Hidden Half Book Club discussion

I hope you’ve all got your copies of Messalina: The Life and Times of Rome’s Most Scandalous Empress by @hcargilmartin, because this month we’re in for quite a story. Cargill-Martin has given us a thorough backstory to lay the scene of Messalina’s rise to prominence, including a number of aristocratic women before her. Here’s a question to kick off discussion:

Q1: Which other aristocratic Roman woman would you like to read more about, and why?

As always, feel free to share your thoughts on this - or any other reflections - in the comments below.

We’re halfway through Messalina: The Life and Times of Rome’s Most Scandalous Empress by Honor Cargill-Martin and I am now thinking about the Roman Empire multiple times a week. Here’s are some questions to get us started, but all reflections very welcome:

Q2: How has the background we’ve been given helped us understand Messalina’s actions?

Q3: How does Cargill-Martin frame Messalina’s infidelities? And how does that affect the way we understand her actions?

Throw your thoughts on this question - or anything else - in the comments below!

And that’s the end for poor (?) Messalina. What a wild ride, deftly led by Honor Cargill-Martin. To finish us off, I’ve got a broader question of genre for you:

Q4: Would you say that Messalina is a biography? Why or why not?

Let us know what you thought about the book in the comments below!

While we're getting our December questions in order, come check out our final thoughts on Messalina!

Don your togas and enter the toothless Senate as Victoria and Katherine opine on the horrific ideal of Roman womanhood, the author’s deft handling of sources, and the value of finding women’s agency in historical narrative.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/70a4...

See you in audio space!