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Smiling Shelves

After Rome [Review]

9/13/2013

4 Comments

 
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After Rome is the story of Britain after the Roman soldiers left around 410 AD. The civilization that everyone is used to begins crumbling, and soon it becomes every man for himself. Cadogan and Dinas are cousins with a complicated family past and very different personalities. Dinas wants to get what he can from the lack of civilization. He begins recruiting men to become pirates. The riches he gains will then allow him to become king in a land where any ambitious leader could grab the right to be king. Cadogan takes a leadership role reluctantly when the Saxon army burns his hometown, and he becomes the de facto leader of the remaining citizens. They start life over in the wilderness, learning how to do everything on their own.

I’ve typically enjoyed books by Morgan Llywelyn, and this one was no different. She researches thoroughly and creates realistic characters that grab your interest. My only feeling of dissatisfaction with After Rome is the rushed ending. Forty pages from the end I was wondering if this was simply the first book in a series; there was so much story line to go, if told at the pace of the rest of the book. But nope! – it was all wrapped up by the time the pages ran out. It felt much too rushed to me. There was much more story potential there. It almost seemed as if Llywelyn got tired of writing the stories of these characters. Other than that, this book gave a great picture of what Britain would have been like in a time period that hasn’t been written about much. It was an enjoyable and occasionally amusing read.

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Learning

4 Comments
Joyful Reader link
9/13/2013 04:55:00 pm

Sounds like a great book! I have had such experiences with a book. How is this book every going to wrap up? It kind of left me wanting more! Even though it ended as it should but making me feel the story should still be going...I may still have to get this one. I like the era being written of.

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
9/14/2013 03:27:27 am

Yeah, I really found that era fascinating. I would happily have kept reading for a hundred or even two hundred more pages, especially since the stories of the characters needed that!

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Kimberly @ Turning the Pages
9/13/2013 09:29:53 pm

I read this one back in April and enjoyed it, I think I only gave it 3 stars because I wasn't a fan of the way the story was told by the characters but the writing itself as a whole was lovely I have a bunch of her other books on my shelves and I can't wait to have time to finally get to them :)
Glad you liked this one!
- <a href="http://www.turningthepages.blogspot.com">Kimberly @ Turning the Pages</a>

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Julie @ Smiling Shelves link
9/14/2013 03:30:01 am

I really loved her Irish Century series. It focuses on Ireland in the 20th century. I read it (most of it, at least) before I visited Ireland, and having that background made my trip so much better!

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    My name is Julie, and I own a lot of books. As in, they are stacked on the floor because I've run out of room on the shelves. And those shelves? There are so many books on them that they smile -- not sag; smile. This blog will cover book reviews and all manner of other bookish things.

    You can contact me at [email protected].

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