Title: The Secret History Author: Stephanie Thornton
Published: July 2, 2013
Genre(s): Historical Fiction
Page Count: 440
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads:In sixth century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds, and rose from being a common theater tart to become empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. But the woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was, in fact, a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told…
When her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation 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 of the city’s infamous amphitheater in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a back-door 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 will thrive 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?
It’s a shame that so many amazing women in history have been forgotten, or nearly forgotten. In her author’s note for The Secret History, Stephanie Thornton explains that she was spurred on to write about Empress Theodora after reading a single sentence in a history textbook, where Theodora’s deeds were lost amidst iconoclasts and famous generals. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become increasingly dissatisfied with the lack of female representation in history, and I’ve really started to seek out stories about these women (the ones that we have, since I’m sure many have been completely lost). In this way, The Secret History was a wonderful find, not only for its subject matter, but for the skill with which Thornton was able to portray such a fascinating woman’s rise to power.
Theodora herself is such an interesting and exciting topic. The Secret History opens when Theodora is 13 and her father has just died. Destitute, she and her older sister become actresses—though more often than not, the profession of “acting” is a lot closer to the profession of prostitution. From there, Theodora rises only to fall again, spends some time getting religion, until she finally catches the future emperor’s eye. And they fall in love: really, really in love, until Theodora, former prostitute, is now the Empress of the Byzantine Empire, more powerful than anyone else in the world except for her husband. It’s an amazing story, and Stephanie Thornton completely does it justice.
This book, for me, was just amazingly woman-positive, and not only because Empress Theodora was the main character, but also because of how Thornton portrayed women and their relationships. Though Theodora was the most powerful woman in the world for decades, and though she commanded more respect than any number of men, most of the close relationships we see Theodora engage in are between other women. In the early stages of the text, it’s the testy bond between Theodora and her mother and sister, then later between Theodora and her best friend, Antonina. I really loved how the author gave so many examples of strong friendships throughout the book. I liked it not only for its own sake, but also because it added depth to Theodora’s character itself, seeing her interact with others in a human way, not just always seeing her as some mythic historical figure.
Aside from that, this author has a near flawless eye for historic detail. The streets of Constantinople really came to life in The Secret History, and I loved the vivid, authentic portrait of the period this book offers readers. Because Theodora starts from the bottom to work her way up, and because she’s so well-traveled, the variety in setting is pretty big, but I never felt like Thornton had bitten off more than she was capable of handling. Everything in The Secret History was clearly well-researched and thought-through.
Thornton also has a great knack for storytelling. Theodora’s story is evidently not in need of too much embellishment, but I thought the author worked well with established fact and expanded upon things when needed, giving this book a unique flavor that is still completely authentic and in keeping with historic record. The book is not only enlightening and interesting, it’s entertaining and wholly engaging—everything historical fiction should be.
I sincerely hope that Stephanie Thornton’s debut novel marks the beginning of long career in the historical fiction genre. The world needs to learn more about marginalized or forgotten figures from history, and The Secret History does just that. This novel is well-written, exciting, and an absolute pleasure to read. I can’t think of a single thing that could be done to improve it.
