Review:
The Charioteer of Delphi by Caroline Lawrence (The Roman
Mysteries)
Orion
Children’s Books, 2006
(Age 10+) Filled with the sights and sounds of Ancient Rome, this
series of books by
Caroline
Lawrence will entrance the reader of historical fiction, as the
four protagonists find all sorts of crimes to uncover and solve.
Presently being screened on the ABC, the series is enthralling.
In The Charioteer of Delphi, the group is involved with the kidnapping
of the lead horse destined for the coming events at Circus Maximus. A
huge reward has been posted for its return, and the four venture to
Rome to join the throng of searchers. Flavia and her companions, Nubia,
Jonathan and Lupis, join their new friend, the young charioteer,
Scopas. Together they search for the horse, uncovering a mesh of
intertwined intrigue.
What better way to learn about Ancient Rome than through a series of
stories such as these. Every page is filled with new words and
descriptions, the settings are authentic and entrancing, the detail
convincing. This books, as do all the others, contains a series of maps
to allow the reader to know exactly where the story is set, and a very
detailed glossary at the end helps those novices for whom the words
used need some reference. With this story too is a short description of
the chariot races in Ancient Rome, leading the reader to historical
records as well as modern films such as Ben-Hur. (The author does not
stint in telling of the brutality and bloodthirsty nature of these
races.)
Fran Knight
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Consulting, 2007