Persona Non Grata

A Novel of the Roman Empire

By: Ruth Downie

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 10 hrs and 16 mins

Publisher's summary

At long last, Gaius Petreius Ruso and his companion, Tilla, are headed home - to Gaul. Having received a note consisting only of the words "COME HOME!" Ruso has (reluctantly, of course) pulled up stakes and brought Tilla to meet his family. But the reception there is not what Ruso has hoped for: no one will admit to sending for him, and his brother Lucius is hoping he'll leave.

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 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This lively sequel to Medicus and Terra Incognita continues Downie's delightful historical series.... Highly recommended." ( Library Journal)

Excellent series

Who was your favorite character and why?

lead character -the doctor - is both appealing and appropriate to his time. Author manages to develop both characters life stories through the series and put them in middle of a murder plot without being too far fetched. I recommend reading from start of series. I like Roman era stories but I think anyone who likes mysteries will like.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Excellent

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.

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).

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.

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!

Scriptor est Notus.

[The author is known] This is the third of Ruth Downie's books, and it has maintained the same high standard. These are fun reading or listening as the case may be and I have all three on my mp3 player. I am awaiting the next installment. If you are a history, historical fiction or love things Roman, it is a great series, written with whit and a bit of irony.

Bruce

Sparkling character development

This is the third book in the series.. the tale was not as gripping, but I liked discovering Rousseau’s family. Ruth Downie has a great sense of humor, and even though the subject matter can be graphic at times, her writing is often humorous. She does not disappoint.

Another Downie downer full of insects and dung.

Downie paints her unpleasant 2nd century Roman Empire and peoples it with equally unpleasant and annoying characters - including the protagonists. As usual, Ruso gets nearly everything wrong along the way. The mystery is solved mostly by accident. That said, I suppose I'll continue with the series although I'm not sure why. PS - The broken foot was distracting and unnecessary.

Darius and Tella are like husband and wife instead of master and slave.

I had enjoyed the detective approach in the story. It was interesting how Darius approach the problem in one direction. Tella took a different direction to clear her master's name.

Surprisingly entertaining

I have never been a fan of historical fiction. I thought, it's either history or it's not. No need to make up stories about things that really happened. I have since changed my mind.

I started this series when Terra Incognita was featured as a Kindle book for $1.99. I figured, what do I have to lose if I hate a $2 book? Then I couldn't get enough. I wanted to find out what happened to Tilla, a very likable and strong willed woman.

I honestly couldn't care less about the male characters in this series. Most of them seem flat and boring, except for the evil ones. Tilla is interesting and complicated. Not to say this is a book that makes you think or feel. It's just a good story that entertains. It's fun.

As for the people who have said that it is not historically accurate, I say, ppptttthhhhhtttt.... Who cares? We don't know much about that time anyway. The Roman's only wrote from the conquering heroes point of view, and the Celts didn't write about it, or anything else. So Ms. Downie has some room to fill in the blanks.

These are good books. Read them for what they are worth and you will enjoy them.