Persona Non Grata
A Novel of the Roman Empire
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Persona Non Grata
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Narrated by:
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Simon Vance
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By:
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Ruth Downie
About this listen
With Tilla getting icy greetings from his relatives, Lucius's brother-in-law mysteriously drowned at sea, and the whole Ruso family teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, it's hard to imagine an unhappier reunion. That is, until Severus, the family's chief creditor, winds up dead, and the real trouble begins.
Engrossing, intricate, and - as always - wonderfully comic, Ruth Downie's latest is a brilliant new installment in this irresistible series. This is everything we've come to expect from our charming, luckless hero.
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend us your ears: listen to another Novel of the Roman Empire.©2009 Ruth Downie (P)2009 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
What listeners say about Persona Non Grata
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lorraine P.
- 06-01-23
Great Series
I loved the 3 books in this series. They are very entertaining, great characters and light mysteries in each book. This series is a delightful read, and the narration is terrific. I highly recommend.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- bill
- 05-28-24
Well done!
I thoroughly enjoy this series. I wasn't expecting to but took a chance and I'm really glad I did. No military battles but lots of stuff that brings that period to life. As for the narration, Simon Vance is the best! Well if not the best, one of them. I am on book 5 of the series and plan on reading them all.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Terrie
- 09-18-15
My favorite of the first three books of the series
What made the experience of listening to Persona Non Grata the most enjoyable?
The narrator could not be better suited for this book. Peerless.
Any additional comments?
Of the first three novels in this series, this one is my favorite. It has a fiendishly complicated cast of characters. I suggest jotting down the names as they apoear in the storyline.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- L. Barnes
- 12-30-16
better and better
this is the third Medicus book I've read and each has been a winner. historically and medically fascinating with plenty of plot tension and humor to keep you going far into the night. glad I have more to go.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Elizabeth Walch
- 02-04-23
Fun
I really enjoyed this audio book. Fun story, Russo and Tilla are complex and interesting characters.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Laurie
- 10-30-09
Well worth the wait!
I tend to listen to non-fiction more than fiction, but I am thoroughly engaged by these novels.
I have (via their websites) nagged both Ms. Downie and Mr. Vance about the release of the audio version of her latest Ruso novel. It is well worth the wait! I enjoy this series so very much -- I have listened to Medicus and Terra Incognita many times.
I find the protagonists delightfully drawn, and the secondary characters unique and very engaging.
I missed Albanus in this one, though...his eagerness and simplicity are a wonderful foil for Ruso's cynicism and weariness.
The environmental background is delightfully portrayed. I felt the dry heat of southern Gaul and, with Tilla, found myself wishing for the cool, moist air of Britannia. Her conclusions about the nature of "civilization" are spot on.
Mr. Vance's narration is a perfect match for these characters. I can't imagine anyone else doing Ruso. He captures Ruso's gruff manner as well as his well-hidden empathy and heart. In this book he gives well-nuanced voice to the new characters introduced into Ruso's world. I especially enjoyed the tone of his interpretation of Marcia, Ruso's half-sister. He gives her just the right touch of adolescent whining, pouting and rebellion!
"Gods above!" I rate this as a 5 for sheer enjoyment.
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15 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Robert A
- 11-05-12
Simon Vance is great!!!
If you could sum up Persona Non Grata in three words, what would they be?
Enjoyable listen - and funny too!
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
Simon Vance does a beautiful job covering all of the voices. He keeps a perfect cadence in his reading ... never rushing it but always drawing out the situational ironies (which Ruth Downie does so beautifully).
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Bay Area Girl
- 07-13-13
fun but obvious -- like a good bowl of popcorn
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
more complex characters
What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?
smooth , very good tone and pacing
Did Persona Non Grata inspire you to do anything?
you are kidding, right?!
Any additional comments?
does what it does well -- and then you are done. snack food with some historical seasoning thrown in.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cascadiapnw
- 03-16-23
Pulls You In and Won't Let You Go!
I enjoy stories that are rooted in the past yet bring the characters to life. In this book, I learned more about life in the Roman empire, around 100 CE, and grew to care about the characters who peopled the book. The author, Ruth Downie, excels at the complex relationships between family members, which seemed all too familiar to me. The plot was well developed and kept me guessing. It also kept me listening too late into the night, in fact.
In this, the third in the series, Ruso, a Medicus from the Roman army, travels to visit his family in Gaulish Rome with his partner, Tilla, who is from the northern reaches of the empire (Scotland). While the people of the community consider Tilla a barbarian, through her eyes, we see the lack of civility of the Roman empire, from unscrupulous business practices to the barbarity of what is viewed as “entertainment” in the colosseum.
I appreciated the authenticity of this novel. It was clear that Downie had done a lot of research to create the background setting, catching the culture, society, sights, sounds, tastes, smells, of this time period. Interestingly, it was as Christianity was beginning to emerge and the reader sees this new cult/religion through the eyes of different characters.
Simon Vance is an excellent narrator, breathing life into Ruso and other characters with his voice. The story, though complicated, was easy to follow due to the writing and narration.
I’d listened to the two previous books in this series a few years ago, so they weren’t fresh in my mind, but I am glad I had them as background. Nevertheless, I do think this book stands alone, as well. Highly recommend!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- SamanthaG
- 05-12-10
Thank you Ruth
Knew nothing about this book when I picked it - just sounded interesting. I"ve always thought I'd like to read something about Ancient Rome (or Tudor England or Egypt under the Pharoahs} that dealt with everyday life and relatively ordinary people. To be sure, this is a murder- mystery, but it's full of everyday occurrences - meals and broken feet and shopping and petty grievances. The characters come across after about 2000 years as fellow human beings. Ruso is likeable even though he's irascible and Tilla is an incredibly strong and down-to earth woman. There's much humor woven into the fabric of this story which really enlivens it. The only difficulty that I had in reading this was keeping the characters straight - maybe because of the unfamiliar names, but it was hard for me to remember the connections between the characters, All in all, a very enjoyable read. I plan to get the other 2 in the series.
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