The Course of Honor

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: After chewing through all of MuCullough's Roman books, and waiting for a new one, I chanced across this one and decided to give Lindsey Davis a try. I was not dissapointed. A different perspective and a story I was not familiar with, I devoured it. Just a tiny bit romantic for my taste, but certinaly worth the read. If you have ever felt anything like Caenis and Vespasian felt for each other, this story will hit close to home. I now find myself compelled to investigate the Marcus Didius Falco books!

Rating:
Summary: Between history and fiction...
Review: Being a fan of Lindsey Davis' series of historic mysteries of Marcus Didius Falco, and also having recently read "Vespasian" by Barbara Levick, I found this novel to be an acurate and entertaining portrayal of the long time relationship of Vespasian and Caenis. It is neither the rollicking, irreverant narrative of Falco, or the dry statement of historical footnotes in a textbook; "Course of Honor" combines the best of both in a tale that gives a wonderful perspective on the life of one of Rome's better emperors through the eyes of the woman who truly stood by his side.

Rating:
Summary: A very pleasant read
Review: Being a fan of Lindsey Davis' series of historic mysteries of Marcus Didius Falco, and also having recently read "Vespasian" by Barbara Levick, I found this novel to be an acurate and entertaining portrayal of the long time relationship of Vespasian and Caenis. It is neither the rollicking, irreverant narrative of Falco, or the dry statement of historical footnotes in a textbook; "Course of Honor" combines the best of both in a tale that gives a wonderful perspective on the life of one of Rome's better emperors through the eyes of the woman who truly stood by his side.

Rating:
Summary: A stately love in a treacherous time
Review: Fans of Lindsey Davis' rollicking Falco novels will find here a more restrained style, as she polishes up a small lost history into a life's love. The care used to tell the tale befits the main players on the stage. We meet Caenis, an intelligent, resolute woman who happens to be a slave in Rome's Imperial household; hand in hand with that, we meet a steady, decent young soldier named Vespasian. (That name's familiar for a reason, Latin students.) The skein of attraction, duty, forsaking, and fulfillment that will drive these two apart and together over their lifetimes plays out with even pace against the nasty backdrop provided by Rome in the time of the Claudians. Vespasian's fate won't surprise the reader, but as for Caenis: will she or won't she? Loyal readers of Davis may be taken by surprise at the almost Victorian gravitas of her style in this work. I found it soothing, but I could note that she does tend to overuse a few favorite phrases. Still, I don't hesitate to recommend it; it's refreshing to read a love story in which restraint is an almost tangible third partner.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Rich and Compelling Tale!
Review: I almost didn't want to read this book since it wasn't part of the Didius Falco series, but decided to go ahead because Ms. Davis is such a wonderful writer. Am I ever glad that I did! This is a marvellous book. It so richly descibes the life of ancient Rome, and the many coups, killings, wars and public displays that went on then in the Imperial city. It also richly describes a great love story. This is a love story between a freed woman and a future emporer of Rome - Vespasian. It is a love story that survives for decades. What a wonderful woman Caenis must have been - a true partner for a great and wonderful leader. The author depicts her characters so well that they appear to come alive in this beautiful story. I feel privileged that I was able to read this wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: A Very Rich and Compelling Tale!
Review: I almost didn't want to read this book since it wasn't part of the Didius Falco series, but decided to go ahead because Ms. Davis is such a wonderful writer. Am I ever glad that I did! This is a marvellous book. It so richly descibes the life of ancient Rome, and the many coups, killings, wars and public displays that went on then in the Imperial city. It also richly describes a great love story. This is a love story between a freed woman and a future emporer of Rome - Vespasian. It is a love story that survives for decades. What a wonderful woman Caenis must have been - a true partner for a great and wonderful leader. The author depicts her characters so well that they appear to come alive in this beautiful story. I feel privileged that I was able to read this wonderful book.

Rating:
Summary: Far Below "I, Claudius"
Review: I like Lindsey Davis's Falco series, but I must agree whole-heartedly with "A Reader's" comments. This book drags, particularly in the middle section (when Vespasian is absent). In addition, like the Falco series and Steven Saylor, the protagonists have too much of politically-correct agenda (feminism, democracy, and, in Saylor's case, anti-slavery) to be really belivable First Century Romans. Robert Graves does it better.

Rating:
Summary: A different side of Lindsey Davis
Review: In an interview with Davis that appeared on the web, she said that she originally set out to write historical fiction (as in the Course of Honor) that was closely based on actual events and that provided an accurate perspective on Roman life. However, her Marcus Didius Falco books attracted a much wider audience, and so her subsequent writing has followed that character. I enjoy the anachronistic, wise-cracking Falco; but I wish Davis would also write more fiction that takes us back to the "real" Rome. Caenis was an actual historical figure, about whom very little is known. Davis used accounts by Tacitus as sources of major events in Vespasian's life, and those events provided an interesting story line. I thoroughly enjoyed the feisty, independent Caenis; it's so rare to see a strong independent woman in stories set in the ancient world (other notable examples are Bradshaw's female physician in A Beacon at Alexandria, and Brenda Jagger's Antonia, and of course, the strong women who appear in Colleen McCullough's novels. The middle part of Caenis's life (in the novel) was not as interesting as the periods when she was involved with Vespasian; I would have liked to see something more inventive here, because the pace was rather slow in some parts of the story. In spite of that, this remains one of my favorite ancient world novels, and I hope that someday Lindsey Davis writes additional books outside the Falco series.

Rating:
Summary: Try "I Claudius" instead
Review: Lindsey Davis, whose mysteries I have enjoyed more than any others I have read, here demonstrates a remarkably sure hand at material which, if it shares a common historical setting with her mysteries, is nevertheless quite different in its emotional contours, time scale, and character dynamics. The light tone of her mysteries makes it especially rewarding -- albeit not surprising to those who know her work well -- to find here such a moving and mature account of love and separation. Also deserving special praise is the way in which Davis' characters believably age over the course of the book, remaining recognizably the same people while also reaching milestones in their life which allow no simple return to past ways.

Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Book
Review: The Course of Honor is an engaging novel which elucidates the typical lifestyle of a Roman. The love story between the two main characters, Caenis and Vespasian, is sentimental and charming. The plot is entertaining. The only part of the book that is dissatisfactory is that Lindsey tends to drone on and on about what Caenis sees in the city and what the current emperor is doing. It is, for the most part, historically accurate and the main characters are real people. Overall, I really enjoyed this book.