What Am I Reading Now?

Having closed the covers on Lydia with a pleasurable sigh, I have taken up for my next read The Lantern Bearers, Book Three in the Roman Britain Trilogy by Rosemary Sutcliff. With the very first page, I found myself again immersed in the painfully beautiful word-portraits of the author of Knight's Fee and The Eagle of the Ninth. What I don't yet know, and read with a bit of trepidation to discover, is whether The Lantern Bearers will leave me as sad the former or as warmly contented as the latter. I am ever so tempted to sneak a peek at the ending so I can brace myself if necessary, but I am trying to be good and allow the story to reveal itself as it was meant to do. We'll see how long I can continue to resist temptation.

In the meantime, here's a summary of The Lantern Bearers:

The last of the Roman army have set sail and left Britain forever, abandoning it to civil war and the trheat of a Saxon invasion. Aquila, a young legionaire, deserted his regiment to stay behind with his family, but his home and all that he loves are destroyed. Years of hardship and fighting follow, and in the end, there is only one thing left in Aquila's life--his thirst for revenge...

Stop by on Tuesday to read a Tuesday Teaser from The Lantern Bearers.