Far Away Bird

Far Away Bird will not be released until February 2020. Luckily, I will not have to wait that long, having read an ARC courtesy of NetGalley. I will pre-order a copy because - THAT COVER! Illustrated by George Frei, it is incredibly stunning. As beautiful as it is, the story of this woman's rise from Notorious Theodora to Empress Theodora is shocking and mesmerizing. I owe Douglas Burton a massive thanks for bringing this legendary Empress to my attention. As a woman, I owe much more to the lady herself.

Theodora's beauty and fierce nature ensures her prominent seat in history. Her story is as old as time, but with a surprising twist. Theodora is able to change her fate of life as a prostitute and concubine to that of Byzantine Empress. It's an impressive feat, considering laws then forbid unions between nobility and ladies of pleasure. Theodora's rule changed all that. And then some. It's hard to fathom how one woman's fortune could change so drastically over the course of her life. Theodora had powerful connections and she utilized them well.

Provocative and engrossing, <i>Far Away Bird</i> soars onto my 2019 - 2020 favorites shelf.

Burton seduces the reader as Theodora seduces all around her.

A powerful, evocative narrative, that draws you into the human rather than mythical aspect of the "notorious" Theodora from her early childhood to her return to Constantinople. It is as though Burton is channeling his subject as her life dances across the pages before you, the reader. You are drawn into her life as if walking side by side, her contemporary, her ethereal other self - her far away bird.

I enjoy reading about strong, confident women who know what they want and they don't allow obstacles to prevent them from obtaining their goal. This book delivered on that and then some! It was a gripping, thrilling read from page one and kept my interest through to the end. Theodora's conviction and her inner strength prevailed when others would have failed. She is a strong and well written character. She is bold and unashamed as she used the only tools she had, herself, to get what she wanted. This book allowed me to feel as though I knew her, and could experience what she did through vivid, colorful detail. This book has all the elements that keep the reader interested.

I found this book enjoyable and entertaining. I don't know if all the background is historically correct but I had fun in reading it.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy this book immensely. I had never even heard of Queen Theodora. I spent a lot of time on google to read up on her. This book has a lot of detail and reads seamlessly. I read the whole story in a few hours. I honestly can't wait for the next book to see how she evolves further. She embodies the strength of women and how far we have come from earlier times. She is a fighter and undergoes a lot of character development. A great read!

Trigger Warning for Rape & Violence

I was really interested in Far Away Bird, by Douglas A. Burton, because it was centered around an historical figure I knew little about, Theadora of Byzantine. This book concerns her early life (she later became an Empress). Although it was brutal to read, I thought it gave some deep insights into the lives of women living in the 6th century.

What I Liked:
Setting:

I knew nothing of Constantinople going into this book, nor of what life was like for women in the sixth century. But the author's vivid descriptions brought this time to life. The sights, sounds, clothing, and food of the city paint a picture of a thriving place with wealthy Romans living blocks away from people in dire poverty.

Characters:

Theodora begins the story as a precocious young teen who's life changes drastically when her father dies. At first, I had a tough time understanding Theodora's reactions to her situation. But as the story continues, we see a deeply drawn character trying to cope with a life-altering incident.

I also liked that Theodora was a survivor. She was strong for others, even when faced with awful, humiliating situations.

I also liked one of the other female characters Macedonia. She showed Theodora an alternate way to gain control of her life. But she also accepted others as they were. Her mentorship of Theodora was wonderful to read about.

Justinian was a Roman soldier who Theodora meets again and again in the story. He is one of the few men who sees her as a person, and not just a sexual plaything. His characters seemed a little too good to be true. But then the author surprised me by throwing in several moments where he makes some questionable decisions. Can Theodora respect him when he can harm others without much thought? Or is he trying to make the best of several terrible choices?

Story:

While not getting too much into what actually happens (I do not want to get all spoiler-y on you), I valued the progression of Theodora's life. She goes from having much, to having nothing, and then to rebuilding her world.

The story shows what few choices women had in that time period. If you're not born into a wealthy family, don't lose your family's patriarch! If you do, your doomed to a life of prostitution, or hard labor.

The author didn't sugar-coat that life at all. He showed just how violent, and de-humanizing that life was. It was difficult to read, at times, because it was so brutal. But I think it painted a realistic portrait of what a challenging life that would be.

Effects of Rape:

This is one of the few books I have ever read that delves deep into the psychological harm that rape inflicts. Theodora doesn't just have some bad memories of what happened. She has some serious damage to her self-worth. The book shows how women cope with such trauma through self-medicating, and even promiscuity. All of it is an attempt to try and regain some control of your destiny, after having zero control during the rape. This made me cry several times in the book. But I hope people who read about this will come away with a better understanding of the life-long consequences of being raped has on a person.

What I Was Mixed About:
Violence:

There's no way to get around how violent rape is. I would not want the author to skim over what happens. That would be a disservice to anyone who has experienced this firsthand. But, it was difficult to read about something so vicious.

Sexual Content:

I was mixed about the sexual content in the book. Of course there will be sex in a book about a notorious prostitute. But the author goes out of his way to vividly describe sexual situations that included orgies and bestiality. I didn't need to read about that!

Constantinople in 512 AD is an ever-changing and dangerous world.  Theodora is a young woman when chaos erupts between the factions and follows her father into battle.  When the dust settles, Theodora's father is dead and the women of the family are left destitute.  Magister Origen steps in saying he has a place for Theodora and her older sister in a theatre, however this is simply a facade for a brothel that demeans Theodora and Comita and eventually leads to rape.  Theodora escapes and returns to her mother broken.  They plead in the Hippodrome for mercy and are saved by a member of the opposing faction. Eventually Theodora finds the strength in her sexuality and earns a living through acting and prostitution becoming known as the Notorious Theodora.  Theodora's charisma attracts the attention of a spy ring and Theodora is trained to use her skills in order to collect information from high ranking clients.  With this position, Theodora learns how to harness true power within herself and discovers the benefactor who saved her family in the Hippodrome years ago. 
Far Away Bird tells the story of Theodora as a young woman before she becomes Empress.  Theodora's character is complex, emotional and raw and allowed me to feel every part of her journey.  The writing conveyed the joy, strength, sorrow and passion that Theodora carried with her in every step of her way.  In addition, the setting of Constantinople was brought alive from the busy streets, to the political factions, the Hippodrome and the theatres.  I do not know a lot about this time in history and enjoyed experiencing the variety of settings that the empire offered.  Theodora and Justinian's relationship was carefully crafted and both seemed to realize the consequences of their love.  At every turn of the way, Theodora's inner strength shone though.  Her story echoes the plight of many women throughout history and today and is a reminder of the power women can hold even when continually beaten down.  I can't wait to see her impact as an Empress alongside Justinian.
This book was received for free in order for a honest review.

Have to admit that my initial reason for requesting this book was the cover. It's so beautiful that I still plan on purchasing.

More importantly, the story itself was amazing! Very well written. I love historical fiction and would recommend this to anyone who also loves hf and to those who are open to learning in a atmospheric way.

Initial Thoughts:
> I really loved the arc of the main character, Theodora! She is so relatable and human. I really rooted for her in this book.
> This was my first time reading a book set in the Byzantine empire and it was very poignant.
> This is more like a biography that reads like a story. Not so much plot but a 1st person experience of life.
> I was shocked at the lack of vulgarity in a book about a prostitute.
> It does deal with rape but the scene is not overly graphic or described. Still, if you have a trigger or sensitivity to this type of thing it might be best to pass this one up.

Character:
My favorite character ended up being the main character, Theodora. It took me a while but about halfway through the book I really started to relate to her. Not because of similar life experiences but because of how human she is. Another character I adored was Palatina. I also liked Justinian and Macedonia. Characters I didn't care for were Comito, the main character's sister and a man called Magister Origen. The characters were all distinctly human, which is an aspect that really sells me on a book.

World:
I don't believe that I've yet read a book set back in time so far. Far Away Bird is set in the Byzantine empire in the mid 500s AD. It was very interesting to read and so colorful. It was also VERY different from modern life and I think that is was drew me in so well.

Plot:
The plot of this book was very straightforward but also vague. There isn't anything to figure out. It's more of a documentary or an autobiography that chronicles the life of Theodora. It starts out in her childhood and continues until she is 22 years old. It was NOT boring though. I loved learning more about Theodora and seeing her grow and mature as a person. This book will take you on her incredible journey from street prostitute to influential women's rights advocate.

Writing Style:
For this being a book about a prostitute, it's very PG-13. Sarah J Maas's books have more vulgar sex scenes than Far Away Bird does. It was refreshing because Theodora's being a prostitute was not the main focus of this book. If you are looking for smut, you won't find it here.

Enjoyment:
I really enjoyed reading this book. I felt like I really got to know Theodora well by the last page. I can't wait to read more works by Douglas and I hope to get more glimpses into Theodora's life.

**Rating: I gave Far Away Bird 4.4/5 stars based on my personal rating system.**

Okay. I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. This is a book that follows Theodora from childhood to adulthood. We witness her journey into prostitution, and her journey out of it. The story begins with her father dying, and to help fund for the family, Theodora and her sister are offered a position with the dancing master. It's safe to say, it doesn't work out.

I loved that this is a book about female liberation and independence. It's about Theodora's journey into realising she doesn't need a man for power. Her story is disturbing and difficult to read at times due to the horrific events she's exposed to, but her fierce nature as she overcomes these hardships is inspiring, and is the reason her story is so important in history. We see her battle against constraints created by a patriarchal society, and this fight for female rights, for human rights, is why this book is amazing and why I think every woman should read it.

I do recommend this, however please search up the trigger warnings before reading it. I'll list a few, but there might be more that I've forgotten.

Trigger warnings for this book: rape, prostitution, sex, abuse, violence.

It's funny to imagine that only yesterday I had no idea that Theodora actually existed and I'm really thankful that Douglas Burton introduced me to her.
The book is fast-paced, keeps you interested, and I love that it does incorporate some of the weirdest stories told about her (you know I'm referring to the Leda and the Swan performance). However, even this performance reminds us of her agency. According to Wikipedia, Theodora made a name for herself through this performance. In the story this performance is used to not only show her compassion but also her strength; she kills the favorite bird of the governer right in front of him.
I also loved that Justinian was smart enough to actually make things official with Theodora. So many times when you read books you're reminded of the mediocre men around you. And yet here is Justinian, who did this 1500 years ago.

When Theodora's father dies during a riot, she's given the chance to help her family by becoming a dancer for the Hippondrome. But after being raped by her sponsor, she falls into a life of prostitution, building a reputation as The Notorious Theodora, a sexually-charged performer. Soon Theodora is approached by Macedonia, a fellow brothel worker, with an opportunity that could change her life: to become a political informant.

Historry buffs and historical fiction fans know that Empress Theodora is considered one of the more scandalous, polarizing women of history, a woman with a literally rags to riches story. Burton's novel follows the first half of Theodora's life before she was Empress of Constantinople, giving readers a sense of the rags the Empress eventually discarded. Burton's novel is beautifully written, focusing on Theodora's liveliness, her agency and her relationships with all the women in her life. Although Theodora and Justinian's relationship is central to her history as Empress, it is her relationships with her family, fellow brothel workers, and other women that give more weight to the defining moments in her life.