Overall, what did you think of Babylonia? (no spoilers, please!)

Book Clubs Babylonia by Costanza Casati Discussion
21

Overall, I’m glad I started and finished Babylonia. There were sections, especially in the middle of the book that I found to be long and drawn out; i.e. the development of Semiramis’ relationship to Onnes and “will they or won’t they?” as well as with Ninus. I fought to get through them.

The author’s research showed on every page and I appreciated that very much. I’m part of a Bible study group that has been studying Genesis and amazingly, reading Babylonia and reading Genesis have complemented each other. I can now better understand the Assyrian’s pantheon gods and warrior society when reading the Bible. The violence was definitely significant, but was a part of that society at that time in history and I never felt that it gratuitous. I was surprised that even though there was a lot of revenge, murder and mayhem, including patricide and fratricide, there was not very much sex and none for the sake of getting some in the story.

The character development was excellent. At the beginning of the book I kept having to refer to list of characters at the front of the book, but before the halfway point I had them down pat. Like other readers, I was thankful for the lists, the maps, and information at the back of the book.

I learned so much about a society and time I was not all familiar with; I recommend Babylonia to any reader who enjoys ancient history, mythology, or wants to learn more about the beginnings of civilization.

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22

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Babylonia. Historical fiction is my preferred genre and Babylonia did not disappoint. I hadn’t heard of Semiramis and knew nothing about her place in history. I felt like I learned a lot and the author did a wonderful job of adding in the fictional details needed to flesh out the story

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23

At first I thought it’d be more of a lecture than a book. I recently read Black Shield Maiden and saw some similarities between the two books. But what I find interesting and refreshing about Babylonia is the switch between perspectives includes those who are in power. So, while we know that all characters are flawed, we see them as humans making tough choices of their own and not just one dimensional characters that want power.

I’m about a third of the way through now, and am eager to see where this goes!

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24

I really enjoyed this book - interesting in that there aren’t that many books on the
Assyrian Empire other than brief references to Ashurbanipal and the violence of that particular Empire. The author did a fine job in describing the royal court, the role of eunuchs as court advisors and the slave class. The characters were well developed and believable for the time period.

25

I really liked parts of it, but would have preferred less gore and violent details. I will really have to think about how I’d rate this one.

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