‘A powerful, exuberant and brilliantly written novel about a fascinating and spirited woman – Julia, the daughter of the Emperor Augustus.’ Anna Mazzola
2 BC.
When Julia, the brilliant, scandalous daughter of Emperor Augustus, is sent into exile on a tiny island off the Italian coast, her arrival shatters the ordered world of Aelia, the freedwoman placed in charge of her imprisonment. Once a quiet housekeeper, Aelia must now hold together a community stripped of its men, divided by fear, and forced to serve the woman they blame for destroying their lives.
Julia arrives broken—bereft of her children, deprived of the luxuries she took for granted. She is accused of being a whore and traitor to her father. In exile, she must fight to reclaim her own story.
As the months pass, two extraordinary women from opposite ends of Roman society are drawn into an uneasy relationship of resentment, dependence and reluctant understanding. Around them, a household of slaves, freedwomen and exiles struggles to survive beneath the crushing weight of imperial power, where every kindness is political, every secret has a price, and one woman's disgrace threatens them all.
Rich in historical detail and alive with unforgettable voices, Julia is a gripping reimagining of one of history's most enigmatic women—and a story about power, freedom, motherhood and the price of defying an Emperor.
Antonia Senior is a writer, critic and podcaster. Her novels include The Winter Isles, The Tyrant’s Shadow and Stalin’s Apostles. Antonia reviews historical fiction for The Times.
Praise for Antonia Senior
'Shocking. Gripping. Unputdownable. You thought you knew the Cambridge Five? Think again!' - DAMIEN LEWIS
'A definitive work on one of the 20th century's most treacherous conspiracies.' - TIM WEINER
'A spellbinding tale of espionage, friendship, and betrayal. Brilliant.' - PAUL VIDICH
'Beautifully written and utterly compelling.' - SAUL DAVID
'A powerful narrative' - HELEN FRY
Genre: Historical
2 BC.
When Julia, the brilliant, scandalous daughter of Emperor Augustus, is sent into exile on a tiny island off the Italian coast, her arrival shatters the ordered world of Aelia, the freedwoman placed in charge of her imprisonment. Once a quiet housekeeper, Aelia must now hold together a community stripped of its men, divided by fear, and forced to serve the woman they blame for destroying their lives.
Julia arrives broken—bereft of her children, deprived of the luxuries she took for granted. She is accused of being a whore and traitor to her father. In exile, she must fight to reclaim her own story.
As the months pass, two extraordinary women from opposite ends of Roman society are drawn into an uneasy relationship of resentment, dependence and reluctant understanding. Around them, a household of slaves, freedwomen and exiles struggles to survive beneath the crushing weight of imperial power, where every kindness is political, every secret has a price, and one woman's disgrace threatens them all.
Rich in historical detail and alive with unforgettable voices, Julia is a gripping reimagining of one of history's most enigmatic women—and a story about power, freedom, motherhood and the price of defying an Emperor.
Antonia Senior is a writer, critic and podcaster. Her novels include The Winter Isles, The Tyrant’s Shadow and Stalin’s Apostles. Antonia reviews historical fiction for The Times.
Praise for Antonia Senior
'Shocking. Gripping. Unputdownable. You thought you knew the Cambridge Five? Think again!' - DAMIEN LEWIS
'A definitive work on one of the 20th century's most treacherous conspiracies.' - TIM WEINER
'A spellbinding tale of espionage, friendship, and betrayal. Brilliant.' - PAUL VIDICH
'Beautifully written and utterly compelling.' - SAUL DAVID
'A powerful narrative' - HELEN FRY
Genre: Historical
Used availability for Antonia Senior's Julia