The Sirens of Surrentum (The Roman Mysteries)

OMG! This book is so awesome! It does have some parts that your parents might not be too happy about but they aren't too bad. Besides that this is one of my favorites! Keep on reading!

It has been a year since the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, and the world of ancient Rome finally seems to have returned to normality. It's only in the hearts of our young protagonists that storms are still stirring, and the eleventh book in "The Roman Mysteries" series explores the burgeoning sexuality of love-struck Flavia, introspective Jonathan, and wise Nubia. Even nine year old Lupus is beginning to foster an interest in girls. The subject matter may raise a few eyebrows, but Caroline Lawrence handles the onset of adolescence and all that it entails with plenty of tact.Love, or at least something that *feels* like love, is in the air when the four youngsters (I can't really refer to them as children anymore!) return to Villa Limona, the luxurious seaside home of Publius Pollius Felix. Considering she's been infatuated with him for going on a year, Flavia is in quite a state about seeming him again, but it is his daughter Pulchra that gives her the real reason for their invitation: she is convinced that her mother is being poisoned. Felix's wife is a pale and sickly woman, and Pulchra is convinced that her occasional lapses into serious illness is the work of one of the household's frequent guests.Flavia and her friends are swift in agreeing to investigate the suspects: three handsome bachelors and three beautiful widows, all of whom have the motive and opportunity to do away with Polla. But there are distractions aplenty: the licentious city of Baiae, the presence of several captivating adults, and a surprise appearance from Flavia's betrothed. With all the heartache and confusion that swirls around the villa, Flavia finds it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.There may be a little bit of value dissonance at work in the book (the fact that Roman society considers Flavia old enough for a betrothal at the tender age of eleven will make contemporary readers balk), but Lawrence uses this to her advantage in the shaping of her themes. The target audience of these books will already have a rudimentary understanding of the birds and the bees, and here the topic of sex is alluded to in tasteful, veiled, and humorous ways. Though some of the content is sensual, it's nowhere near overtly sexual, and the ultimate theme of the book is how to differentiate between abiding love and fleeting lust. I'm sure there are plenty of young readers who could stand to get a preemptive understanding of the crucial distinction between these two states.As always, Lawrence takes the opportunity to weave in historical information about philosophies, historical figures and Roman mythology in such a way that they are not distractions from the plot, but which tie in neatly with the themes and characterization, and provide inspiration for the detectives to better understand the unfolding mystery. The characters are as interesting and three-dimensional as usual; from the flawed-yet-sympathetic leads, to the enigmatic supporting cast, to the quirky "guest stars" (such as a woman who owns a trained panther, and another who possesses an extraordinary sense of smell).I have always felt that adults are more likely to be comfortable in children absorbing violence than anything of a sexual nature, no matter how tastefully it's presented. That's a debate for another forum, but for whom it may concern, "The Sirens of Surrentum" is not gratuitous or shocking, but actually has something to *say* about the issues that it raises. Adultery and promiscuity are bad. Responsibility and fidelity is good. Desire and passion are enjoyable yet potentially dangerous, and best dealt with by seeking wise counsel from those who have experience in such matters. All of this is presented in such a way that doesn't for a moment feel patronizing or heavy-handed.(Oddly, the only thing that I took any umbrage to was the "boys will be boys" attitude of Jonathan and Lupus rowing out to spy on the women sunbathing on rocks in the sea. The scene is played for laughs, but given the rather serious lesson that Flavia learns by book's end, it grated that the boys were simply laughed at for trying to get an eyeful of several naked women instead of reprimanded for not respecting their privacy).If "The Sirens of Surrentum" feels a little different than its predecessors, it's probably because the series is growing up along with its protagonists. Lawrence has never shied away from presenting the darker side of life alongside the lighter pleasures, and though I have yet to complete the series, it is clear that it's overarching theme is the universal experience of stumbling toward adulthood and gaining greater understanding of the world by doing so - something that was just as challenging in ancient Rome as it is today.

Roman mysteries is a bit like the Famous Five with a Roman setting. Four children and a dog solving criminal conspiracies and unravelling some wonderful mysteries in a set of books that just keeps on going. This series deserves to be a classic, and is rich with well researched historical detail that is thoroughly educational as well as thoroughly entertaining. For this reason I would recommend the series to anyone.However the author has deliberately departed from any Enid Blyton model, and rather like J K Rowling, she has written her books to age with their readers (or their initial readers at least). From the start there are some gruesome storylines. Those storylines will appeal to young readers though, even if their parents shy away a little from having their 8 year old reading about Lupus having his tongue cut out!In this book though the story takes a leap into teen fiction. This is a story of sexual intrigue. It is carefully written, but that is the overarching theme. This being the case, younger readers will either not wholly understand it or else be turned off by it and parents will be well advised to consider carefully the books suitability.Those readers who grew up with Roman Mysteries and are already in their teens by the time they read this will not be troubled by the themes though, and the story is another great mystery. Personally I found the resolution a little obvious, but maybe I have just read too many mysteries! It did not matter though as I enjoyed the book thoroughly.I would give it five stars but I think it would be helpful if the nature of the story was flagged a little more clearly.I will not be encouraging my 9 year old daughter to read this book any time soon, but I will keep it around for when she is a little older.

This series by Caroline Lawrence is fabulously evocative of the Roman Empire in all its noise, glory, social etiquette & even seediness. This book follows that trend yet I question the need to go over the seamy, debauched side of Roman life for the monied, upper, toga-wearing classes in a childrens book. The story line is therefore quite loose and not as gripping as other volumes focused on more direct crime. Nevertheless, do not worry, it is not explicit, deals with its subject matter with some humour and may appeal to teenage readers addicted to the romance, various love triangles and intrigues. The plot is rather uneven and this effort lost its way to some extent. I suppose it is rather difficult to tie Dido and Anaeas and the lives of the poets into anything resembling a real life story without histrionics. Still a good book but not the best in the series.

This entire series is sold in the 7-9-year-old section in our local bookstore, which would seem reasonable when one considers that the protagonist is 10 years old, with an 8-year-old friend. This book doesn't just contain sex. It contains sex in all the unhealthiest of ways, with a suicidal woman poisoning herself to get attention from her promiscuous husband who sleeps with and/or has slept with nearly every female character in the book. We see slave girls competing for sexual favors from their master, we watch Lupus and Flavia separately "walk in" on various sex scenes. We meet a very young slave girl who has just become pregnant by Felix, we hear from a woman who was raped by him as an 11 year old, and we even watch Flavia ward off sexual advances, as a 10-year-old, from a man at least two decades her senior. The book also includes two suicide attempts, one by a girl only slightly older than Flavia. And the convoluted sexual intrigues don't just form some side story--they basically constitute the entire plot. What is this doing in a book I bought for my 7-year-old?

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!Up to this point, the four characters had been innocent (exept Jonathan, because of the fire), but they come back acting like they're sixteen or seventeen. It is a total change of character. It is a very strong book, concerning poison & tales of suicide. It is really dissappointing, for The Sirens of Surrentum was the book I looked forward to. However, the last two chapters were, in my opinion, one of the best in the series, although Flavia should have shrugged off her love for Felix sooner. It is really annoying how Flavia thinks that if she likes someone, they are innocent as a lamb, when really, there was a high chance of Felix being the poisoner. However, I only realized that Polla was the poisoner at the end of the third to last chapter. All in all, I am suprised at Lawrence and hope that her books get better.Age 9 |-|

its really good book but some things are rather disturbing. The problem is sometimes the sex, nubia and others being naked, even though in roman times these things pass as normal. Other than all that, its a wonderful book. The violence in some places of the book also isnt so great. but still im a HUGE fan.

Overall amazing read, would definitely recommend. It does contain a lot of love stuff like kissing but the romans were allowed to marry at 12-13, what do you expect?