Power behind the ruler

Rome is a dangerous place for a woman with ambition

- Nicky Pellegrino

Barring a few exceptions, women are shadowy figures in ancient history and it's left to fiction to help bring their lives into the light. New Zealand writer Kaarina Parker has chosen to shape her story around an intriguing character. Fulvia was a wealthy Roman woman who, over the course of her life, married three politically powerful men. This novel covers her younger years and first marriage.

Fulvia has been brought up quietly in the countryside. When her father dies, she receives a proposal of marriage from one of his friends. But Fulvia is intelligent and ambitious. She doesn't want to lead a dull and insignificant life, and begs her mother to let her go to Rome and find a more exciting future.