Claudia Book Review

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Claudia by Diana Wallis Taylor is a refreshing insightful read into a past time when Jesus spoke to the crowds.

Claudia's life did not start easily. The illegitimate daughter of Julia, reviled and exiled daughter of Caesar Augustus, Claudia spends her childhood in a guarded villa with her mother and grandmother. When Tiberius, who hates Julia, takes the throne, Claudia is wrenched away from her mother to be brought up in the palace in Rome. The young woman is adrift-until she meets Lucius Pontius Pilate and becomes his wife. When Pilate is appointed Prefect of the troublesome territory of Judea, Claudia does what she has always done: she makes the best of it. But unrest is brewing on the outskirts of the Roman Empire, and Claudia will soon find herself and her beloved husband embroiled in controversy and rebellion. Might she find peace and rest in the teaching of the mysterious Jewish Rabbi everyone seems to be talking about?

Readers will be whisked through marbled palaces, dusty marketplaces, and idyllic Italian villas as they follow the unlikely path of a woman who warrants only a passing mention in one of the Gospel accounts. Diana Wallis Taylor combines her impeccable research with her flair for drama and romance to craft a tale worthy of legend.(Goodreads)

I have not read any books by Diana until now but that is definitely going to change! I loved everything about this book, and usually this time period does not interest me. The author did her research and created a beautiful look into what life was like in Rome and Judea around the same time the disciples walked with Jesus. Honestly, I had never thought about Pontius Pilate's wife, she is only mentioned in a short paragraph in the Bible. While in the author's note in the book, the history is fuzzy, no one knows everything that happened to Claudia. It is believed that her grandfather was Caesar Augustus, though never knowing who her real father, she is forced into a new life that changes everything. Growing up under the emperor in Rome and then being picked as someone's wife at sixteen could not have been easy for anyone. I love the background story, Claudia's daily life, her thoughts, and the people she that surround her. She marries a man who in turn plays a pivotal part in history. The author asked, what could that have been like and wrote a great story that I could not put down. 

I highly recommend this book, yes there is a lot of history but the story is fantastic!

"I received this book from Revell for free in exchange for an honest review."

“Available June 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.”