Review of Amora
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LadyBugDee
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Review of Amora
[Following is a volunteer review of "Amora" by Grant Hallstrom.]
Amora tells the story of a Roman wife that comes into conflict with society’s expectations in degrees of seriousness. Each wholehearted decision that removes her from social grace builds into and supports the next. From her position as the wife of a well-to-do Roman citizen to her end in the amphitheater and the turmoil on the way, Amora builds character while losing face among her peers. Amora is an excellent view into the conflict and separation caused in a family that had fallen from social graces by the sequential decisions of the stubborn love of a mother. It shows how heartache heaps on heartache when it is not dealt with in as the common saying goes; hurt people hurt people. In spite of this, it is the forgiveness in each individual's journey that once again brings them together.
The book accomplishes the feat of bringing to life a time of ages-old; that of a Roman citizen. It brings to light interesting discussions among the Roman men that indicate the common ideologies of the day. It also showed their way of life, their feasts, and their social structure. Grant Hallstrom succeeds in very clearly portraying the emotions of the characters. Additionally, it brought to the attention some interesting perspectives on forgiveness and justice. Finally, Amora also brought to life some of the ways the earlier church lived, got together, and dealt with persecution.
I did not find, however, that the story was very immersive. One reason for this could be the vocabulary of the book. Consider the sentence on page 67: "It was actually fun to openly interact with her staff on such intimate terms, and listen to their banter." The meaning is quite clear, but the modernity of the terms used broke some of the immersion. Another reason for it is that the writer did not zoom into specific scenarios in which emotions could be drawn out. Instead, they were sped by quite quickly, reaching conclusions before the emotions could be felt. One example of this was the fall from social grace that Amora experienced.
For these reasons, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would easily recommend it to other readers. It was a book with good references and interesting discussions. I feel, however, that the potential to bring out the reader's empathy for the characters to a full measure was missed. Nevertheless, the lessons in it and the story it tells is good.
I believe that this would appeal mostly to adult audiences, but young adults could very well be included. The content does not discourage readers of any age to read it, but the mental impact is quite mature.
******
Amora
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Amora tells the story of a Roman wife that comes into conflict with society’s expectations in degrees of seriousness. Each wholehearted decision that removes her from social grace builds into and supports the next. From her position as the wife of a well-to-do Roman citizen to her end in the amphitheater and the turmoil on the way, Amora builds character while losing face among her peers. Amora is an excellent view into the conflict and separation caused in a family that had fallen from social graces by the sequential decisions of the stubborn love of a mother. It shows how heartache heaps on heartache when it is not dealt with in as the common saying goes; hurt people hurt people. In spite of this, it is the forgiveness in each individual's journey that once again brings them together.
The book accomplishes the feat of bringing to life a time of ages-old; that of a Roman citizen. It brings to light interesting discussions among the Roman men that indicate the common ideologies of the day. It also showed their way of life, their feasts, and their social structure. Grant Hallstrom succeeds in very clearly portraying the emotions of the characters. Additionally, it brought to the attention some interesting perspectives on forgiveness and justice. Finally, Amora also brought to life some of the ways the earlier church lived, got together, and dealt with persecution.
I did not find, however, that the story was very immersive. One reason for this could be the vocabulary of the book. Consider the sentence on page 67: "It was actually fun to openly interact with her staff on such intimate terms, and listen to their banter." The meaning is quite clear, but the modernity of the terms used broke some of the immersion. Another reason for it is that the writer did not zoom into specific scenarios in which emotions could be drawn out. Instead, they were sped by quite quickly, reaching conclusions before the emotions could be felt. One example of this was the fall from social grace that Amora experienced.
For these reasons, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. I would easily recommend it to other readers. It was a book with good references and interesting discussions. I feel, however, that the potential to bring out the reader's empathy for the characters to a full measure was missed. Nevertheless, the lessons in it and the story it tells is good.
I believe that this would appeal mostly to adult audiences, but young adults could very well be included. The content does not discourage readers of any age to read it, but the mental impact is quite mature.
******
Amora
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Legacy of Job's Wife by Cynthia Koelker
