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The secret history : a novel of Empress Theodora / Stephanie Thornton.

by Thornton, Stephanie, 1980-

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New American Library, c2013.

Theodora, Empress, consort of Justinian I, Emperor of the East, -548 -- Fiction.

Empresses -- Fiction.

Byzantine Empire -- History -- Justinian I, 527-565 -- Fiction.

Constantinople -- History -- Fiction.

9780451417787 (trade pbk.)

440 p. ; 21 cm.

Includes readers guide.

In sixth-century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds and rose from common theater tart to empress of a great kingdom, the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. The woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told... After her father dies suddenly, Theodora and her sisters face starvation and a life on the streets. Determined to survive, Theodora makes a living any way she can--first on her back with every man who will have her, then on the stage in a scandalous dramatization of her own invention. When her daring performance grants her a backdoor entry into the halls of power, she seizes the chance to win a wealthy protector--only to face heartbreak and betrayal. Ever resilient, Theodora rises above such trials and, by a twist of fate, meets her most passionate admirer yet: the emperor's nephew. She thrives as his confidant and courtesan, but many challenges lie ahead. For one day this man will hand her a crown. And all the empire will wonder--is she bold enough, shrewd enough, and strong enough to keep it?

Biographical fiction.

Historical fiction.

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