To Hold the Throne: A Novel of the Last Maccabee Princess and King Herod the Great - Softcover

Okun, Joni

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1733988319 ISBN 13: 9781733988315

Publisher: Palace Publishing, 2019

Synopsis

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Historical figures and events meet page-turning fiction in Joni Okun's compelling debut novel. To Hold the Throne breathes life into the extraordinary story of King Herod the Great and Mariamne, the last Maccabee Princess, told in alternating points of view. 

Fueled by shifting political tides in Rome, the Triumvir Marc Antony disrupts the longstanding Maccabee Dynasty of Judea when he crowns Mariamne's new husband, Herod the Great, as King, setting off a firestorm of power-grabbing, betrayal, and tragedy in the quest for the ultimate prize: the throne.

Mariamne never surrenders her belief that her brother Aris, scion of the royal line descending from King David, is the rightful King of Judea. She wrestles with her conscience and with family expectations about how far she is willing to go to oust her husband the king, who loves her with great passion even as he grows increasingly paranoid about her fidelity and suspicious of her disloyalty. 

When a Maccabee family member is found murdered, Mariamne is thrown into a whirlwind of accusations and terror.

About this title

About the Author

Joni Okun graduated magna cum laude from Washington University, then earned her J.D. degree from Saint Louis University School of Law. She served as a law clerk to a federal judge, and worked as an international litigator and as business and employment lawyer. A member of the Historical Novel Society, Ms. Okun is passionate about writing and reading historical fiction. She lives in Orlando with her husband and two exceptionally destructive silky terriers.

Review

In a work of historical fiction set in the first century B.C.E., Mariamne of Maccabee struggles to juggle her marriage to power-hungry Herod the Great with her loyalty to the Judea he wishes to conquer. 
Mariamne waits excitedly to hear her grandfather--Hyrcanus, the governor and high priest of Judea--announce to whom she will be wed. Given the parlous political times, she assumes it will be to another Maccabee to preserve the purity of the dynastic royal line from which she descends. Her world suddenly tilts when Hyrcanus announces that he's chosen Herod, the governor of Galilee, an old man already married and largely considered a puppet of Rome and, most importantly, not a Maccabee. She protests the planned union, but her grandfather has already made up his mind, thinking the arrangement is the most effective way to secure the eventual ascension of her brother, Aris, now only a boy, to the Judean kingship. Herod unabashedly reveals his intentions to become the king, an admission that not only disgusts Mariamne, but floods her with ambition, not only for Aris, but for herself, an internal conflict sensitively portrayed by debut author Okun: 'Queen Mariamne? I rather liked the sound of it. I could be the mother of kings. I could produce the man who wore the crown of Judea.' The author dramatically chronicles her precarious position, which only grows more dangerous as Herod perceives her disdain for him and begins to question her loyalties. Okun's research is marvelously meticulous. She deftly unravels the complex political entanglements of the time. Moreover, she brings them to vivid life, detailing the frustration of Judeans with the arrogantly dismissive Roman rule. The heart of the tale, however, is Mariamne's psychological depth. The author resists a hagiographic urge to transform her into a simplistic hero, a decision that ultimately makes her plight all the more deserving of empathy. Okun's first novel is a rare combination of historical scrupulousness and fictional artistry. A remarkably astute historical depiction combined with an engrossing political drama.
~Kirkus Review 
In To Hold the Throne, Okun combines deep historical research with a wonderful novelistic imagination. The result is both engrossing and informative--a true pleasure to read. ~Barry Siegel, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Excellence in JournalismThe novel's narrative engine propels the reader relentlessly forward. The plot is grounded in well-researched history, and brought to life by layers of emotional, psychological, and political depth, conflict, and complication. ~BookLife Prize

Edition details

• Publisher: Palace Publishing
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1733988319
• ISBN 13: 9781733988315
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 350