Official Review: Amora by Grant Hallstrom
Posted: 09 Nov 2020, 04:35
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Amora" by Grant Hallstrom.]
Amora by Grant Hallstrom is a historical fiction novel that explores the Greco-Roman era in Rome and the persecution of Christians at the hands of the leaders at that time.
The story primarily follows Amora, who was an inspiration for the petition to the Roman senate written by Justin Martyr, one of the first defenders of Christianity. Amora was born into wealth and had it all. It couldn't have gotten any better when she married the man of her dreams, Leo. A few years after having their first child, Natalie, their second child was born. He was deformed, and this was the beginning of their problems. Natalie's death did not make things any better. However, Amora experienced Christianity, which was not accepted at that time, and Leo followed a different path to deal with his pain.
The author does a brilliant job of capturing the feeling of that era, especially when it came to the different classes of people and their general behaviors at that time. We get a close look at people in the ruling class, slaves, centurions, and even gladiators. A few Roman festivals and gods are also included in the story, and the book is heavy on a lot of Roman terms throughout the text, including "Retiarii," "Rudus," "Praefecti," and "Bulla." However, the author does well to include a glossary of these terms at the end of the book to aid readers' understanding.
Some of the key themes in the book include forgiveness and love in Jesus Christ. The idea that Jesus has paid for everyone's sins and all we owe ourselves are love and understanding is reiterated. These themes are well explored in our main characters' lives. It gets more intriguing when Natalie is murdered, and Amora and Leo harbor feelings of vengeance towards whoever committed the act. These feelings change them and affect their marriage. The character development on both of them was impeccable, which made me easily drawn to them. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about other characters, as there was not a lot of depth to them, and this reduced my enjoyment of the story when the focus was taken away from Amora and Leo.
The author also gets repetitive at certain points. For example, "he or she retreats against the wall and silently slips out of the room" was used a lot when masters argued and slaves had to leave the room.
Amora is an exceptionally well-edited book; I did not find any typographical or grammatical errors throughout the text. This ensured that my reading was hitch-free.
Amora was an intriguing and educational read for me overall. There are also a few action scenes that kept me at the edge of my seat. My complaints above convinced me to rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn't go lower than that because of the importance of the book's message and my connection to the main characters. This book will be best suited to Christians, as there are a lot of Christian-based teachings in the book. Lovers of historical fiction novels will also enjoy reading the book.
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Amora
View: on Bookshelves
Amora by Grant Hallstrom is a historical fiction novel that explores the Greco-Roman era in Rome and the persecution of Christians at the hands of the leaders at that time.
The story primarily follows Amora, who was an inspiration for the petition to the Roman senate written by Justin Martyr, one of the first defenders of Christianity. Amora was born into wealth and had it all. It couldn't have gotten any better when she married the man of her dreams, Leo. A few years after having their first child, Natalie, their second child was born. He was deformed, and this was the beginning of their problems. Natalie's death did not make things any better. However, Amora experienced Christianity, which was not accepted at that time, and Leo followed a different path to deal with his pain.
The author does a brilliant job of capturing the feeling of that era, especially when it came to the different classes of people and their general behaviors at that time. We get a close look at people in the ruling class, slaves, centurions, and even gladiators. A few Roman festivals and gods are also included in the story, and the book is heavy on a lot of Roman terms throughout the text, including "Retiarii," "Rudus," "Praefecti," and "Bulla." However, the author does well to include a glossary of these terms at the end of the book to aid readers' understanding.
Some of the key themes in the book include forgiveness and love in Jesus Christ. The idea that Jesus has paid for everyone's sins and all we owe ourselves are love and understanding is reiterated. These themes are well explored in our main characters' lives. It gets more intriguing when Natalie is murdered, and Amora and Leo harbor feelings of vengeance towards whoever committed the act. These feelings change them and affect their marriage. The character development on both of them was impeccable, which made me easily drawn to them. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same about other characters, as there was not a lot of depth to them, and this reduced my enjoyment of the story when the focus was taken away from Amora and Leo.
The author also gets repetitive at certain points. For example, "he or she retreats against the wall and silently slips out of the room" was used a lot when masters argued and slaves had to leave the room.
Amora is an exceptionally well-edited book; I did not find any typographical or grammatical errors throughout the text. This ensured that my reading was hitch-free.
Amora was an intriguing and educational read for me overall. There are also a few action scenes that kept me at the edge of my seat. My complaints above convinced me to rate the book 3 out of 4 stars. I couldn't go lower than that because of the importance of the book's message and my connection to the main characters. This book will be best suited to Christians, as there are a lot of Christian-based teachings in the book. Lovers of historical fiction novels will also enjoy reading the book.
******
Amora
View: on Bookshelves