by Justin Swanton
When I heard about the opportunity to review this book I was
intrigued. I knew the reputation of Arx Publishing and I’m embarrassed to say
that while I always intended to, I had not yet read any of their books.
Specializing in Historical Fiction for young adults, they have a devoted
following among Classical High School teachers and homeschoolers.
When I offered to review the book I blithely said that I was
a fast reader and would finish it in 1-2 days and publish a review. And I
really intended to do that. But when I received it I was struck that this was a
decent sized volume of some 335 pages. This was not a book dashed off and
rushed to publication but something that had been lovingly labored over. In reading
it, I found that I could do no less.
First of all, let me say, I loved it. The main character
Aemilia, is a seventeen year old whose
mother has recently died. She is traveling from her birthplace of Reims to Rome
to find her father who she understands was a Centurion. She has never met him
and does not know why he left her mother and she.
As the story unfolds we find that she is educated (though
considered a Barbarian Frank), with experience as a lady’s maid, though a true
lady herself, and due to this she becomes involved in political intrigue at the
very highest levels. Aemilia impresses
us with her compassion, sense of duty, generosity and willingness to work very
hard with little to no gratitude, much less compensation.
The book takes several turns which I will not ruin for you
but let me assure you that it kept my interest and all day long I looked
forward to returning to its pages at night. I was sorry to see the book end and
found the ending mostly satisfying, though like life, less than perfect.
Her Christian Faith stands in sharp contrast to those around
her, Roman citizens and her devotion to the Sacraments is constant and
unwavering. Without trying to convert those around her, she wins people close
to her by her example.
If I had to make one small criticism of the book I would say
that Aemilia seemed to me almost too perfect. However, it may be that she is
intended as an archetype of virtue and that that is intentional on the part of
the author. Strongly reinforced is that sense that in the smallest acts of
good, and most humble of positions, no effort is wasted and even if the act goes unnoticed it fashions a character
which cannot escape notice for long.
I strongly recommend this book and would say it is appropriate for
young ladies and gentleman 15 years and older and their parents of course. This would
be a great Christmas gift, Confirmation gift for your Confirmandi or addition to a High School Curriculum. To order
this book from the Arx website go here.
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