Plot:
This enrapturing novel takes place back in Rome when Augustus is reigns as the king. Ovid, at the time, is known as the most accomplished poet of his time and he is one of the main characters. He wants to create a new work of literature unlike any other so he can be remembered forever throughout history; everyone would know the name and glories of Ovid for centuries to come. The other, is a mysterious woman with pale, bluish skin who goes by the name of Xenia. She is an early chemist and spends her time trying to achieve the power of the Gods, the power of light; her other goal is similar to Ovid’s; she wants to be remembered forever throughout history. The two meet one day on the outskirts of rural village where Ovid is taking a vacation. Ovid realizes that Xenia is the perfect model for his soon to be masterpiece, Medea. Xenia likewise realizes that if Ovid writes about her in his book, she would be able to stand the test of time and she will never be forgotten. The two arrive at Rome believing that they would soon reach their goals of ‘immortality’, not realizing that right in front of their eyes are great hurdles that they must overcome, including the hurdle of love.

Conflict:
There are several different conflicts that can be identified throughout the novel; one of them would be man vs. fate. Both Ovid and Xenia want to overcome their already set roles in society for similar reasons. Ovid doesn’t want to be just the most renowned poet of his time; he wants to be recognized for his art forever. He wants to break down the walls that the people around him have raised in order to appear out on top for decades, centuries to come. Xenia also does not want to be just known as the strange healer in some rural village, she wants to be remembered as a fantastic chemist who tamed the power of the gods and for her beauty, forever.

Theme:
As seen in the title, the main theme that appears in the novel is the existence of love. Neither Ovid nor Xenia planned to fall in love with the other; they both thought that they would just use the other in order to achieve their goals. That turns out to go horribly wrong as they soon find themselves tangled up in the tight grasps of love and its children: jealousy, envy, and wrath.

Writing Style:
This is a pretty different novel from what I usually read. I originally picked up the book because I just needed something to take my mind off homework, but soon I found myself totally enraptured by Jane Alison’s writing style and her memorable characters. One part of her style that I especially love is her descriptions, “bluish marbled skin and streaming, glassy hair…the blue veins visible beneath the clear skin, like living water beneath ice” (36). She really emphasizes imagery and similes here to describe what kind of mesmerizing creature Xenia truly is. Usually when an author talks about a character’s physical appearance, they don’t describe it as something that’s alive like Alison does, except maybe how it ‘sparkles’ in the sunlight or such. Another part of her style that I love is the way she really brings her characters to life. Alison’s usage of tone is really dominating throughout the novel and in a positive way as well. Like when Xenia realizes what Ovid has done, “I gave you your life. Now you’re wondering—will I take it, too?”(221). Her tone brings so much more meaning to Xenia’s silent rage and sarcasm that I kind of felt chills in my spine after reading the sentence.

Critique:
The book itself was a little bit of a challenge to read, but I definitely enjoyed it immensely. There were a lot of underlying messages and hints in between the lines and I had to reread a lot in order to fully comprehend the meanings. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who have a short attention span or those who don’t like to think too hard while reading, because this book is one that will demand all of your attention and thinking process. I’d most likely give this book a rating of about 4.5 out of 5 stars since it really is a great book.

Tredje bog til kursus.
Vi følger Ovid i tiden efter Forvandlinger. Han møder Xena, som bliver hans muse. Hun kan se ind i fremtiden. Vi skal tro, at de er opsatte på berømmelse ud over deres egen tid.
Hovedtemaet er vel skabelse, som vi får i flere varianter. Først på s. 188 går det op for Xenia, at digteren, som opnår denne tidsløse berømmelse, har skaberkraften.
Temaet gøres vel ikke specielt opfindsomt her. Tværtimod får vi de oplagte skabere. Det stærke skal vel være sproget, som er ret poetisk. Vi slipper for overtydelig kristen symbolik.
Jeg tænker, at temaet (også) handler om læseren og digteren. Temaet forherliger skaberen af betydninger (af en særlig art), nemlig digteren og læseren.
Som historisk roman er der ikke meget kompliceret historisk, men det, der er, bruges fint.

Wow, what beautiful prose! Alison has a way with weaving words together in such a wonderful way. It was fascinating to read the details of Rome; the tiled floors, the granite roads, the scents, the marble statues. This trip into Alison's reimagined Rome is unforgettable.

Jane Alison has a profound way with words. I felt as though I could see, taste, smell, and touch each and every thing and place she created. Her stunning prose oozed it's way off the page and swallowed me up.
From beginning to end I was rapt, watching the story unfold, loving and loathing bits and pieces of each character's intricate inner worlds.

Ovid, a passionate writer and poet of Rome. Not much known about him and this book is a drama of his life. He Mets Xenia , healer and witch. Then art becomes life . Ooooh

Got stuck about page 200 as the tension built, but finally pushed through to the end. The author is a master at getting inside the characters, and taking you the reader with her. Read this book as part of an on-line class, so much discussion swirled around it. Great insight during author interview do the research and writing proceas for historical fiction.

I had to read this for a college course on historical fiction, or I'd never have finished it. This is the author's idea of the back-story of Ovid's banishment to the Black Sea. The story-line is believable, but the author's prose is too fussy for the story to work. Bleh!

I read this book for the Coursera course "Plagues, Witches, and War, The Worlds of Historical Fiction." I love historical fiction although this was my first read for the Roman Augustan age. I probably would have enjoyed this book more if I knew more about Ovid.

A novel told with great artistry and historical integrity. However, I found it to be excruciatingly slow, with much of the action suggested rather than shown.

Historical fiction/mythical fiction/romance

I picked this up for an online course about Historical Fiction and it covers the basis well enough. Set in the period of Emperor Augustus it charts the mysterious exile of the poet Ovid and his missing Medea manuscript. Exiled to Tomis on the Black Sea Ovid meets the mysterious Xenia, who is a good deal more than she first appears, witch, seer, almost ethereal in her ways, but at the same time very innocent and troubled.

This story contains so much – love, jealousy, intrigue, the quest for immortality and most important – metamorphosis. These themes are interwoven, metamorphosis changes love to jealous, obsession to failure, politics to hatred, and past and future all cleverly done with reference to Ovid’s own Metamorphosis. Almost bordering on fantasy or magical realism it must be remembered this is set in a time when magic and was considered real and our own beliefs and concepts should be put aside when reading this, to truly enjoy it.

A lot of research went into the book, including visits to modern Rome and retracing footsteps, visits to museums, reading of primary archives, including Ovid himself and it shows. Although in places it is not a hundred per cent accurate the overall descriptions are sound, building a vivid world in both Tomis and the more decadent and corrupt Rome.

The love affair was intense but did meander a little towards the end, it was interesting to see the shift however, from the happiness in Tomis and early on in Rome to the jealously and distrust at the end. As Ovid's work culminates so does their affair. Each is the other's muse but in many ways each is unaware. They are looking for immortality, the quest to find the essence of it. Ovid wants to know if his work will live for ever and Xenia will not tell him, she wants to find the essence of life and he is repelled by this. Their affair is complex, and ultimately destructive as was the history of Rome itself.

There were a few weaknesses – there were quite a few repeated phrases, which worked for a while but did get a little irritating, I also found the ending a little unconvincing – there was a build up to a plan and then the epilogue turns it on its head. The ending also seemed a little rushed.
A bit more could have been explained about the relationship between Julia and Ovid and why Julia behaved as she did. This was covered but almost as an afterthought. A bit more from her point of view would have been nice. A little more about the role of magic, and why it was illegal would also have added.

Overall 4 stars.

I know a considerable amount about this period in history, though I'm not an expert on Ovid, yet I couldn't warm up to this book at all. I didn't like either of the two main characters. Rather than finding them unusual or interesting, I thought they were unrealistic and crazy. I also found it very strange that there was so little dialog. In fact, all the dialog of the entire book wouldn't have fit on a single page. What does this say about an author? Isn't that one of the tings we read a book for?

I read this for a Yale Literature Course.
This surely won't become my favorite. Sure, it's written brilliantly. Blooming, poetic language, a train of thoughts that drags you under some kind of spell to never let you - or the protagonists for that matter - go. Matching the themes of obsession and witchcraft it veils the thorough research of the time and of Ovid himself.
But I'm afraid that's all this book is leaving you with. You're drowning in poetic words, in deep ruminations of the main characters until there is no plot, not much character development discernible.
You really can overdo writing brilliantly.