Summer AD 80. Flavia and her friends receive an invitation to stay at the luxurious Villa Limona in Surrentum, where their friend Pulchra has a mystery she desperately wants them to solve. After a year of hardship and disasters, people are in cheerful spirits—there is even talk of love and romance. But it seems one of the guests has murder in mind. Can Flavia and her friends track down the would-be poisoner before it's too late?
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About the Author
Caroline Lawrence grew up in California and went to England when she won a scholarship to Cambridge to study classical archaeology, which she followed with a degree in Hebrew and Jewish studies at the University of London. She is the author of The Roman Mysteries, which has been turned into a television series for BBC.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Good Roman Mystery Book,
This review is from: The Sirens of Surrentum (Roman Mysteries) (Hardcover)
The Sirens of Surrentum is another excellent book in the Roman Mysteries series. I read this and all the previous books in this series to my 7 year old daughter, who has thoroughly enjoyed them. The books should be read in order, as significant events occur in each book and each book builds upon the previous books.
The Sirens, like the other books in this series, has an interesting story line that will interest juvenile detective fans. The mysteries are more realistic and multi-dimensional than books like the Three Investigators and Nancy Drew. The Roman Mysteries also have a strong educational theme in that they are set in the context of the first century Roman world. In a very compelling and interesting manner that sparks the interest of myself and my daughter, the author weaves the history and myths of the Rome, Greece, and the first century Jews and Christians into the books. The books provide a good, if slightly unrealistic, portrayal of the diverse life in the Roman world as the four main characters include a wealthy Roman girl, her slave, a Jewish/Christian boy, and a homeless beggar boy. The characters have real depth, unlike many children's books. The author also introduces numerous historical figures. Some of the books in the series are fairly light hearted mysteries, but others address important topics like slavery, children coming of age, religious persecution, and revenge. The author has a Christian perspective regarding forgiveness and compassion which is brought into the books in a non-preachy format. The first book has the most strongly Christian theme. This is appropriate as Christianity was spreading in the Empire at this time. The author addresses these "heavy" issues in an age appropriate way, without unduly sanitizing the books. I believe the Sirens has the most "adult" theme of any of the books in that it addresses the issue of a woman becoming marriageable and falling in love for the first time, which happened early for Roman girls. The issues are addressed deftly by the author and the book was highly appropriate to read to my seven year old daughter.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Life, Love and Learning at Surrentum,
By
This review is from: The Sirens of Surrentum (Roman Mysteries) (Hardcover)
The Sirens of Surrentum takes us back to the luxurious Villa Limona of Publius Pollius Felix. Felix's daughter Pulchra has a mystery for Flavia, Jonathan, Nubia and Lupus: who is poisoning her mother. To uncover the would-be murderer several guests have been invited to the villa who are under suspicion. Among them is Voluptua, who brings her pet black panther, Annia Serena, who has a remarkably sensitive sense of smell, and Flaccus, although he is not under suspicion. The story contains a lot of information about poisons and a visit is paid to the daughter of the famous Locusta, who supplied poisons to Nero. There also is a nice discussion among the characters about the natures of Epicurean and Stoic philosophies.
The major theme of the book for Flavia is her hopeless love for Felix. She is presented with a choice when confronted by the boy she is betrothed to and her ideal idea of love in the shape of Felix. But there also is a coming-of-age theme to this book as Flavia receives help in regard to her own appearance from the beautiful and fashion conscience Pulchra. She becomes Flavia's guide to feminine beauty, showing her what makeup and grooming can do. There are episodes where Flavia begins to explore her own sexuality. She has just had her 11th birthday and is troubled by her feelings for Felix and lack of them for her betrothed. There is a sunbathing scene where the women are keeping out-of-sight but the boys row out in a boat to have a look, which has a more comic ending and is a case of boys-will-be-boys. The book also opens with her kissing Jonathan as a kind of test to see if either of them likes it: neither does. One gets so involved with the relationships among the characters that the mystery of who is attempting to poison Polla almost takes a back seat. But soon the mystery This book looks more at Roman society than previous volumes in the Roman Mysteries series. The age group is appropriately listed as young adult at Amazon. The subject of adultery is not one for younger readers and parents will have to decide if this is an appropriate book for their child. I think adult readers of the series will find this an engaging book. As the book concludes much has been learned, relationships clarified and another mystery has been solved.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Laughter, Love, and Lessons Learned,
This review is from: The Sirens of Surrentum (Roman Mysteries) (Hardcover)
When it comes to accurate historical detail and convincing depiction of ancient Roman society, author Caroline Lawrence knows whereof she writes. Before becoming a children's book author, Caroline Lawrence was a student of Classics at Berkeley and later at Cambridge, as well as a teacher of Latin at a small London primary school.
I am a librarian by profession and have read all of the books in Caroline Lawrence's Roman Mysteries series. The Sirens of Surrentum is one of her best. The protagonist of the story, Flavia Gemina, is about to celebrate her 11th birthday and is just one year away from being of marriageable age (!) by ancient Roman custom. Readers around the same age as Flavia (perhaps age 10 and older being the best age level for the younger readers of this book) will laugh at the foolishness of boys, as well as learn the valuable life-lesson that one can be too young for love. There is delicious danger in the story, as we follow the young adventurers to the villa of a famous poisoner in their quest to solve the mystery. And, as with all of Caroline Lawrence's books, we learn a few fascinating facts of Roman history and culture along the way, such as the story related by the Roman philosopher Seneca about the German barbarian who killed himself with a sponge-stick (an object customarily employed for more mundane purposes). Wittily written, NEVER condescending to young readers, and an absolute delight even for adult enthusiasts of stories set in ancient Rome and its environs, The Sirens of Surrentum is a gem from start to finish!
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