Rating: 
Summary: Can I give it 10 stars? Please?
Review: This is, without a doubt, my favorite book of all time. I discovered it languishing in my high school library, not checked out in years, and after I read it I ran to the bookstore and tried to buy a copy. No luck -- it was out of print at that time -- and so, I am ashamed to admit, I swiped my high school library's copy and paid the exorbitant fine.It was well worth it. Bradshaw's conversational writing style hooks you immediately and takes you into the vast Roman empire shortly before its downfall, makes you feel as if you're really there, by focusing on one young woman, Charis, and her struggle to find her identity and be true to herself. The characters are people you wish you knew, the situations Charis finds herself in keep you on the edge of your seat, and the incredibly researched detail and descriptions add depth to the narrative without ever overpowering the story. Indeed, such meticulous detail only increases the reader's feeling of actually being there, actually seeing what Charis sees and smelling what she smells and feeling her emotions as real as you feel your own. BUY THIS BOOK. NOW. TODAY. Even if you've never liked historical novels, you'll like this one. Because it's not about the history -- although there's lots of it, and it's well-presented, since Bradshaw has a Master's degree in classics from Cambridge -- but about Charis, and what she goes through to discover her inner strengths and desires. She's a complex character who undergoes changes as she ages and learns, and she's a remarkable heroine who's honest, hardworking, dedicated, and very human. Some book characters you want for your real-life friends; Charis is the kind of character you wish you were. I read this book every year, and every year I'm amazed by how much I learn from it, how much it affects my outlook on life, and how indescribably enjoyable I find the time I spend in cultured Ephesus and learned Alexandria and wild Thrace with the most esteemed Charis and her wonderful friends. This is a fabulous character-driven novel for anyone -- lovers of adventure, history, medicine, LIFE.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book painted vividly and exictedly by ms.b.
Review: This was one of the best books I have ever read, and if you haven't read this book, you are missing out!!! It's romance, drama, excitement and intreging story all make you want to cry and laugh at the same time. Charis, a wealthy daughter of a lord, runs away to alexandria to become a doctor. She disgueses herself, by emotions and character, hooray for Charis!!!
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