Description

A STORY ABOUT FEMALE AMBITION, LEARNING WHERE TRUE POWER LIES, AND EXACTLY WHAT IT COSTS.

‘Compelling, relatable characters and a brilliant voice’ CONN IGGULDEN
‘A tale of power-play, political hope and women’s inner strength’ ELYSE JOHN
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Fulvia is the daughter of a wealthy but unimportant Roman family. Raised in the countryside, she longs for a life of intrigue and influence. When her father dies and her inheritance is threatened, Fulvia makes her way to the city of Rome to secure her future.

There she marries a young aristocrat named Clodius, who is more interested in partying with his hedonistic friends than politics. Fulvia is drawn into their world of debauchery, and learns just how precarious the balance of power in the Republic is. Her ambition drives them both to political power that draws the attention of the senate, and more seedy underworld opponents. But Rome is a dangerous place, and power can become notoriety overnight. Fulvia soon learns just how high the stakes really are, and that her ambitions may come at a terrible cost.

TO RULE A RULER – the sequel to FULVIA by Kaarina Parker – will be publishing in 2026…

Publisher Review

She was a woman who took no interest in spinning or housekeeping. She wanted to rule a ruler and command a commander. * Plutarch * A triumph! Parker deftly draws the reader into a whirlpool of politics and intrigue, bringing the sights and sounds of ancient Rome to life in lush detail. A timely meditation on the power of the people versus a small cadre of conservative elites, and an engaging tale about a woman who refuses to play by any rules except her own. * Luna McNamara, author of Psyche and Eros * A dramatic tale from an exciting new storyteller, Fulvia shines a light on the women behind the forces and factions in Ancient Rome. Taking us on a turbulent ride, Kaarina Parker delves into the personal and political world of a strong-minded woman who shapes the fortunes of the men around her - and perhaps even the future of Rome itself. Beneath Fulvia's veneer of machinations, a push for social change beats a steady and dangerous drum. This bold novel grabbed me with its tale of power-play, political hope, and women's inner strength. * Elyse John, author of Orphia and Eurydicius * Compelling, relatable characters and a brilliant voice. Fulvia is a fascinating insight into an extraordinary woman of ancient Rome. Some stories, some lives, cry out to be told. This is one of them. * Conn Iggulden, author of the Emperor and Conqueror series * Fulvia is an alchemical triumph, a golden combination of gorgeous prose and immersive storytelling. Both fast-paced and intricately detailed, Kaarina Parker's debut is a glorious tribute to the wily women who ran the Roman world. * Lauren J.A. Bear, author of Medusa's Sisters * Fulvia is a compelling heroine: ambitious, ruthless, and mercenary, a wonderful amalgamation of Cersei Lannister, Clytemnestra, and Annie Garthwaite's Cecily. This is a slender novel, but it packs a punch, exploring the political and the personal in equally fascinating depth. * Naomi Kelsey, author of The Burnings * A page turner that pulled me straight into the action of Ancient Rome, into a viper's nest of the power hungry and into the brilliant mind of a woman who knew how to strike back. * Cari Thomas, author of Threadneedle * Fulvia follows its central protagonist from her birthplace among the pastoral hills of Etruria into the very heart of Rome. There is something enduring and infinitely delicate in the immensity of this transition: of a young woman developing sentience and desire amongst all the glitter and intrigue, the ambition and debauchery of a lost antiquity. There is the Ancient Rome of cloistered Senate meetings, of patriarchy, and then there is the Ancient Rome of bath houses and December festivals, of courtyard conversations and scheming amongst the flowers. A Rome of women. Parker excels not only in her descriptions of scenery, which are admittedly prodigious (the air runs thick with perfume and stench and spiced wine-the ruins of the Palatine are covered over with frescoes and grape leaves, all with a deftness any author of historical fiction might envy) but also, in her resurrection of the dead. Personages divided from us by the veil of time feel closer and more vivid. Familiar names are presented to the reader like lures, suddenly connected to characters who are shocking and personable and charming and frustrating in turn. A brilliant and incendiary debut. * Eilish Quin, author of Medea * Kaarina Parker pits Fulvia against the cream of the late Roman Republic and I was cheering her on like a bloodthirsty spectator at the Colisseum. With a strong sense of time and place, the novel is packed with skulduggery and dirty-dealing that feels bitingly contemporary. Full of juicy morsels for Classics fans, Fulvia is a winning combination of undertold history and punchy storytelling. * Meg Clothier, author of The Empress * In Fulvia Kaarina Parker has created a character who is brave, bold and passionate. She leads the reader through a compelling story of ambition, power and the price to be paid. * Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women *