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Chargement... The Uncertain Hour (2007)par Jesse Browner
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Inscrivez-vous à LibraryThing pour découvrir si vous aimerez ce livre Actuellement, il n'y a pas de discussions au sujet de ce livre. "Uncertain Hour" focuses on the life and death of Emperor Nero's sometime adviser, Petronius Arbiter. The story opens at the twilight of Petronius' life, when he is preparing to commit suicide to escape forcible execution by Nero's goons. Petronius makes peace with his mistress and surrogate son, and tries to make a dignified mark on historical record. Browner seems to be striving for a statement on something--man's futility? the impossibility of satisfactorily concluding one's affairs?--but it feels as vague as the title. Still, for fans of Roman History or Quo Vadis, which paints Petronius in a fascinating light, this is an intriguing peek into the life of the Elegant Arbiter. Browner details the last hours of Petronius, condemned to death by Emperor Nero. Petronius' life does flash before his eyes as he commits suicide slowly, in a botched manner. This only adds to the richness of the tale as we learn about his loves, his passions and begin to form a picture of the man behind the fabled Satryicon. Highly descriptive, especially when it comes to the food, of which Browner is a historical expert. If you are a lover of food or ancient Rome, this will be your perfect read. aucune critique | ajouter une critique
A.D. 66: Having been falsely implicated in a plot to assassinate the emperor Nero, Titus Petronius has a choice: await the executioner at dawn, or die a noble Roman death by his own hand. Deciding that his will be a suicide like no other the world has ever seen, he summons a small circle of intimate friends to his magnificent villa on the enchanting Tyrrhenian coast of southern Italy. There, over the course of a balmy autumn's night, Petronius throws the party of a lifetime. As they feast on course after course of the most sumptuous and exotic fare the empire has to offer, his guests are expressly forbidden to dwell on the imminent tragedy; instead, they are enjoined to sing, eat, drink, and celebrate. But as his life dwindles to a few precious hours, Petronius himself cannot shake off the ghosts of his past or his regret over mistakes that can no longer be set right. With the fateful dawn approaching, he recalls the great love affair of his life, and his years as Nero's "Arbiter of Elegance." Not until the very end will he bequeath his magnum opus, The SatyriconExquisitely written and profoundly moving, The Uncertain Hour PRAISE: "Lush and sorrowful...splendid...lusciously described... gorgeous."-The "The Uncertain HourLos Angeles Times. Aucune description trouvée dans une bibliothèque |
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Google Books — Chargement... GenresClassification décimale de Melvil (CDD)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999Classification de la Bibliothèque du CongrèsÉvaluationMoyenne:
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