✨Fulvia by Kaarina Parker✨

Thank you so much to @manilla_press and @netgalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy!

SO this was my first Roman fiction and it did not disappoint!! I can say I thoroughly enjoyed this! Parker jumps straight in with some great, immersive descriptions of people and places, it really feels like you’re experiencing Fulvia’s life with her. I felt happy, I felt sad, I felt the shock that she went through. Parker has made me fall in love with Fulvia, and the world that Parker built around her. If you love historical fiction, I would HIGHLY recommend this book! And what a great first step into Ancient Rome, this was for me⚔️

I can’t wait to hear the next part of Fulvia’s story!!

Fulvia is the Daughter of a wealthy, but unimportant, Roman family. Raised in the countryside, she longs for a life filled with intrigue and influence, so when her Father dies and her inheritance is threatened, her ambition brings her to Rome to secure her own future.

What. A. Book. I adored it and I utterly devoured it, finding it almost impossible to put down! This is one of those books that, when I had to stop reading and do anything else, it still occupied a part of my brain and I couldn't wait to sit and continue reading again. I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book, and it's a debut novel too...WHAT?!

The book is written as if Fulvia is telling the story of her life, all the way from childhood, stepping into Rome for the first time, finding her place, and all of the things that happen throughout her life. Fulvia herself was entrancing, and I adored her strength, her intelligence and her thirst for power was really captured all the way through the story. The book was filled with history, political intrigue, pushes for power and plenty of personality, and I loved it.

Kaarina Parker's love for Fulvia really shone in this book, and all of her research and knowledge of Ancient Rome and our main character showed up in bucket-loads. She was able to put a spotlight on the women in history, the ones who make an impact but are kept in the background because of their gender. I cannot wait to read whatever she writes next!!

This book reads like a fictionalized memoir, told from the perspective of Fulvia herself. I have only recently discovered Fulvia as a figure of interest, and I love the amount of care and research that clearly went into writing this novel.

This novel follows Fulvia's journey from a young girl who is new to Rome to a figure of immense power and influence. I found myself rooting for her the whole time. I would definitely recommend to anyone with an interest in ancient Rome and strong female figures!

Fulvia has quickly trumped Agrippina the Younger as my favourite woman in Roman history. Actually, I think that Fulvia might be my favourite woman ever - and this book has cemented this for me.

Occasionally, with historical fiction the plot can feel very formulaic - especially if you are familiar with the history. This book is not one of those books: the love that Kaarina has for Fulvia, and for the ancient world, radiates from each line.

If you want to go in blind - all I will say is that this book was incredible. Regardless of your knowledge of ancient history, or specifically of Roman history, you will find that this book tells a brilliant and captivating story.

—- Spoiler warning —-

“I was a Roman. This is my story.”

Fulvia was one of the most notorious women in the history of the Roman republic - most famously married to Marc Antony, but that is not where her story begins.

Extremely wealthy and ambitious, Fulvia was not content with the constraints of being a Roman woman. She knew that - in order to live the life she wanted - she needed to marry an ambitious man, or give birth to one. Not content to wait that long, Fulvia sets her sights on Clodius Pulcher - a man whose charisma was second only to his ambition.

They were a perfect match.

——

Upon opening this book, I never thought that I would fall in love with Clodius Pulcher of all historical figures but I did - Kaarina is just that brilliant.

The setting of this book was alive - I could see the opulent parties, taste the bitter wine, smell the bustle of Rome. I feared for Fulvia, her opponents felt as real to me as the people sitting next to me on the train while I devoured this novel.

I cannot express enough my delight in this book, it was everything I have been looking for in the genre of historical fiction - I hope that anyone fascinated by Fulvia will read this book and adore it as much as I have.

100/10 - Kaarina I am going to need like 20 more of these books please and thank you :)

If there is one thing I am guaranteed to read, it’s a book that tells the story of an ancient woman. I was so happy to get an eARC of Fulvia - usually my reading of the ancients skews Greek, but I love the Romans too. I knew very little about Fulvia, and mostly about her part in Cleopatra’s story, so this was a very education and entertaining read. We follow the life of Fulvia from her arrival in Rome through her first marriage, seeing events unfold through her eyes as she aspires for power and influence. While typically these stories focus on the powerful men - Caesar, Clodius, etc - it’s interesting to see things from the female point of view, especially through their social activities and events.

If, like me, you love books that focus on untold women’s perspectives, the ancient world, or just powerful women - this is a great book to pick up.

This book reads like a memoir of Fulvia, telling the story of her arrival in Rome as a young woman and how she came to grapple with the politics of the city through her marriage.

History comes to life through Fulvia's eyes and I was gripped along the way by the political drama and the characters' loves and feuds. I really enjoyed seeing Fulvia's acumen and influence develop as she played the games of power and politics.

Definitely one to read if you like to imagine the human lives behind famous figures.

This was written beautifully with an interesting plot and a strong female character at the forefront
The pacing was even and the story flowed well with lots of interesting characters and vivid descriptions of place and time. The length of the book was just right and I enjoyed this immensely

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc