The Wedding Shroud
“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.” —Ursula Le Guin
In 406 BC, to seal a tenuous truce, the young Roman Caecilia is wedded to Vel Mastarna, an Etruscan nobleman from Veii. Leaving her militaristic homeland, Caecilia is determined to remain true to Roman virtues while living among the sinful Etruscans. But, despite her best intentions, she is seduced by a culture that offers women education, independence, sexual freedom, and an empowering religion.
Enchanted by Veii but terrified of losing ties to Rome, Caecilia performs rites to delay becoming a mother, thereby postponing true entanglement. Yet as she develops an unexpected love for Mastarna, she’s torn between her birthplace and the city in which she now lives. As war looms, Caecilia discovers Fate is not so easy to control, and she must choose where her allegiance lies.
The Wedding Shroud is the first book in the A Tale of Ancient Rome saga. It was judged runner- up in the 2013 Sharp Writ Book Awards in general fiction. Subsequent books in the series include The Golden Dice and Call to Juno.
(Word count 135,000; available as ebook, print, and audiobook)
“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
