A novel about Aspasia, the foreign born lover of Pericles, the most powerful man in the Athenian democracy. She bore him a son, entertained the wisest men of Athens in her house, including the philosopher Socrates, was probably a high class courtesan; she scandalised conservative Athenian society by kissing the married Pericles on the mouth when he left her house, was put on trial for immorality, and was acquitted only when Pericles broke down in tears as he defended her in court.

Great material here for an amazing novel. But that's not what we get. The author turns the story of Aspasia and her household into a parallel for modern racist and anti-immigrant attitudes. Aspasia is given credit for Pericles' best ideas and Socrates' most original philosophy, but is limited by the narrow parochialism and prejudice of the Athenian masses. Pericles himself is a malleable wimp, as prejudiced as the next bigot, but open to his lover's seductive wiles. (As it happens, no modern novelist appears able to draw a convincing Pericles. They are all terrible. And he is one of the most important leaders in the development of democracy anywhere and at any period.)

The author also commits a crime which finally made me lose patience in this book. While broadly speaking his book is factually accurate, he conflates the events of fifty years into about four or five. He admits in his essay at the end that this is done deliberately, but I can see no necessity for this happening, and it leads the reader on a most misleading trail.

The historical Aspasia is a most interesting if shadowy figure; this Aspasia, no.

An enchanting historical reimagining of one of Athens’ most influential women. Having only known of Aspasia through male historians eyes (and as the main villain in the video game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey) it was refreshing to read a different take on this historical figure. At times the writing didn’t quite hit the mark for me but it’s still a beautifully written book, and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future

I DNF'ed this book. I tried so hard to get through it, however I did not like the writing style and barely made it through the first 2 chapters. I am so sorry that I couldn't push through.

The Immigrant Queen takes you straight into the heart of 5th century BC Athens, telling the story of Aspasia, the First Lady of Athens, and her slave and bard, Limander. With rich descriptions and masterful storytelling, it easy to picture the world, the people, and the drama unfolding around them.

The story flows beautifully, mixing historical facts with a gripping narrative that pulls you in from the first page. The narrative is both thought-provoking and emotional. This book isn’t just about ancient history it tackles themes like political corruption, social inequality, and other themes that still feel relevant today. The characters are compelling and well-developed, their interconnected lives highlighting the shared humanity that surpasses social divides.

If you love historical fiction with strong characters and political drama The Immigrant Queen is definitely worth picking up.

The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby is a compelling and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of identity, migration, and belonging. The story follows the life of an immigrant woman who faces the challenges of adapting to a new culture while navigating personal and societal struggles. Taylor-Gooby’s writing is rich in detail, offering a nuanced portrayal of the immigrant experience and the emotional and political hurdles that come with it. The book combines elements of social commentary with a deeply personal narrative, making it both engaging and reflective. It’s a powerful read for those interested in themes of migration and the human quest for identity and acceptance.

I liked this book I just felt that there was a lot of characters that needed more backstory and descriptions as I struggled to envision the story in my head as I read. I liked that it was about a powerful queen in ancient history as they are not spoken about nearly enough.

*Thank you to NetGalley & Troubador Publishing for providing a digital copy to review*

I love learning about women in the ancient world and didn’t know much about Aspasia. While this is historical fiction reading this book felt like I was back at uni.

I studied Ancient History and read A LOT of books on the subject and this book felt like a secondary source. Especially as Aspasia’s story is told through this fictional slave which kind of works as there is very little about her and most of it is just gossip and negative propaganda. One of the things I learned at uni is that the ancient writers didn’t much care for facts, their goal was to tell a story.

Because of this, I found reading this a bit dull, and the story felt like it dragged on for ages. Having it told from the perspective of a slave is interesting, especially as we don’t know much if not any of their lived experiences and it is linked with Aspasia’s story as she is not originally from Athens so she is seen as ‘other’.

Despite this, the book manages to convey just how complex and interesting Aspasia’s life is and I definitely want to do more research into her.

The Immigrant Queen is a novel centred on Aspasia, partner of Athenian statesman Pericles.

Overall, this book was well written and I enjoyed how it was clearly well researched. It worked to authentically integrate different personalities from the ancient world who existed and played an active part in the Greek world at the time. I liked the references to ancient literature too.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I expected in regards to its narration. From the blurb, I was expecting the book to be from the perspective of Aspasia herself, however it is told from the perspective of one of her slaves Limander. It made Aspasia an unreachable character to me. I’m not sure if it is because of this, that I found it hard to connect with Limander. I found that while he shrewdly observed those around him in detail, his own feelings and inner thoughts were often absent.

Overall, I’d rate this book at 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 here). I received a copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. These thoughts are all my own.

Being a huge fan of ancient history, historical fiction, and mythology, this book was right up my alley and I give it a solid 5 stars.

The plot, writing, character development, and themes in this book were done very well with an excellent story told that I devoured. The tales of humanity threaded through politics, social inequality, and gender. I highly recommend this book to all who enjoy historical fiction, political intrigue, redemption themes, and social and class system defiance.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I liked it but I guess I am more of a medieval times type reader. It was a good blend of facts and historical fiction and the story did flow well. Would recommend for those that enjoy this time period. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Greek Mythology and the stories of their heroes and Gods/Goddesses. I also just love a story about a strong woman character. Beautiful story!