100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Constantinople in 512 AD is an ever-changing and dangerous world.  Theodora is a young woman when chaos erupts between the factions and follows her father into battle.  When the dust settles, Theodora's father is dead and the women of the family are left destitute.  Magister Origen steps in saying he has a place for Theodora and her older sister in a theatre, however this is simply a facade for a brothel that demeans Theodora and Comita and eventually leads to rape.  Theodora escapes and returns to her mother broken.  They plead in the Hippodrome for mercy and are saved by a member of the opposing faction. Eventually Theodora finds the strength in her sexuality and earns a living through acting and prostitution becoming known as the Notorious Theodora.  Theodora's charisma attracts the attention of a spy ring and Theodora is trained to use her skills in order to collect information from high ranking clients.  With this position, Theodora learns how to harness true power within herself and discovers the benefactor who saved her family in the Hippodrome years ago. 

 

Far Away Bird tells the story of Theodora as a young woman before she becomes Empress.  Theodora's character is complex, emotional and raw and allowed me to feel every part of her journey.  The writing conveyed the joy, strength, sorrow and passion that Theodora carried with her in every step of her way.  In addition, the setting of Constantinople was brought alive from the busy streets, to the political factions, the Hippodrome and the theatres.  I do not know a lot about this time in history and enjoyed experiencing the variety of settings that the empire offered.  Theodora and Justinian's relationship was carefully crafted and both seemed to realize the consequences of their love.  At every turn of the way, Theodora's inner strength shone though.  Her story echoes the plight of many women throughout history and today and is a reminder of the power women can hold even when continually beaten down.  I can't wait to see her impact as an Empress alongside Justinian.