Set amongst the scandal, wealth, and upstairs-downstairs politics of a Roman family, Crystal King’s seminal debut features the man who inspired the world’s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to his destruction. On a blistering day in the twenty-sixth year of Augustus Caesar’s reign, a young chef, Thrasius, is acquired for the exorbitant price of twenty thousand denarii. His purchaser is … purchaser is the infamous gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, wealthy beyond measure, obsessed with a taste for fine meals from exotic places, and a singular ambition: to serve as culinary advisor to Caesar, an honor that will cement his legacy as Rome’s leading epicure.
Apicius rightfully believes that Thrasius is the key to his culinary success, and with Thrasius’s help he soon becomes known for his lavish parties and fantastic meals. Thrasius finds a family in Apicius’s household, his daughter Apicata, his wife Aelia, and her handmaiden, Passia, with whom Thrasius quickly falls in love. But as Apicius draws closer to his ultimate goal, his reckless disregard for any who might get in his way takes a dangerous turn that threatens his young family and places his entire household at the mercy of the most powerful forces in Rome.more
This is a novel that will take you on some highs and lows as King explores the human condition in ancient Rome. With in depth research, food and cooking is interwoven with the misery of slavery and the dangers of Roman politics.
The characters are human – intensely so – and it is a book that is hard to put down, and even harder to forget once done. Highly recommended.
My usual tastes in historical fiction normally don’t go farther back than the 1800s, but Feast of Sorrow changed that. What an incredibly captivating tale that deftly weaves in history, so I never felt I was being taught anything yet, I finished the story with a true taste of and curiosity about Ancient Rome. Thrasius, a cook, is a slave purchased by Apicus, a politically-driven gourmand who is rich beyond belief. This is a novel of politics and betrayal and food and love, and I was absolutely entranced. The intricate details of life in Ancient Rome are fascinating and the food eaten is both enticing and horrifying. The book is a fast read and if you think you aren’t interested in ancient history, this book will prove you wrong.
Feast of Sorrow
A novel of ancient Rome by Chrystal King
Marcus Gavius Apicius was a Roman of the Patrician class who lived from early in the reign of Augustus Caesar to well into the reign of Tiberius. According to historians of the era, he hosted huge banquets and was incredibly wealthy. However, it is a 4th Century collection of recipes attributed to him, De Re Coquinaria, that sets him apart from others of his time and class. It is the oldest cookbook in existence.
It is of a few historical anecdotes, the cookbook and the great events and personalities of the times in which Apicius lived that the author has woven “Feast of Sorrow.”
As the story opens, in the summer of 26 B.C., Thrasius relates how he awaited his fate in the slave market at Baiae. He prays that he go to someone who will not misuse him. It is only because he is a trained, and highly talented, “coquus,” or cook, that he finds himself for sale. The beast of a man who owned him previously finally realized that his skills in the kitchen meant that he is worth a lot of money. Into that hot, dusty slave pen steps Apicius. There, coaxed by the slave master’s honeyed words, and driven by an overweening desire for fame, he buys Thrasius for an enormous amount of money. He hopes that Thrasius is key to his ambition of becoming the culinary advisor to Caesar.
Plunged into the leadership of his new master’s kitchen Thrasius is tasked with making the lavish banquets that Apicius is enamored of even more famous and desirable. It is a task at which he succeeds brilliantly.
A move to Rome means greater exposure and Thrasius’s skills mean greater fame for Apicius, but greater danger too. The world of Imperial Rome has denizens that know nothing of kindness, mercy, or morality. So begins their journey together.
“Feast of Sorrow” is a brilliantly written story. It is told with clarity, awash with scintillating characters and filled with scenes that will bring joy to your heart, then smash it to bits. The sacrifices that Apicius will make in pursuit of his goal are soul crushing. Never before have I read a book with so apt a title. There are scenes here that will haunt you for days.
Many accomplished writers have heaped praise on this book and the author, to which I can only say, “Amen.” I strongly recommend this novel.
I have read several historical novels about this period, as well a bit of the actual history of the Roman Empire, so I avidly grabbed the opportunity to be one of the first to read “Feast of Sorrow.” Many thanks to Simon & Schuster along with NetGalley for lending me an eGalley of this novel in exchange for this review.
This book took me to ancient Rome, and to a very wealthy man named Marcus Gavius Apicius, who aspires to be Caesar’s culinary advisor. The characters are fleshed out, not one dimensional, and you realize that even though the story takes place in ancient times, these characters have the same feelings that all of us have experienced, in one form or another. It definitely was a page turner, and I enjoyed it very much.
This novel is wonderfully told by Thrasius, a kitchen slave or cook in ancient Rome during time of Tiberius, Sejanus, Drusus, Claudius, Antonia and Pliny to name a few notable people. By telling this story from a slave’s point of view, especially working in close proximity to Caesar and the Patricians, it gives the reader an opportunity to better understand the dynamics of the social structure, the customs, laws and opportunities as well as the cruelty, hedonism and extreme opulence that was considered acceptable. I felt I was really able to connect with these slaves, who seemed more human and certainly moral than their owners. I loved to read about the food (Apicius was a wealthy man known for his recipe books and gluttony) as well as the clothing, architecture and frescoes in these elaborate homes. Crystal made these ancient times come alive for me and brought me back to my visits to Rome, Herculanium and Pompeii.
Couldn’t put it down! A gastronomic view of ancient Rome, and it’s delicious!