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The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora by [Stephanie Thornton]

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Stephanie Thornton

The Secret History: A Novel of Empress Theodora Kindle Edition

by Stephanie Thornton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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Where Theodora went, trouble followed….

In sixth-century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds and rose from common theater tart to empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. The woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told….

After her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation and a life on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can—first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a backdoor entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector—only to face heartbreak and betrayal.

Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and, by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the emperor’s nephew. She thrives as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder—is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?

READERS GUIDE INCLUDED

Print length

445 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Berkley
Publication date

July 2, 2013
Reading age

18 years and up
File size

1384 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Stephanie Thornton's Theodora is tough and intelligent, spittingdefiance against the cruel world of the Byzantine Empire. Her rise fromstreet urchin to emperor's consort made me want to stand up and cheer. Her earlystruggle as actress and courtesan really had me roaring: eitherwith rage at the misfortunes heaped on this poor girl, or with delightas she once more picked herself up with a steely glint in her eye andkept on going."--Kate Quinn, author of Empress of the Seven Hills

"Loss, ambition and lust keep this rich story moving at top speed.Stephanie Thornton writes a remarkable first novel that brings a littleknown woman to full, vibrant life...A sprawling and irresistiblestory."--Jeane Westin, author of The Spymaster's Daughter

"Afascinating and vivid account; in The Secret History, the life ofEmpress Theodora leaps from the page, as colorful and complex as thewoman herself."--Michelle Diener, author of The Emperor's Conspiracy

"If thereis one book you choose to read on ancient times, let it be The SecretHistory. Theodora is a true Byzantine icon, and her story is a timelessinspiration that needs to be heard." --Historical Novel Society

"WhileEmpress Theodora's story unfolds in whatis today modern Turkey, one could borrow from the cowboy vernacular andsay that Thornton's well-conceived and engrossing tale exalts ahistorical figure of "true grit.""--Library Journal Review

"This story tore out my heart and taped it back together just to tear it to sheds at the end. But I loved it! Ireally love that the book includes not only a note from the author about Theodora, but also a Reader's Guide so it is ready for any book clubto use!" --Night Owl Reviews

About the Author

Stephanie Marie Thornton is a high school history teacher and lives in Alaska with her husband and daughter.

--This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B009KUWVHG
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley (July 2, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 2, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1384 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 445 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #454,376 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #546 in Historical Biographical Fiction
- #621 in Biographical Fiction (Kindle Store)
- #1,508 in Biographical Historical Fiction

Customer Reviews:
596 ratings

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Stephanie Thornton

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Stephanie Thornton is a writer and history teacher who has been obsessed with women from history since she was twelve. She is the author of seven novels and lives with her husband and daughter in Alaska. Visit her website at www.stephaniethorntonauthor.com.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

596 global ratings

5 star		56%
4 star		32%
3 star		9%
2 star		2%
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Top reviews from the United States

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Anna Priscilla

Interesting secrets

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 3, 2023

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Theodora's life is almost unimaginable.....from base beginnings to Empress. Despite her early errors in judgement, she, as Justinians Empress, made many important observations and suggestions during his reign. Their union was a true love story, and the whole of all of it makes for a very readable journey.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 17, 2015

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Stephanie Thornton’s novel of Empress Theodora brought to mind the story of Eva Peron. The similarities are striking. Eva Peron, as you may recall was an Argentinian woman born into poverty who became an actress and married Juan Peron, the most powerful politician in Argentina. She was adulated by the masses and despised by those who knew better. She died of cancer at the age of 43. Theodora, who lived during the early 6th century was the daughter of an animal trainer who worked for one of the charioteer factions of Constantinople. In the novel she was eleven when her father died and his death threw his wife and three daughters into dire poverty. Her mother makes a disastrous marriage which costs the life of her youngest child. She sends Theodora and her thirteen year old sister Comito to try to get jobs at the Kynegion Theater. Theodora has only one card to play, and she plays it to the hilt. Her performance of Leda and the Swan brings her notoriety and she becomes one of the most sought-after courtesans in Constantinople. What Theodora really wants, however is to marry a rich man and become a respectable Kyria. Seeking to do just that, she leaves her love child behind with her friend Antonina and goes to Africa at the invitation of Hecebolus, the dye merchant who has been given the governorship of a province by the newly crowned emperor Justin.
The venture in Africa proves disastrous for Theodora and she ends up being pregnant and stranded in Alexandria. She is taken under the wing of a Monophysite priest named Severus, and resolves to change her ways. She gives birth to a son and after a couple of years she decides to return to Constantinople with her son. On the way she stops in Antioch and meets up with Macedonia, a former courtesan she knew from Constantinople. Macedonia is in the employ of Justinian, Emperor Justin’s nephew and heir apparent. Macedonia gives Theodora a letter of introduction to her patron.
Justinian is enthralled by Theodora at their first meeting and is determined to marry her despite the fact that patricians are not legally permitted to marry actresses. Emperor Justin’s wife, Lupicina, is dead set against the match despite the fact that she was a tavern wench when she met Justin, but, in the end Justin over-rules his wife and Justinian marries Theodora. Not long after that, Lupicina dies and Justin goes into decline, dying several months later. Justinian becomes emperor. Theodora brings her daughter Tasia with her to the palace, but leaves her son with her friend Antonina. She does not tell Justinian that she has a son.
Justinian’s ambitions go far beyond those of his uncle. He wants to recreate the Roman Empire. By this time the Roman Empire was divided into two halves and the Western half is in fragments, ruled by Vandals, Ostrogoths, Franks, and other such ilk. Justinian has a top-notch general named Belisarius, and a brilliant fiscal manager named John the Cappadocian. Theodora has little regard for either one. John the Cappadocian is a twice rejected suitor. She manages to marry her friend Antonina off to Belisarius but Antonina is more interested in her godson Theodosius.
Theodora warns Justinian that John the Cappadocian is corrupt and that his heavy taxes are causing discontent among the populace, but wars are expensive and Justinian is not about to let go of his brilliant financial minister. Theodora is proven right when a full-scale rebellion breaks out and the charioteer factions, the patrician blues and the plebeian greens unite in calling for the abdication of Justinian. Constantinople begins to go up in flames, churches, hospitals and other public building are put to the torch, including the famed church the Hagia Sophia. Justinian’s advisors urge him to flee the city. It is Theodora who stands her ground: “However consider whether after you have reach that safety if you would gladly exchange it for death,” She tells him “As for myself, I believe that Imperial purple is a good burial shroud.”
Justinian sends Belisarius to the Hippodrome to quell the Nika rioters, and he promptly does so at the cost of 30,000 lives.
The secret history is a truly remarkable book, told in the first person by a snarky voiced Theodora. It effectively captures the spirit of the times when what is left of the Roman Empire is a shadow of its former self. Christianity is on the rise and paganism in retreat. The culture is more Hellenistic than Roman. Justinian was, in fact the last Roman Emperor to speak Latin. Unlike Rome of the classical period, there is remarkable social mobility. Emperor Justinian himself is the nephew of a Thracian goatherd, and Theodora has risen to the greatest heights from the lowest depths of society. Despite Justinian’s efforts to reunite the Roman Empire, he succeeds only partially and Western Europe sinks inexorably into the dark ages.
As for Theodora, she dies in her forties, probably of cancer, much like Eva Peron. Someone should write a musical about her with a song: “Don’t cry for me, Constantinople. . .”

8 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Great historical fiction

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 25, 2023

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Fabulous book! Really enjoyed the history and story

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James Edward Cleland

The Secret History Reveals Much About the Empress Theodora

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 16, 2013

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The life of the infamous and highly maligned Empress Theodora of the
Byzantine Empire is the focus of Stephanie Thornton's new book, The Secret History,
available from Amazon.

By combining her insightful creativity with her use of outstanding historical sources Ms. Thornton successfully creates a very plausible story line taking the young actress from the desperate atmosphere of the dregs of her girlhood in Constantinople to her incredible but true rise to become Empress of the Byzantine Empire, and the most powerful woman in the world.

This is a remarkable read for a first novel in that the literary devices used to create the atmosphere of the times as well as the story's characterizations ring true.
Often in historical novels the author will betray a lack of knowledge of societal customs, mannerisms and even linguistic patterns in use during the time period being portrayed and this can mar the effectiveness of presenting history. Not so
with The Secret History.

Stephanie Thornton uses solid historical sources to anchor her story but it is how she fills in the unknown gaps in Theodora's life which separates this book from other historical novels out in the marketplace. Thornton's inventiveness is steeped in her deep knowledge of Byzantine history, manners and customs and to this she adds a dose of healthy curiosity of what could have been...

She takes the time to explore Theodora's adolescence as she and her sister Comito
try to survive on life's lowest rung of the ladder working as performers at the Hippodrome, a 6th century Byzantine version of the Colosseum. Not content to merely survive but to become a woman of standing, Theodora travels southward from Constantinople with a government official and over a period of several years returns to the Queen of Cities via a most circuitous route--and not one of her choosing alone. Others see the young woman's high intelligence, wisdom and cunning and share this news with a counsel who also has high ambition, Justinian,
the man who one day would become Emperor of the Byzantine Empire and the most powerful man alive.

Stephanie Thornton shapes the historical journey of young Theodora as a weaver guides a tapestry. Historically accurate personages are combined and events are simplified to avoid unnecessary confusion for the reader. After all, the dictionary defines "byzantine" as an adjective expressing great complexity. Much of the religious drama prevalent to this time in the Byzantine Empire is subdued in favor of portraying the strong and fascinating personalities brought into the walls of Constantinople: it is the reader who stands behind the draperies and in the dark recesses of the Palace and is allowed to hear the discussions of the high and mighty.

The characters are brought to life with all of their shortcomings, dreams and real-life heroics exposed and the reader gains a deeper appreciation for this often under-appreciated period in world history.

I have to imagine that Stephanie Thornton is one heckuva high school teacher and so I say "Nika!" for The Secret History by Stephanie Thornton.

James Edward Cleland,
author of The Silent Sentinel

13 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

lizc

Good

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

An interesting read about the Empress Theodora. She is a fascinating character who we only really know from the first hand accounts of a historian who hated her and the building legacy left by her and Justinian in Istanbul. I also never realized the devastating effect the Plague had on the Byzantine empire. From the conversation notes at the end of the book, I see this is the author's first book and I must congratulate her on making the characters come alive. I will certainly be reading more by her and recommend the book to anyone who likes historical fiction.

Amazon Customer

Good read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on August 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

A good read

Jenny Metson

Loved it!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 9, 2020

Verified Purchase

Great story based on the life of Theodora. Loved it and would definitely recommend

Francesca F

Fantastic Read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 2, 2016

Verified Purchase

This book is literally amazing. I adore historical fiction but this book had so much more than that, romance, intrigue and heartbreak. Its a fantastic read. Please dont hesitate to buy it.

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