The Wedding Shroud
In 406 BC, to seal a tenuous truce, the young Roman Caecilia is wedded to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from the city of Veii. The fledgling Republic lies only twelve miles across the Tiber from its neighbour, but the cities are from opposing worlds so different are their customs and beliefs.
Leaving behind a righteous society, Caecilia is determined to remain true to Roman virtues while living among the sinful Etruscans. Instead she finds herself tempted by a mystical, hedonistic culture which offers pleasure and independence to women as well as a chance to persuade the Gods to delay her destiny. Yet Mastarna and his people also hold dark secrets and, as war looms, Caecilia discovers that Fate is not so easy to control and that she must finally choose where her allegiance lies.
Exploring themes of sexuality, destiny versus self-determination and tolerance versus prejudice, The Wedding Shroud is a novel that vividly captures a historical time and place while accenting the lives of women of the ancient world.
(Word count 135,00; e-book: $4.99 USD; print: $32.99 USD)
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Reviews of The Wedding Shroud
Internationally acclaimed author Ursula Le Guin has praised the novel as having: “All the drama and sensuality expected of a historical romance, plus a sensitivity to the realities of life in a very different time and world ….”
“Elisabeth Storrs gives us a complex heroine, grappling with issues of spirituality and culture in ways that are non-cliché and refreshing.”
Elizabeth Jane, Historical Novels Review (USA)
“With her page-turning story, Storrs revivifies a long-ago past while reminding us that it’s a place utterly unlike the world we know: the mark of a skilled historical novelist.”
Sarah Johnson, Reading The Past (Book Reviews Editor, Historical Novels Review)
“The Wedding Shroud is a well-written historical novel with a twist.”
Lisa Hill, ANZ LitLovers
