King spent five years not only cooking extensively with the ingredients of the time in order to replicate the recipes in the ancient cookbook, but she also learned Italian, visited the country repeatedly and studied ancient texts. A terrified Thrasius stands on the block wearing only his credentials displayed on a nameplate around his neck while Apicius pounds him with questions about his culinary specialties. The drama begins immediately as the novel opens with Apicius examining, and then buying, 19-year-old Thrasius, who already possesses a reputation as the region's finest chef. In this case, it's a wealthy first-century Roman gourmand named Apicius, who, in his time, was best-known for his lavish feasts and, in present day, remains credited as inspiring the world's oldest surviving cookbook. Like much of the best in historical fiction, "Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome" features a protagonist plucked from relative obscurity.
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