The multitude of gods in the 500 pages of the book held my interest:- Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Asclepius, Athena, Attis, Bachus, Ceres, Cupid, Cybelle, Diana, Dionysus, Eros, Hera, Hades, Hermes, Hestia, Juno, Jupiter, Liber, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Poseidon, Tiwaz and a myriad of other deities for each and every activity under heaven. No wonder it was always so difficult for the Ephesians and Romans to be sure that all gods had been included and hence to also refer to the "Unknown God" just in case inadvertently one might annoy a God - minor or otherwise - by excluding them. I presuppose the people of that day and age were good at hedging their bets. It reminds me of a recent discussion with AM where she said that people had to be careful of the names they give their children - naming one's child Diana might be construed to be homage to the goddess of childbirth and forest. So I shall not mention "Tuesday" without thinking of Tiwaz, Drink a packet of Ceres Juice or eat cereals without recalling the god of agriculture, Walk into a Doctor's office and not be amazed by the rod of Aesculapius, (a snake-entwined staff), which remains a symbol of medicine today. We cannot completely run away from the the remains of that old time religion...It may be gone but it is here with us.
'A Voice in the Wind' follows the the shenanigans of the aristocratic Valerian family as this book is indeed set around their ups and downs. The patriarch Decimus, matriarch Phoebe and children Marcus & Julia. It is indeed the challenge of parenthood and seeking to mould our children around what we deem best. Interestingly though Decimus muses that "It is impossible for men to avoid fate, even when they see it before hand". There is always some power beyond us that fights against what we deem best for ourselves and our loved ones. Decimus worked the best he could for his children rising from nothing so that they could have everything but he often wondered why they did not exercise restraint upon their appetites. He concluded - like the writer of Ecclesiastes - that life is but vanity of vanities - a chasing after the wind. Right in the middle of this struggle, is the life of Haddassah - a christian Jewess who is a slave captured from the razing of Judea.
I enjoyed the politics of the day. The Roman Empire never ceases to amaze me. However what was true then is still today and Marcus would like to avoid politics as much as possible because it is a 'dirty' game. Many of his friends were ordered to commit suicide when the Emperor suspected them of treason based on no evidence other than the word of a jealous senator. Oh! Why must people be submit to the god of jealousy - pthonous - and seek to pull others down. This is so true even today in all places where people seek power and influence even in the work place.
The title of this book derives from the story of the prophet Isaiah (1st Kings 19) where running from Jezebel, Yahweh spoke to a frightened Isaiah in the wilderness - not through the wind, earthquake nor through the fire - but in a whisper - a small voice in the wind. A Voice in the Wind is intriguing as it seeks to lead the reader through the travails of one of the followers of the way in the early first century. The book is very well written, interesting, humorous and with lots of historical lessons. This is my second reading of the book and I could read it again and never tire of it.
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