Julia and Wulfric’s mutual attraction and growing love is challenged by Wulfric’s eminent status among his people: as ‘king-worthy,’ he is a strong contender for kinghood once the ailing Alaric dies. As the story progresses, Julia finds herself more at home amongst the Visigoths than she ever felt in Rome, recognising that her previous existence was lonely and sterile by comparison. She forms a close friendship with Una, a neighbouring kinswoman, and unsuccessfully fights her growing attraction to the gold skinned, musclebound barbarian who owns her. As his slave, she learns to cook and clean the tent she shares with Wulfric and his young ward, Berig.
Reluctantly at first, she is drawn into Wulfric’s world, the world of the (to Roman eyes) uncouth, unsophisticated and primitive barbarians. Her stubborn rebellion is pitted against Wulfric’s implacable resolve and the two butt heads as Julia rails against her new life as a slave. Whatever you say.” She has to, for the first time in her life, rely on herself, fight for herself if she wants to be free and return to her civilised world. Be friends with those girls, this one is unsuitable. Julia has always done as she is told “ shop here, wear this, go to this party, not to that one. Wulfric saves Julia from a near rape at the hands of her own countrymen and decides that she will do nicely as his house slave - purely on impulse, as he later acknowledges to himself for she is “ neither the wife he should acquire nor the domesticated slave who would make life more comfortable.” Despite the attraction he feels for her, Wulfric is an honourable man who disapproves of rape and makes it clear to Julia from the outset that he has no intention of violating her. The Barbarian is Wulfric, a Visigoth, and the story begins during the Visigoth sacking of Rome in 410 AD. The Virgin in question is Julia Livia Rufa, a pampered Roman virgin and the daughter of a powerful senator. Ironically the novel succeeds as an argument against Bindel’s most outrageous claims, yet fundamentally fails to satisfy as a historical romance. Secondly, my analysis of the novel in the context of the remarks made by Julie Bindel.
Firstly, my impression and enjoyment of the story at ‘gut-level,’ purely as a reader of romance novels. This was a particularly difficult review to write because I wanted to address two points.
0 kommentar(er)
