Review: Threshold of Fire
Redactionele recensie - Kirkus ReviewsThe cusps of the past are further explored in another of the prolific Haasse's historical sagas (In a Dark Wood Wandering, 1989; The Scarlet City, 1990)--a 1964 novel newly translated from the Dutch in which the clash of religions and codes of honor comes vividly to the fore in Christianized fifth-century Rome. Hadrian, haughty Prefect of Rome and a Christian zealot but acutely aware of the taint of his Egyptian heritage in higher circles of ethnically pure Romans, finds himself on the horns of a dilemma when forced to decide the fate of a man brought before him for conducting forbidden pagan practices. The man is familiar, although his name is not, but when he challenges Hadrian's authority during his hearing, the Prefect remembers him: he's the boy who defied Hadrian in Egypt years before, and yet whose brilliance subsequently elevated him to the status of court poet in Rome, until he transgressed and was exiled forever from the city--a sentence tantamount to death. But Claudius Claudianus survived, living unrecognized among the rabble in his beloved city for a decade and teaching them to read and write, until a bizarre sequence of events involving a dwarf, a prostitute, and an actor in search of former glory brought him back to Hadrian's attention. Torn between his sense of duty and an obligation to Claudius's grandfather, a wealthy Jewish landowner who gave the boy an education and opportunity while keeping his parentage a secret, Hadrian tells the prisoner of his origins and violates the Prefect's oath of office to spare his life, but the proud poet has other plans. Rich in psychological and historical detail, with both the characters and ancient Rome vibrantly alive: a subtle, quiet tale eloquently told.
Review: Threshold of Fire: a novel of fifth century Rome
Gebruikersrecensie - Ανώνυμος Άγνωστος - GoodreadsNot what i expected. Had some nice moments but the non-linear storytelling didn't work for me. It was too small to be dramatic. Some nice descriptions but the main character was a little out of age (his writing a bit too modern.) Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Threshold of Fire: a novel of fifth century Rome
Gebruikersrecensie - Elizabeth - GoodreadsThis is a novel set in the waning years of the Western Empire, the late 5th c. Christianity has become the official imperial religion, and Vandals, Egyptians and other non-Romans are increasingly an ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Threshold of Fire: a novel of fifth century Rome
Gebruikersrecensie - Alyssa Nolan - GoodreadsI love ancient Rome, so it goes without saying that I wanted to love this book. It did keep me interested while I was reading it, only for me to put it down afterwards and think, "That's it?" Haasse ... Volledige recensie lezen
Review: Threshold of Fire: a novel of fifth century Rome
Gebruikersrecensie - Eric_W - GoodreadsThis novel is set during the cataclysmic transformation that accompanied the death of the Roman Empire at the beginning of the middle ages when the Christian Church stamped out the vestiges of Roam ... Volledige recensie lezen
