
About the author
Paul Doherty
236 books609 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
He has been published under several pseudonyms: P.C. Doherty, Celia L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas, Vanessa Alexander, Michael Clynes and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name.
Paul Doherty was born in Middlesbrough (North-Eastern England) in 1946. He had the usual education before studying at Durham for three years for the Catholic priesthood but decided not to proceed. He went to Liverpool University where he gained a First Class Honours Degree in History and won a state scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford, whilst there he met his wife Carla Lynn Corbitt. He continued his studies but decided that the academic world was not for him and became a secondary school teacher.
Paul worked in Ascot, Nottingham and Crawley West Sussex before being appointed as Headmaster to Trinity Catholic School in September 1981. Trinity is a large comprehensive [1700 on roll] which teaches the full ability range, ages 11-18. The school has been described as one of the leading comprehensives in the U.K. In April, 2000 H. M. Inspectorate describe it as an 'Outstanding School', and it was given Beacon status as a Centre of Excellence whilst, in the Chief Inspector’s Report to the Secretary of State for January 2001, Trinity Catholic High School was singled out for praise and received a public accolade.
Paul’s other incarnation is as a novelist. He finished his doctorate on the reign of Edward II of England and, in 1987, began to publish a series of outstanding historical mysteries set in the Middle Age, Classical, Greek, Ancient Egypt and elsewhere. These have been published in the United States by St. Martin’s Press of New York, Edhasa in Spain, and Eichborn, Heyne, Knaur and others in Germany. They have also been published in Holland, Belgium, France, Italy, Romania, Estonia, Czechoslovakia, Russia, Bulgaria, Portugal and China, as well as Argentina and Mexico.
He has been published under several pseudonyms (see the bibliography): C. L. Grace, Paul Harding, Ann Dukthas and Anna Apostolou but now writes only under his own name. He recently launched a very successful series based around the life of Alexander the Great, published by Constable & Robinson in the U.K., and Carroll and Graf in the U.S.A., whilst his novels set in Ancient Egypt have won critical acclaim. Paul has also written several non-fiction titles; A Life of Isabella the She-wolf of France, Wife of Edward II of England, as well as study of the possible murder of Tutankhamun, the boy Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty, and a study on the true fate of Alexander the Great.
Paul and Carla live on the borders of London and Essex, not far from Epping Forest and six of their children have been through his own school. His wife Carla currently owns two horses and is training, for showing and dressage, a beautiful Arab filly named Polly.
Paul lectures for a number of organisations, particularly on historical mysteries, many of which later feature in his writings. A born speaker and trained lecturer Paul Doherty can hold and entertain audiences.
His one great ambition is to petition the Privy Council of England to open the Purbeck marble tomb of Edward II in Gloucester Cathedral. Paul believes the tomb does not house the body
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
October 20, 2021
Read this book in 2007, and it tells for a part the life-story of Agrippina, at court in Rome, as wife of Claudius and mother of Nero.
Set between 15-68 AD, this is a story told by the one-eyed former gladiator, Parmenon, about a woman who saw her father murdered, was banished by her brother, and was finally killed on the orders of her son, Nero.
A beautiful and talented woman who did use her charm and power on man to reach her goal in life at the Imperial court of Rome.
This is a wonderful retelling of the brutal life of Agrippina at the violent Imperial Roman court, as well as her stubbornness to get her son, Nero, recognized and awarded as Emperor, and bypassing Britannicus through murder by poison just like her husband at the time, Emperor Claudius, but to be rewarded in the end by a death sentence by her own son, Emperor Nero.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful tale about a strong and manipulating Roman matron at the Imperial Court of Rome, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Captivating Tough & Powerful Domina"!
Set between 15-68 AD, this is a story told by the one-eyed former gladiator, Parmenon, about a woman who saw her father murdered, was banished by her brother, and was finally killed on the orders of her son, Nero.
A beautiful and talented woman who did use her charm and power on man to reach her goal in life at the Imperial court of Rome.
This is a wonderful retelling of the brutal life of Agrippina at the violent Imperial Roman court, as well as her stubbornness to get her son, Nero, recognized and awarded as Emperor, and bypassing Britannicus through murder by poison just like her husband at the time, Emperor Claudius, but to be rewarded in the end by a death sentence by her own son, Emperor Nero.
Very much recommended, for this is a wonderful tale about a strong and manipulating Roman matron at the Imperial Court of Rome, and that's why I like to call this book: "A Captivating Tough & Powerful Domina"!
March 15, 2023
Много харесвам Пол Дохърти,чела съм две негови поредици,и с тази първа книга от поредицата "Тайните на древния Рим" не останах разочарована! Всичките му книги са исторически кримки,като във всяка има сцени от реални събития състояли се през годините за които пише,тази не е точно кримка. Харесва ми начина на писане,това че не са тежки и дразнещи,стилът на писане много ми харесва,интригуващ и завладяващ. Препоръчвам неговите книги,тази също за хората които обичат този жанр!
October 27, 2017
Първата изненада, не добра или лоша - просто изненада, беше, че това не е криминален, а само исторически роман. И то достатъчно добре изпипан, за да придаде оттенък на криптоистория.
За времето на Цезарите са писали доста по-добри романисти от Дохърти - Сенкевич, Кравчук и Грийвз са първите които ми идват на ум в момента. Въпреки това авторът се е справил задоволително добре.
Историята обхваща целия живот на Агрипина Младата, от влизането и в кървавата римска политика на шестнадесет годишна възраст, до самата и смърт по заповед на сина ѝ Нерон. Разказана от измисления ѝ секретар Парменон, историята ни припомня събитията в империята от възкачването на Тиберий до падането на Нерон. Като Парменон и Агрипина имат пръст във всички значими събития в това време, само защото се опитват да оцелеят. Автора успява дори да направи дъртия отровен паяк Агрипина симпатичен и да предизвика състрадание у читателя.
Единственото нещо за което мога да измрънкам е, че, както обикновено, диалозите са супер анахронични, а в този случай и стилът на цялото повествование, понеже е разказвано от герой, звучи съвременно и не подхожда на атмосферата на романа. Но пък това го прави доста четивно.
Явно серията за Древен Рим ще си върви така и има какво да се прочете в нея. Този път Дохърти е работил със завидно внимание към детайла и оставя едно приятно усещане за истинност.
Следващата книга е за Константин и Елена и вече съм си я приготвил.
За времето на Цезарите са писали доста по-добри романисти от Дохърти - Сенкевич, Кравчук и Грийвз са първите които ми идват на ум в момента. Въпреки това авторът се е справил задоволително добре.
Историята обхваща целия живот на Агрипина Младата, от влизането и в кървавата римска политика на шестнадесет годишна възраст, до самата и смърт по заповед на сина ѝ Нерон. Разказана от измисления ѝ секретар Парменон, историята ни припомня събитията в империята от възкачването на Тиберий до падането на Нерон. Като Парменон и Агрипина имат пръст във всички значими събития в това време, само защото се опитват да оцелеят. Автора успява дори да направи дъртия отровен паяк Агрипина симпатичен и да предизвика състрадание у читателя.
Единственото нещо за което мога да измрънкам е, че, както обикновено, диалозите са супер анахронични, а в този случай и стилът на цялото повествование, понеже е разказвано от герой, звучи съвременно и не подхожда на атмосферата на романа. Но пък това го прави доста четивно.
Явно серията за Древен Рим ще си върви така и има какво да се прочете в нея. Този път Дохърти е работил със завидно внимание към детайла и оставя едно приятно усещане за истинност.
Следващата книга е за Константин и Елена и вече съм си я приготвил.
March 8, 2013
I didn't like this book at all. The prose was bland, the story unengaging--why start with the most exciting part and then clumsily flash back to the beginning with a weird transition?--and of course it hit my least favorite historical fiction trope: telling a historical woman's story through the eyes of a fictional man.
Seriously. I picked up this book to read about Agrippina, who was one badass bitch. I did not pick it up to read about some random fictional dude being smarter than her about her impending death. I am interested in her, in a woman overcoming the difficulties of a male-centric world to gain power. I don't know who this other guy is, I don't particularly care about him, and I'm not afraid for him since he's clearly going to live (first-person installment, and with prose this beige I seriously doubt he's going to be gutsy enough to kill off his own first-person narrator. Only Seanan McGuire has that power).
So I didn't finish. I read the first five chapters and called it quits. Not for me.
Seriously. I picked up this book to read about Agrippina, who was one badass bitch. I did not pick it up to read about some random fictional dude being smarter than her about her impending death. I am interested in her, in a woman overcoming the difficulties of a male-centric world to gain power. I don't know who this other guy is, I don't particularly care about him, and I'm not afraid for him since he's clearly going to live (first-person installment, and with prose this beige I seriously doubt he's going to be gutsy enough to kill off his own first-person narrator. Only Seanan McGuire has that power).
So I didn't finish. I read the first five chapters and called it quits. Not for me.
May 6, 2024
This historical fiction tackles the life of Agrippina, sister to Caligula and mother of Nero, in Ancient Rome. A turbulent and gruesome phase of history, this book is heavy with torture and death. The history is covered adeptly and I did relearn many things I’d forgotten. However the author failed to bring personality to the characters and I just didn’t care who was getting murdered next.
2 stars = fair
2 stars = fair
July 8, 2020
Probably better off reading Suetonius
July 10, 2010
Just OK, but 2 stars seems too low. The story of Agrippina, mother of Nero, as told through the eyes of her right hand man. Imperial politics of ancient Rome makes me think of reality shows like Big Brother only losers get poisoned, hideosly tortured, or if they're lucky they get to kill themselves instead of getting kicked out of the house. Well, sometimes they get kicked out of Rome, but they're always too stupid to realize how nice it is to NOT be in Rome and they spend all their energy plotting to get back.
December 9, 2019
Agrippina Minor (great granddaughter of Julia and Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and daughter of the famous Germanicus)'s life story is unbelievably so harrowing and full of conspiracies (she managed not only to survive but surmount the rules of her grand uncle Tiberius, her brother Caligula, and her husband Claudius) that how she perishes in the end, seems to be the ultimate dramatic flourish to a 43-year life of constant plotting, waiting, and striking.
October 20, 2018
A riveting story
It is the ultimate art of a novelist to make his characters alive. The author has resurrected the Romans into people of flesh and emotions trying to survive wild intrigues and a merciless environment. History which I knew has become an extraordinary reality. A novel beautifully written. Once started I could not stop reading
FCD
It is the ultimate art of a novelist to make his characters alive. The author has resurrected the Romans into people of flesh and emotions trying to survive wild intrigues and a merciless environment. History which I knew has become an extraordinary reality. A novel beautifully written. Once started I could not stop reading
FCD
January 6, 2024
I loved it
Great story of real people thru the eyes of a fictional eye witness. I had just finished reading
I, Claudius last week and to find this novel with the same characters was a great coincidence. Good writing style. I loved it
Great story of real people thru the eyes of a fictional eye witness. I had just finished reading
I, Claudius last week and to find this novel with the same characters was a great coincidence. Good writing style. I loved it
December 22, 2017
I have really enjoyed this book: entertaining, informative. Maybe a bit too bloody.
June 2, 2011
A good time travel to post-Augustus Roma, where intrigues and murder were tools used to keep, reinforce or seize power.
Domina is Agrippina, sister of Caligula, niece of Tiberius and mother of the famous Emperor Nero. The narrator (it takes one to tell the story) is an homme de confiance, Parmenon, who witnesses most of the epic moments. Agrippina is followed from sixteen to her death in early forties. For the narrator, she used perfumes, poison and murder in order to survive the continual plotting, like a gladiator uses his weapons, because politics is an arena.
Being born in that royal family replete with madmen forces her to use her wit, surviving three emperors, but her unconditional mother-love of Nero will prove to be her downfall.
The writing in first voice is direct and compelling. Of course, the antique Roma setting means encountering some vivid description of the ugly amusements of the Emperors, including banquets, circus games, gladiators, but no more than in many history books.
Sic habet! the crowd yells for the downed gladiator (let him have it = meaning death) but we can safely replace by :
Sic habemus librem! == Let us have this book!
Whew! My Latine is not totally rusted!
Domina is Agrippina, sister of Caligula, niece of Tiberius and mother of the famous Emperor Nero. The narrator (it takes one to tell the story) is an homme de confiance, Parmenon, who witnesses most of the epic moments. Agrippina is followed from sixteen to her death in early forties. For the narrator, she used perfumes, poison and murder in order to survive the continual plotting, like a gladiator uses his weapons, because politics is an arena.
Being born in that royal family replete with madmen forces her to use her wit, surviving three emperors, but her unconditional mother-love of Nero will prove to be her downfall.
The writing in first voice is direct and compelling. Of course, the antique Roma setting means encountering some vivid description of the ugly amusements of the Emperors, including banquets, circus games, gladiators, but no more than in many history books.
Sic habet! the crowd yells for the downed gladiator (let him have it = meaning death) but we can safely replace by :
Sic habemus librem! == Let us have this book!
Whew! My Latine is not totally rusted!
September 10, 2013
As a young, aristocratic woman in ancient Rome, Agrippina knows she must use her wits in order to survive the purges and murders that are common during this time. Aided by her faithful friend, Parmenon, Agrippina rises to become the wife of one Emperor and the mother of Nero, perhaps the cruelest of them all. Ruthless in her own right, Agrippina has one weakness: her love for her son Nero and her inability to see that he is seriously crazy.
February 6, 2017
3.5 Stars.
I really enjoyed this book but I couldn't help, throughout the novel wanting more. Some of the story felt rushed and although, as always Doherty was able to transport me back in time I felt that aspects of the characters were lacking. The ending felt rushed and although I adored Agrippina I felt the narrator, Parmenon lacked. Having said all this I was both entertained and gripped by this story and would have loved the book to be longer and expanded upon.
I really enjoyed this book but I couldn't help, throughout the novel wanting more. Some of the story felt rushed and although, as always Doherty was able to transport me back in time I felt that aspects of the characters were lacking. The ending felt rushed and although I adored Agrippina I felt the narrator, Parmenon lacked. Having said all this I was both entertained and gripped by this story and would have loved the book to be longer and expanded upon.
July 29, 2008
This slim, easy read actually made me very curious about the Roman empire, which is something I've barely thought about before. I would like to read sequels to this book.
November 22, 2010
Just brilliant!
January 25, 2017
Doherty has done it again. He writes an excellent historical thriller. This is an oldie but a goodie.
July 25, 2016
I first read this in college, and yes it is flawed. The story of a real historical woman is told through the eyes of a fictional man. That said, it is pretty ok
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews