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Our Eternal Curse #1
Another Self
The story centres on Julia, a beautiful but insecure peasant girl who acts as the unseen catalyst for true historical events during pre Christian Rome.
At the age of sixteen Julia has a chance encounter with Lucius Cornelius Sulla, one of Rome's greatest Generals and sworn enemy of Gaius Marius. Julia is enticed to Rome where she is left in the care of his house slaves for three years while Sulla fights a war in the East.
Julia dedicates herself to education and improving herself for Sulla's return. After his homecoming Julia is devastated to find that Sulla regards her as a mere concubine and the shock of his mistreatment destroys her already fragile self esteem.
Terrible food shortages follow the War. Food from other countries in the Republic should have provided an alternative supply but Rome's preoccupation with years of fighting has allowed the great ocean to become dominated by pirates.
Harnessing her inherent genius and manipulating the son of General Gaius Marius, Julia becomes rich and powerful. She uses her influence to have the black market and the pirates decimated, leaving her as the unseen power behind the food supply for Rome.
Now one of the richest people in Rome, Julia uses her funds to manipulate the Senate and when the time is right she provides the evidence which proves that Sulla deliberately caused the war to benefit himself financially. He is immediately banished by an angry Senate.
Much to Julia's surprise and disappointment beating her nemesis does not provide an end to her hurt; it is simply the beginning of an even longer and more painful journey.
At the age of sixteen Julia has a chance encounter with Lucius Cornelius Sulla, one of Rome's greatest Generals and sworn enemy of Gaius Marius. Julia is enticed to Rome where she is left in the care of his house slaves for three years while Sulla fights a war in the East.
Julia dedicates herself to education and improving herself for Sulla's return. After his homecoming Julia is devastated to find that Sulla regards her as a mere concubine and the shock of his mistreatment destroys her already fragile self esteem.
Terrible food shortages follow the War. Food from other countries in the Republic should have provided an alternative supply but Rome's preoccupation with years of fighting has allowed the great ocean to become dominated by pirates.
Harnessing her inherent genius and manipulating the son of General Gaius Marius, Julia becomes rich and powerful. She uses her influence to have the black market and the pirates decimated, leaving her as the unseen power behind the food supply for Rome.
Now one of the richest people in Rome, Julia uses her funds to manipulate the Senate and when the time is right she provides the evidence which proves that Sulla deliberately caused the war to benefit himself financially. He is immediately banished by an angry Senate.
Much to Julia's surprise and disappointment beating her nemesis does not provide an end to her hurt; it is simply the beginning of an even longer and more painful journey.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 23, 2013
7 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Simon Rumney
8 books8 followersI was born into England's idyllic countryside in 1955, just ten years after The Second World War. A time when people were still living with the terrible trauma of nightly bombing raids and the unimaginable suffering of losing loved ones to a violent death. Many were gripped by what we now call ‘Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder’ at a time when no-one felt comfortable talking about their feelings.
Rationing had only just ended and I remember my anxious mother keeping draws stuffed full with used paper bags because surviving acute shortages made it impossible for her to throw anything away. Almost everyone's mother was hording completely worn-out shoes or tiny bits of material to patch clothes long after they should have been thrown away. Even though food was now freely available many mothers couldn't help skimping on portions of basic things like sugar, flour and butter.
Had I been born into my working-class family fifty years earlier I imagine the mood in my household may well have been a lot less tense. I would also have avoided going to school by becoming a junior apprentice to my accomplished cabinet making father. Conversely, had I been born today I would be learning in an enlightened school system while using computers with some kind of commonly available spellcheck program.
Unfortunately for me, being born in 1955 meant compulsorily attending a tiny village school whose teachers believed education was still something that should be beaten into their pupils. Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) were things of the distant future and any interruption to ask for clarity was considered deliberately disruptive.
Much to my teacher’s constant frustration, I could actually read words. I could even write words. I simply couldn't understand them. Sometimes I would copy things down from the blackboard and the very same word would be spelled in three different ways in the same paragraph. When I read the 'Janet and John' books I could read the words, I could even read them out loud, but I simply couldn't follow the story.
I know this sounds ridiculous but, to give you some idea of what I experience when I read, it's like relearning every word every time I see it. Imagine translating every word into French, then back into English all the time. I truly envy those people who talk about becoming 'lost in a good book' because for me reading is like completing an obstacle course without gravity to hold me down.
As for abstract things like punctuation, or the meaning of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs etc. My teachers may just as well have been speaking Swahili!
Even as I write this explanation it makes absolutely no sense to me, so how could it possibly have made sense to the frustrated teachers who punished me for being 'lazy and stupid’. When those same teachers informed my parents of, what they believed to be, my ‘unwillingness’ to learn, my poorly educated Mum and Dad also punished me for my apparent rebelliousness.
Like many children who find themselves in this predicament I compensated for my academic failings by becoming an athlete. I sought approval as the fastest swimmer in my junior school. I was a good soccer player. Tall for my age, I was handy for the rugby team and ideal as a fast cricket bowler. I was all set for the macho existence of a ‘Jock’ until the age of 8 when I became a chronic asthmatic and could no longer compete.
It didn’t help when the Doctor who diagnosed my asthma said. 'In my opinion asthma is a psychosomatic illness.’ After that little bomb shell my teachers; my parents, even I believed that I was not only too ‘lazy and stupid’ to read, I was also too ‘lazy and stupid’ to breathe!
I should point out, that most of my teachers were well meaning and not deliberately malicious. They were people born into a very different England. Some had survived two brutal World Wars while living in a society that didn't guarantee education for all until a hard won act of Parliament in
Rationing had only just ended and I remember my anxious mother keeping draws stuffed full with used paper bags because surviving acute shortages made it impossible for her to throw anything away. Almost everyone's mother was hording completely worn-out shoes or tiny bits of material to patch clothes long after they should have been thrown away. Even though food was now freely available many mothers couldn't help skimping on portions of basic things like sugar, flour and butter.
Had I been born into my working-class family fifty years earlier I imagine the mood in my household may well have been a lot less tense. I would also have avoided going to school by becoming a junior apprentice to my accomplished cabinet making father. Conversely, had I been born today I would be learning in an enlightened school system while using computers with some kind of commonly available spellcheck program.
Unfortunately for me, being born in 1955 meant compulsorily attending a tiny village school whose teachers believed education was still something that should be beaten into their pupils. Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) were things of the distant future and any interruption to ask for clarity was considered deliberately disruptive.
Much to my teacher’s constant frustration, I could actually read words. I could even write words. I simply couldn't understand them. Sometimes I would copy things down from the blackboard and the very same word would be spelled in three different ways in the same paragraph. When I read the 'Janet and John' books I could read the words, I could even read them out loud, but I simply couldn't follow the story.
I know this sounds ridiculous but, to give you some idea of what I experience when I read, it's like relearning every word every time I see it. Imagine translating every word into French, then back into English all the time. I truly envy those people who talk about becoming 'lost in a good book' because for me reading is like completing an obstacle course without gravity to hold me down.
As for abstract things like punctuation, or the meaning of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, verbs etc. My teachers may just as well have been speaking Swahili!
Even as I write this explanation it makes absolutely no sense to me, so how could it possibly have made sense to the frustrated teachers who punished me for being 'lazy and stupid’. When those same teachers informed my parents of, what they believed to be, my ‘unwillingness’ to learn, my poorly educated Mum and Dad also punished me for my apparent rebelliousness.
Like many children who find themselves in this predicament I compensated for my academic failings by becoming an athlete. I sought approval as the fastest swimmer in my junior school. I was a good soccer player. Tall for my age, I was handy for the rugby team and ideal as a fast cricket bowler. I was all set for the macho existence of a ‘Jock’ until the age of 8 when I became a chronic asthmatic and could no longer compete.
It didn’t help when the Doctor who diagnosed my asthma said. 'In my opinion asthma is a psychosomatic illness.’ After that little bomb shell my teachers; my parents, even I believed that I was not only too ‘lazy and stupid’ to read, I was also too ‘lazy and stupid’ to breathe!
I should point out, that most of my teachers were well meaning and not deliberately malicious. They were people born into a very different England. Some had survived two brutal World Wars while living in a society that didn't guarantee education for all until a hard won act of Parliament in
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 30, 2017
"Our Eternal Curse: Another Tribe" is one of the most exciting and engaging stories of this kind that I have read so far this year. The story itself follows Julii, a woman who belongs to a tribe in Tennessee. She is just coming of age, but she seems to be much younger in terms of worldliness. She doesn't really understand thee world around her and what her place in that world is. Furthermore, she seems innocent to a fault. Of course, a boy comes in and changes all of that. Robert Calhoun (as the last name may hint) is a Confederate soldier who was injured and she takes it upon herself to save him. She builds him up in her mind, but realizes quickly that he is not nearly what she imagined.
The text is filled to the brim with racism and racist terms, so proceed carefully if those are triggering for you. There is a happy ending, however, so that should help people to get through some of the tougher things.
The one problem, and something that I think took away from the overall star count of this book is that there does need to be some better editing, especially with Julii''s thoughts.
The text is filled to the brim with racism and racist terms, so proceed carefully if those are triggering for you. There is a happy ending, however, so that should help people to get through some of the tougher things.
The one problem, and something that I think took away from the overall star count of this book is that there does need to be some better editing, especially with Julii''s thoughts.
March 16, 2017
I was blessed with a free copy of this book, and have chosen of my own volition to leave this review. This review is not skewed by the fact that the book was received for free. I just love to read, and share my honest opinions of what I have read!
This book was a bit difficult to follow. There seemed to be gaps in the story, which were later filled in. Overall, there was an interesting story amid the confusion.
The main character, a peasant girl from the olive groves, is escorted to the city of Rome by a Roman military man. He houses her, and she thinks that this is "true love". He later returns from his military endeavors and rapes her. She devises a plan to get back at the world. Her deception seems to know no bounds. What will she do to hurt those who have hurt her?
This book was a bit difficult to follow. There seemed to be gaps in the story, which were later filled in. Overall, there was an interesting story amid the confusion.
The main character, a peasant girl from the olive groves, is escorted to the city of Rome by a Roman military man. He houses her, and she thinks that this is "true love". He later returns from his military endeavors and rapes her. She devises a plan to get back at the world. Her deception seems to know no bounds. What will she do to hurt those who have hurt her?
February 15, 2020
Great concept
I loved the concept of this book. And being a big fan of Colleen McCullough' s Rome series, I enjoyed reading about Sulla and Gaius Marius again. The writing itself was good - descriptive, believable, and communicative. The editing, however, was sub par... missing commas and periods everywhere. At one point, the word bridal was applied to a horse's tack (bridle).
Because of the concept, I would say, yes, read this book. Just prepared to have to pick your way through some sentence structures.
I loved the concept of this book. And being a big fan of Colleen McCullough' s Rome series, I enjoyed reading about Sulla and Gaius Marius again. The writing itself was good - descriptive, believable, and communicative. The editing, however, was sub par... missing commas and periods everywhere. At one point, the word bridal was applied to a horse's tack (bridle).
Because of the concept, I would say, yes, read this book. Just prepared to have to pick your way through some sentence structures.
February 5, 2016
Our Eternal Curse is a book that is based on the plot of revenge. This is a story of an innocent girl, Julia. A victim of bad parenting, Julia is made to believe that she is an ugly and useless girl. The mental abuse of her parents results in a very low self-esteem. Although she is very beautiful, in her heart and mind, she considers herself a very ugly girl. She thinks that nobody would ever like to be with her. Imagine yourself in her shoes. Now picture that a handsome man shows interest in you, and asks you to accompany him on his journey. I believe most of us would accept this proposal. Julia, too, accepts such an invitation from one of Rome's greatest general, Sulla. Much to her surprise, he drops her off at a house full of slaves and housemaids, and he leaves. On his arrival after a few days, Julia finds herself very excited and nervous.However, Sulla has only evil intentions towards her. He rapes her and leaves her in the state of shock and detest. Along with breaking her trust, he develops a new feeling in her heart -- the feeling of vengeance. She believes that hurting the man, who shattered her trust, is the sole purpose of her existence. She makes a plan that includes the father of Rome, Gaius Marius, his son, and several others.
This is magical to read how an insecure, innocent girl transforms into a conniving and heartless conspirator. I, particularly, enjoyed the parts, where she takes the support of wine to get rid of the guilt she felt. The author's excellent delivery of dialogues and selection of words to describe the feelings, appearance, and actions of the characters is worth an applause. The progression of the story varies from being too eventful to a little slow. However, the plot of this historical fiction is amazing.
The tragic events in the life of Julia are so powerful that I could not help me from being sympathetic towards her, irrespective of her actions. Although the author kept mentioning her actions as evil through the dialogues or thoughts of others, I did not find her actions as evil. I wanted her to get her revenge. In the last few chapters, the author writes about Julia's rebirth as another human being, and I thought that now I'll lose interest. However, the events that followed her rebirth turn out to be interesting.
This book comprises of many famous historical figures, like Julius Caesar, Gaius Marius, etc. The fight of the gladiators in the famous Circus Maximus is heartwrenching. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the historical facts; however, I enjoyed the author's creativity and imagination to the tragic tale of Julia. The author has delivered the aptest description of Julia's character through the dialogue of a man named Bromidus,
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I would recommend it to every reader, who enjoys reading about an author's version of history. If you like reading about a revengeful plot and wish to read about Rome, you would enjoy this book.
This is magical to read how an insecure, innocent girl transforms into a conniving and heartless conspirator. I, particularly, enjoyed the parts, where she takes the support of wine to get rid of the guilt she felt. The author's excellent delivery of dialogues and selection of words to describe the feelings, appearance, and actions of the characters is worth an applause. The progression of the story varies from being too eventful to a little slow. However, the plot of this historical fiction is amazing.
The tragic events in the life of Julia are so powerful that I could not help me from being sympathetic towards her, irrespective of her actions. Although the author kept mentioning her actions as evil through the dialogues or thoughts of others, I did not find her actions as evil. I wanted her to get her revenge. In the last few chapters, the author writes about Julia's rebirth as another human being, and I thought that now I'll lose interest. However, the events that followed her rebirth turn out to be interesting.
This book comprises of many famous historical figures, like Julius Caesar, Gaius Marius, etc. The fight of the gladiators in the famous Circus Maximus is heartwrenching. I cannot comment on the accuracy of the historical facts; however, I enjoyed the author's creativity and imagination to the tragic tale of Julia. The author has delivered the aptest description of Julia's character through the dialogue of a man named Bromidus,
You have the appearance of an angel but the heart of a lion. You are not a killer but you are capable of causing the death of many men.
I enjoyed this book a lot, and I would recommend it to every reader, who enjoys reading about an author's version of history. If you like reading about a revengeful plot and wish to read about Rome, you would enjoy this book.
October 9, 2015
I love the concept. They book begins with the story of Julia, who has lived several lifetimes. It begins with her death in her "newest" lifetime, then moves to on of her previous lives. She is a poor, insecure, not loved, beautiful girl who is meets one of Rome's greatest generals Sulla and thinks he is taking her away from her life of struggle to be loved. Instead she is left alone in a house with strangers, not able to understand the language, and when he returns there is no love. She is met with anger and is raped. She plots her revenge and sets off a chain of events that will bring down the Roman empire.
Intermingled with Julia living life times there is always a missing piece of her, she knows she has a brother. He is also living several lifetimes, they somehow take turns with their lives. The second half of the book is about her brother Robert. He is born into a life of luxury, but knows there is something missing and can't allow himself to be happy. He runs into danger where others would run the other way.
I hope there is a sequel, by the title there seems to be. I need to know what the lion pin is about. There is such a reaction in both Julia and Robert upon seeing it. There are so many other lives that have not been explored. I hope to read more!
I recommend this book to anyone interested in history and "what-if". Definitely a five star read!
I was given the opportunity to read Our Eternal Curse I by Simon Rumney by inkspand in exchange for an honest review.
Intermingled with Julia living life times there is always a missing piece of her, she knows she has a brother. He is also living several lifetimes, they somehow take turns with their lives. The second half of the book is about her brother Robert. He is born into a life of luxury, but knows there is something missing and can't allow himself to be happy. He runs into danger where others would run the other way.
I hope there is a sequel, by the title there seems to be. I need to know what the lion pin is about. There is such a reaction in both Julia and Robert upon seeing it. There are so many other lives that have not been explored. I hope to read more!
I recommend this book to anyone interested in history and "what-if". Definitely a five star read!
I was given the opportunity to read Our Eternal Curse I by Simon Rumney by inkspand in exchange for an honest review.
February 9, 2017
This seemed to me a really strange book. The author seemed to go out of his way to emphasize the extent of the main character's insecurity and low self esteem and how that came to be. I kept thinking, "You're beating a dead horse here. Get on with the story." And then, when he did, he didn't seem to know what to do with the story itself.
I was given to understand from the book descriptions on goodreads and Amazon that the history in the book is reasonably true and to me that part was interesting enough to keep me reading. But I won't read the sequel to this book, or any other book published by this author. I just don't think it would be worth it. There are lots of other books out there that I'd rather spend my time on.
My overall reaction to this book is, "Meh."
I was given to understand from the book descriptions on goodreads and Amazon that the history in the book is reasonably true and to me that part was interesting enough to keep me reading. But I won't read the sequel to this book, or any other book published by this author. I just don't think it would be worth it. There are lots of other books out there that I'd rather spend my time on.
My overall reaction to this book is, "Meh."
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews