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A Villa Far From Rome Paperback – August 15, 2016

by Sheila Finch (Author)
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 17 ratings
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A homesick, 16 year-old Roman girl and her illegitimate child, exiled by the Emperor Nero to Britannia. A middle-aged Celtic king of an insignificant tribe, trying to find middle ground between Celtic tradition and Roman rule and making enemies on both sides. The shadow of martyred Queen Boudicca like a curse on the land. An old Legionary willing to give his life for a friend, and a former Greek slave with a secret past who rescues him. And an overbearing Roman architect trying to build a copy of one of the most glorious palaces in Rome in a backwater of the Empire - What could go wrong?
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    318 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hadley Rille Books
  4. Publication date
    August 15, 2016
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0997118830
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0997118834
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hadley Rille Books (August 15, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0997118830
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0997118834
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.71 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 17 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Michael Westerfield
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent historical novel
Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
An excellent historical novel. A bit different from most that I have read. It does a very nice job of placing characters to whom we can relate into a time and place with which we may not be familiar and in showing the effects of grand sweeping events on folks far from the centers of power. Very readable indeed and a book that might fill a few gaps in our knowledge of the history of Britain. The occasional and appropriate references to crows is a nice touch.
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Leonard Carpenter
5.0 out of 5 stars A Vivid Unfolding of History
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017
Verified Purchase
What a riddle -- in a quiet backwater of south England, the ruins of a Roman villa that would rival the Empire's most luxurious palace! Sheila Finch has set out to explain this true-life anomaly, and in so doing she provides an authentic, intricate and heartfelt story of the passions and intrigues that led to its existence. The lives of an ambitious courtesan, a young girl, an aging tribal chieftain and a corrupt emperor intertwine to form a careful portrait of ancient Britain and a vivid unfolding of history.
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Valerie Adolph
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved It!
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2017
AD66 – the Romans have conquered much of Britain and the tribes live uncomfortably beside a powerful military force. Insurrections still occur but some Britons are assimilating. One tribal chief, Togidubnus, has taken the Roman name Tiberius and has sent his eldest son to Rome to be educated.
Visiting him, Tiberius steps unwittingly into the plans of Antonia, a young Italian girl who has borne Nero’s daughter after he raped her. She plans to have Nero acknowledge the child, but Nero, surrounded by enemies, wants rid of both of them. Instantly he marries Antonia to Tiberius and banishes them to the furthest corner of his empire – to Britain where Tiberius’ loving wife awaits him.
Tiberius struggles to lead his people and fit in with the ruling Romans as well as the ancient tribal customs. Antonia hates her new home, the inadequate house, the climate, and the customs. Only her young daughter Lucia happily explores the countryside with Tiberius’ younger son and his dog. Then Severus, Nero’s own architect, appears with orders to build a palace as grand as those in Rome.
This requires taxing the local people even more heavily. Tiberius is caught between their insurrection and the power of Rome. What follows is an intricately woven story that imaginatively explores the difficulties of straddling two vastly different cultures as they struggle for dominance. While the author sets out to explain the remains of a Roman palace in this outpost of empire she details the very human stories of the old wife and the new wife. The moral and practical dilemmas of Tiberius, the costs in physical pain – even death - and emotional turmoil of even the minor characters are shown in clear dramatic form.
The conclusion has beauty and inevitability. I felt that I lived this book.
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Judy A. Bernstein
5.0 out of 5 stars Humanized History
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2017
A Villa Far From Home is how I like to get my history. Humanized through strong unforgettable characters. Finch explores a little-known area of history, with its dreams and heartbreaks, its love and violence, colonization and resistance, heroism and treachery – a fascinating story that brings the ruins of a great empire to life.
One person found this helpful
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Gregory A. Benford
5.0 out of 5 stars A SOUND HISTORICAL, Well paced, evocative, quite fine.
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2017
This story brings forth the feel of a distant era, colorful and strange. Its characters move through their culture, quite different ideas emerge, the time echoes with the ancient worldview. Well paced, evocative, quite fine.
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Ann
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast moving historical tale
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2017
Historical fiction that captures the times and influence of Nero on a family in the British Isles. A page turner filled with rounded characters in difficult and unusual circumstances.
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Shirley N.
4.0 out of 5 stars The Villa Nero Built
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2021
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
As a fan of historical fiction the description of this story drew me in. But what elevated the story for me was the partial excavation of a Roman Villa, explained in the credits, and a signet ring, found in 1995, upon which the story is derived. The narration was good, and the banishment of the young girl and her child by the debauched Emperor severely impacts her life.
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Top reviews from other countries

Margaret Martin
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
Excellent
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