A.D. 62: Pompeii by Rebecca East

From the Publisher

A twenty-first century woman is stranded in first century Pompeii when a time travel experiment goes awry; she is sold to a wealthy family as a house slave. This provides her with an intimate, upstairs/downstairs perspective on household life in ancient times. At first she does menial work, but she improves her situation by telling stories and making prophecies. As her influence grows, she wins the love of her master and his daughter and provokes the vengeful jealousy of his wife.

In this gentle fable about the power of stories to change people's lives, the heroine uses sources that include fairy tales and great works of literature to argue for women’s rights and the humanity of slaves, and to inspire herself and others to be resourceful, courageous and independent. Miranda's own life becomes as mythic as the stories she tells. In a narrative that is part adventure, part romance, and part fantasy, the heroine triumphs over adversity and makes a place for herself in the world of the past.

Visit the companion web site at www.rebecca-east.com to see ancient works of art that inspired the descriptions of characters and settings.

Ann Hart - KLIATT

Miranda, a 21st-century scholar of classical languages and archaeology, agrees to be part of an experiment in time travel, lands in Pompeii in the year 62 and cannot return to her own time. Sold as a slave, she advances her position from menial labor by storytelling and prophesy. She and her master fall in love and after much mistreatment and jealous scheming by her mistress, who is eventually eliminated, they end up man and wife. The concept for this story is charming and the knowledge of the author is impressive, but one gets the impression she couldn't decide between a novel and a history book. There is way too much narrative and description, some of it repetitious, and way too little action. This novel will appeal only to very patient historical novel readers. KLIATT Codes: SA--Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2003, iUniverse, 292p., Ages 15 to adult.

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