Synopsis (Courtesy of B&N): “At long last, Gaius Petreius Ruso and his companion, Tilla, are headed home—to Gaul. Having received a note consisting only of the words “COME HOME!” Ruso has (reluctantly, of course) pulled up stakes and brought Tilla to meet his family.
But the reception there is not what Ruso has hoped for: no one will admit to sending for him, and his brother Lucius is hoping he’ll leave. With Tilla getting icy greetings from his relatives, Lucius’s brother-in-law mysteriously drowned at sea, and the whole Ruso family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, it’s hard to imagine an unhappier reunion. That is, until Severus, the family’s chief creditor, winds up dead, and the real trouble begins…“
Comments and Critiques: I find that in order to best write most of these reviews, I have to give myself a few days to process what I’ve read. This book falls into this category. My initial impression was that I was unsatisfied with Ruso and Tilla and the entire setting. All of the characters’ actions seemed too…modern – sitting at a desk, receiving mail, looking over the bills, and so forth. The language, however, is what really bothered me. It was as if our current vernacular was taken and put into a Roman or Gaulish setting, which to me is not a true accurate historical picture. In fact, I would find myself utterly disgusted by some of the phraseology.
In addition, I was disappointed in the characterization of the women. Other than Tilla, most of the women in the book are silly, trite, and utterly obsessed with shopping and appearances. I have no use for women of this nature, and when Ruso expresses a desire that he could find a way to force the women to listen to him, I found myself wishing he could too.
However, I say that and know that I had a very difficult time putting down the book. I stayed up late, read through lunch, and so forth. I was genuinely interested in solving the murder mystery and understand how Ruso was going to solve his credit problems. The book couldn’t have been that bad if I read it obsessively over the course of a few days!!
I was fascinated by descriptions of Gaulish/Roman medicine and even of the events at the amphitheatre. I wish Ms. Downie would have gone into greater detail because, to me, it appeared to be the most authentic historical portions of the book.
My feelings about Persona Non Grata remain mixed. I still remain fairly turned off by the language and some of the situations described in the book. And yet, I really enjoyed getting to know Ruso, his family, and especially Tilla. As I mentioned, I truly cared about what happened to him, how he was going to get out of trouble and how the book was going to resolve itself. Therefore, in spite of its apparent flaws, I would have to recommend this book to others. I may even have to hit the library and pick up the first two books to read the first few adventures of Ruso and Tilla.
Thank you to Bloomsbury Marketing for the opportunity to review this ARC!
I had never heard of this author either. I would love to see what she does with a more modern story because I did enjoy the actual plot and the characters.
okbolover – It is a part of a series. I didn't know that at the time I was reading it, which makes me wonder if I would feel differently about the book if I had read the first two. Don't get me wrong. The story itself is pretty good. It kept me turning the pages well after I should have stopped reading. I just couldn't get over the thoroughly modern dialogue and what I view as modern situations. Granted, what I view as modern dialogue and modern situations may very well be accurate for that time period. I haven't done any research to test that. So, what was a slight turn-off for me may not be one for others, and it still wasn't enough for me to put down the book. It still kept me intrigued.
I believe this book is part of a series isn't it? I have taken the book Medicus out by Ruth Downie and wonder if it's related. I haven't started just yet but will do. I hope it's better than the one you read, it doesn't sound so great :
Title: Persona Non Grata
I had never heard of this author either. I would love to see what she does with a more modern story because I did enjoy the actual plot and the characters.
Hmmm….sounds interesting, but I think I would probably be bothered by the same things you were. I haven't heard of this author before.
I've had that happen before though. Not really liked the book…but yet, couldn't put it down! Sounds silly, doesn't it?
okbolover – It is a part of a series. I didn't know that at the time I was reading it, which makes me wonder if I would feel differently about the book if I had read the first two. Don't get me wrong. The story itself is pretty good. It kept me turning the pages well after I should have stopped reading. I just couldn't get over the thoroughly modern dialogue and what I view as modern situations. Granted, what I view as modern dialogue and modern situations may very well be accurate for that time period. I haven't done any research to test that. So, what was a slight turn-off for me may not be one for others, and it still wasn't enough for me to put down the book. It still kept me intrigued.
I believe this book is part of a series isn't it? I have taken the book Medicus out by Ruth Downie and wonder if it's related. I haven't started just yet but will do. I hope it's better than the one you read, it doesn't sound so great :