Claudia's life did not start easily. The illegitimate daughter of Julia, reviled and exiled daughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia spends her childhood in a guarded villa with her mother and grandmother. When Tiberius, who hates Julia, takes the throne, Claudia is wrenched away from her mother to be brought up in the palace in Rome. The young woman is adrift-until she meets Lucius Pontius Pilate and becomes his wife. When Pilate is appointed Prefect of the troublesome territory of Judea, Claudia does what she has always done: she makes the best of it. But unrest is brewing on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, and Claudia will soon find herself and her beloved husband embroiled in controversy and rebellion. Might she find peace and rest in the teaching of the mysterious Jewish Rabbi everyone seems to be talking about?
Readers will be whisked through marbled palaces, dusty marketplaces, and idyllic Italian villas as they follow the unlikely path of a woman who warrants only a passing mention in one of the Gospel accounts. Diana Wallis Taylor combines her impeccable research with her flair for drama and romance to craft a tale worthy of legend.
My review:
Wonderful story! I am a huge fan of Biblical fiction regardless. If it's emotionally evocative and has scenes from the scriptures in it, I love it even more. This is probably Taylor's best book. I used to think it was Journey to the Well, but I think this book tops even that one. I love reading books about ancient Rome. Getting an up-close look at the Romans during that time is always fascinating to me. The emperors of the day were corrupt and self-serving. I can only imagine what being a woman during that time period would be like. Goodness, it would be a huge bummer to have no say in your life.
I appreciated how the author made Claudia and Lucius's story a love match. Yes, it was an arranged marriage, but they were both pleasantly surprised when they met. I loved how that all played out. There was a strong side to Pilate, and a side that was tender and loving. The sad part came when he saw himself as a defeated man. I felt bad for Claudia. She did what she could to support him as a loving wife should. The ending had a nice love twist to it. I appreciated that a lot, so the story didn't end on a sad note. I was happy for Claudia and her son.
Without posting a spoiler, I'll just tell you that a number of times this book brought tears to my eyes because some of the scenes were so well-written I forgot I was reading a book. I really, really loved it. Therefore, it's making my favorite fiction list for 2013.
“Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”
Claudia, Wife of Pontius Pilate was published by Revell and released in June 2013.
2 comments:
LOOKS like a great book. Would love to read it as soon as possible
thanks
Anne
would love to read this book.
thanks
Anne
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