Glaucia the Greek Slave

by Emma Leslie

"Glaucia, the Greek Slave masterfully depicts the intricacies of a momentous time in human history. Ancient Rome and Greece are the backdrop for this dramatic account of the early Christians, whose belief in the one true God stands in stark contrast to the polytheistic world in which they live. Great faith, perseverance, and unyielding courage are paramount as they live according to what they know to be right and true."

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian Historical Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1874

About the author

Emma Leslie was the pseudonym of Emma Boultwood (1838–1909), an English writer of children's books and historical fiction.

Reviews

[Bekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find the lives of the people in the early church to be very fascinating. There was so much persecution, yet by faith they trusted in their Lord who had only just recently ascended into heaven. These early Christians' courage, love, and benevolence definitely show through this story of a young brother and sister struggling in the deep moral depravity of Rome, Italy and Athens, Greece. They can't understand why they lost the approval of their many gods, but it isn't long before they hear of a God who sent His own Son to die for them--for their sins. Will they accept His love and forgiveness?

What I Liked: This book was excellent. Though definitely not as adventurous as other books, I loved the characters of Glaucia and Laon. I quickly became attached to them as they sought to become free from not only outward slavery, but also inward. They feel tied helplessly to their old gods and they know they (the gods) will do nothing for them because of their low status in life.

I liked all of the metaphors in this story. As I've thought over the book, I realized that in the same way Glaucia was enslaved to her mistress, Valeria, we are enslaved to our sin. We are hopelessly lost in sin, but Christ paid the debt that we owed and only because of Him, we are able to be free and to now serve Him! It was very neat to see Glaucia and her brother come to that knowledge and see what they did with it.

I also enjoyed the time period this was written in. I haven't read many books that take place in the early church and it was quite fun to read. Paul is mentioned in this book quite a few times, he even makes a very brief appearance, as well. There are other Biblical characters mentioned in this story, as well.

What I Didn't Like: There really wasn't anything that I can think of that I disliked about this book. This book was well written for younger readers because it doesn't get too deep into the moral depravity of the Roman and Greek culture at that time and the brutality of slavery.

I give this book 5 stars for an enjoyable story with a strong gospel message. Emma Leslie did a very good job presenting it boldly throughout this book. Some books I feel their authors are afraid to, or just don't fully portray the gospel, but I didn't have that issue with this book. It was very well done!

[Angie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

With the time and place this book is set in (at least at the beginning), I expected a lot more intensity to the adventures--not that I'm complaining too much. :) The fact that all the characters spoke pretty much King James English made it a bit hard to get into, and there were times when some of the dialogue and arguments didn't seem to fit with the first century for me. But still an interesting read, and I especially enjoyed the love and affection between Glaucia and her brother.

Content--mentions of various gods and the worship of them; mentions of riots, beatings, injuries, and blood (not graphic); mentions of crucifixion and various forms of persecution of Christians

[Matthew Gasperoni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treasure of a story. Christian historical fiction can sometimes lose its focus, but this was a beautiful exception—richly imagining the early church during the time of Paul, with idolatry all around and persecution looming for every follower of Christ. Yet through it all, the simple beauty of the gospel shines through, conquering fear and regenerating hearts.

Recommended by my youngest daughter as her favorite Lamplighter book, I can see why. It’s a joy to have this one in my collection. There are several scenes I know I’ll want to revisit—both to warm my heart and gently convict it.

[Victoria (hotcocoaandbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If one is to read a Christian fiction story about the early day Christians during the time when Paul was traveling about and preaching, this book is just the one to read.

Glaucia and her brother Laon are being sold as Athenian slaves when their father dies and leaves behind so much debt that they are the way to pay that debt. This story is about each of them and what they go through while separated from one another. Along the way they learn about this new religion of an unknown God, but the two of them are quite devoted to their own gods.

I can imagine that this story resembles what some people would have gone through in that time. The story really shows how faith makes a difference in life.

This book is safe for teens to read.
I give this 3.75 stars.

[Rosy Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much! It strengthened my faith, and showed me how really easy my life is, as a Christian. Glaucia’s (and the other Christians in the stories) faith and endurance even in persecution really encouraged and inspired me. I appreciated the gospel message throughout the book. Plus, I learned a lot about ancient Rome and Greek, that I had not known before! I’m glad I read this, and will be reading again!

[Lois · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot is pretty interesting though the conclusion feels very rushed. But there is a lot of accuracy with early church believers and the culture of worship in that time.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story got a little tedious for us. It's the first Lamplighter Theatre story we have listened to that we were not completely excited to get into the car to listen.

[Lee]

I think I remember liking this as a kid.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a pleasant surprise! I started this book about a year ago and dnf-ed it at around 25%. I remember just reluctantly trudging through it and not enjoying it at all.

I picked it up again and enjoyed it a lot more! It's a really sweet story with great, great faith content! The faith content was a big reason why I liked it.

This book deals a lot with foreign gods and the suffering of christians. Many characters in the story worship other gods. And the suffering of christians is also mentioned (look at the "violence" section below for more detail). The way these topics were "softened" (as the editor of the book put it) so that it is not uncomfortable to read about and so that younger readers could enjoy it too. No gory descriptions or details!

Content:
Profanity: None.
Sexual: Mild. After a man died, his wife is mentioned to passionately kiss his lips. No other content!
Violence: Mild. A man sees crucified criminals. A character mentions that christians were forced to put on clothes covered in pitch and burned alive "to illuminate the emperor's gardens at night." (This is historically accurate, which, I am sure, is why the author included it. Nero is known for the way he tortured christians).
- A priestess of Bacchus is mentioned to be "madly intoxicated, or pretending to be so, in honor of the god of which she was the priestess" during a festivity for that god.

[Alissa Ackerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely, marvelously beautiful.
Though this story was historical fiction, what it contained was inspiring..filled with truth and hope--the reason being that it unendingly showed things that, at first glance, would appear to anybody to be a total wreck..but were able to be turned around to good..so salvation can come and God's love be clearly seen. And that is something that did and does happen! Not a fictional thing.
The writing was beautiful, the story was captivating..and i could hardly put it down for a moment.


This is a pretty old book(originally published in 1874), so i assume that my difficulty comprehending some many sentences was attributed to that; the sentences weren't laid out in a way i'm too used to..almost seemed like improper punctuation at times. But that may just be me. My punctuation certainly isn't perfect in the slightest!
It had no affect on my love for this book, but i am just mentioning this, cause it maybe could for somebody else.
One thing that was wonderful, though(at least in this edition), was that most of the uncommon words had definitions given for them at the bottom of the page. Very helpful.


But i wholly loved this book.
It gave such a great picture of what life must have been like for the early church in Greece and Rome, and especially how it must have been for those who were still worshiping the gods and goddesses of their own lands, as they were just becoming aware of(and struggling with whether to trust)the true God who showed His love as Christ Jesus..redeeming the physical slave as well as the freedman and the rich, cause we've all been in bondage to darkness, and all desperately need His light. Whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, befriended or friendless; we all need Him. <3

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite reads of 2011!! :D The book is about the lives of two young people, brother and sister and how the come to learn and know the One True God in an age of idol worship. This is the time when Paul is imprisoned under house arrest in Rome. This book was such an encouragement to my faith! It talks of standing up for your beliefs even in a time of danger to your life, of listening to God's voice, and witnessing and sharing the Love of Christ in a real way. :) Loved it! I was inspired, challenged, and encouraged! A *must* read!!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saturday night, I couldn't sleep so I tiptoed over to the bookshelf to find a book to keep me company. With some skepticism, I picked up this jewel. It was so good, I had a hard time putting it down. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be awake during Sunday's sermon, I had better put it down. :) When I returned home from church, I went right back to the book. And finished. READ this book. It's GREAT! And this is coming from a reader who doesn't read much fiction.

[Cassandra Noelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the ease of reading and the somewhat cliched plot, I enjoyed how refreshingly clean and Christ-focused this book was. It's a rather simple Christian historical fiction novel, easier to read than G.A. Henty, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

This is certainly a book that I'll want to read out loud to my own children one day.

[Michael Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Christian story.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this to my kids for home school and we all enjoyed it very much.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️