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  <title><![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Gillian Bradshaw]]></name>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
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  <published>1986</published>
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  <date_updated>Thu Jul 10 15:36:06 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I finally finished &quot;The Beacon at Alexandria&quot; by Gillian Bradshaw. It took me a really long time to read this book. I liked it fairly well, but it was long. It is only 350 pages long, but it felt like forever. Basically it is a story of a young woman in Ephesus during the third century who...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24383050">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24383050]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Phil]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Historical fiction fans]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1992</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 21 13:51:03 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 21 15:44:38 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a novel about an aristocratic girl, Charis, in Ephesus around 380 AD. Her father wants to marry her to a crony of the Emperor Valens, who has been appointed governor of the province. Festinus is a cruel and sadistic man and to avoid the marriage Charis cuts her hair, disguises herself as a e...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13081700">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13081700]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Savannah]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Thu Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jul 07 11:56:25 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jul 07 11:59:56 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It is very difficult to make a self-determined female in an historical setting not seem, at best, oxymoronic and at worst a puppet of modern sensibilities. Somehow, Gillian Bradshaw manages it in this eloquent, slow-moving yet motivating read about a woman who studies medicine in an otherwise restri...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62497939">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62497939]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Haynesbe]]></name>
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  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 24 08:06:15 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Aug 24 08:08:25 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Set in ancient Alexandria, the story is of an independent, aristocratic young woman who wants to a a physician but is barred from this activity because she is female. She disguises herself as a boy and works to achieve her dreams.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68679319]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Katrina]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Fans of Historical Fiction or Women in History]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jul 08 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 19 13:05:25 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jul 09 12:59:08 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Bradshaw's conversational writing style hooks you immediately and takes you into the vast Roman empire shortly before its downfall, makes you feel as if you're really there, by focusing on one young woman, Charis, and her struggle to find her identity and be true to herself. The characters are peopl...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33282947">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/33282947]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>1760534</id>
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    <id>120332</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Emiley]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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    <body><![CDATA[Gillian Bradshaw is an outstanding author of historical fiction; she studied classics at Cambridge and her attention to detail is reflected in her novels.  Beacon at Alexandria describes the trials of Charis of Ephesus, who dreams of studying medicine in the 4th century Roman Empire and diligently r...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1760534">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1760534]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>71833184</id>
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    <id>792292</id>
    <name><![CDATA[MaryBliss]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Sep 19 20:03:31 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 19 20:03:31 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[The premise is a bit far-fetched and the situations a bit unlikely, but the writing is good and the history and geography quite interesting.  I enjoyed it.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71833184]]></url>
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    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
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  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="historical-fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1987</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Sep 03 17:48:53 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Sep 03 17:49:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another way back yonder when read. I really do like this author. I first read an Arthurian trilogy by and adored it. Well researched historical fiction.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69982058]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69982058]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>70905638</id>
    <user>
    <id>736182</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kyra]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Provo, UT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/736182-kyra-liggett]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Sep 11 18:29:11 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Sep 11 18:29:11 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[it was good in that it was a book you can read without thinking too much. it is predictable to a fault, but still entertaining.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70905638]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70905638]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>49431693</id>
    <user>
    <id>2133029</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Gari]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Columbus, OH]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2133029-gari-aber]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>0</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Feb 10 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 16 07:39:13 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 16 07:40:18 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Not crazy about historical fiction; however, this was an interesting book.  Quite a bit of history added in]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49431693]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49431693]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>61555170</id>
    <user>
    <id>1146510</id>
    <name><![CDATA[David]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Mountain View, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1146510-david]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1210182806p3/1146510.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 29 16:26:20 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 29 16:26:20 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[YUP! It's a girl power book. I was thinking this would be a good chic-flick. :P]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61555170]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61555170]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>64233535</id>
    <user>
    <id>2535939</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Liza]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2535939-liza]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1248121891p3/2535939.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 20 10:44:57 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jul 20 10:44:57 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[incredibly satisyfing slightly trashy historical novel and romance.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64233535]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64233535]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2565040</id>
    <user>
    <id>161941</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Joy]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/161941-joy]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1224044790p3/161941.jpg]]></image_url>
    <small_image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1224044790p2/161941.jpg]]></small_image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1391314</id>
  <isbn>0395411599</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780395411599</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">1</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256223549m/1391314.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1256223549s/1391314.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1391314.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.60</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>5</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="american" />
        <shelf name="historical-fiction" />
        <shelf name="re-read" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 30 10:01:06 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 01 23:03:32 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Re-read 7/1/09. I continue to re-read my favorites of Bradshaw's novels, and am glad to discover that this one is also as good as I remember. Bradshaw is very good at drawing out all the complexities of Charis's situation: there are no easy solutions in which Charis gets to have it all. I suspect I ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2565040">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2565040]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2565040]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>46501560</id>
    <user>
    <id>1377203</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Karen]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sharon, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1377203-karen-zelevinsky]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Feb 16 06:15:01 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 08 10:14:08 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another fluffy yet satisfying historical fiction from Bradshaw. This one is set in the 4th century Roman Empire. ]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46501560]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46501560]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>19357599</id>
    <user>
    <id>1051614</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Mary]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ottertail, MN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1051614-mary-fahnlander]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1220618998p3/1051614.jpg]]></image_url>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[historical fiction lovers]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Amazon.com reading list]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Apr 03 06:06:05 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Apr 03 06:14:35 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I discovered this author because of a booklist I happened onto in Amazon.com. and have read several of her books since.  She's a scholar of the early Roman period and a great storyteller.  This one is about a young woman who runs away from an arranged marriage and hides her female identity in order ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19357599">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19357599]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19357599]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>19628058</id>
    <user>
    <id>1056629</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Clare]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1056629-clare]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1219068471p3/1056629.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fiction" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Apr 07 05:24:08 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Apr 07 05:35:59 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A young girl in ancient Greece does not like the man chosen by her father for her arranged marriage.  Wanting to escape this unwanted husband-to-be, and also hoping to escape the constrictive life of a women, she dresses herself as a teenage boy and sets off.  Her travels take her to Alexandria wher...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19628058">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19628058]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/19628058]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>36182204</id>
    <user>
    <id>899751</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Laura]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sandy, UT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/899751-laura]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1224960368p3/899751.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Oct 25 11:17:01 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 25 11:19:20 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I really like historical fiction.  This book takes place in the 600's (if I remember right) and is full of historical detail.  It takes place in Alexandria (duh!) and is about a girl who pretends to be a boy in order to study to be a doctor.  Lot's of adventure and a love story thrown in. :o)  Great...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36182204">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36182204]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36182204]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>24347602</id>
    <user>
    <id>1166624</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Barbara]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ellicott City, MD]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">146684</id>
  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 12 13:40:26 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 12 13:44:25 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[marvelous historical fiction romance set in the days of the Byzantine/Roman Empire.  Our heroine wants to be a doctor and disguises herself as a young man in order to accomplish this.  Her disguise holds until she is on the frontier and has to interact with the barbarians.  My favorite of Bradshaw's...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24347602">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24347602]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24347602]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>18447540</id>
    <user>
    <id>1016770</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Libby]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Minneapolis, MN]]></location>
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  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2000</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Mar 23 12:27:19 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Mar 23 12:28:36 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Gilian Bradshaw is my favorite historical fiction writer.  Her books are harder to find, but well worth it.  You may borrow mine, if you promise to return them unharmed.  :-)]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18447540]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18447540]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>13084027</id>
    <user>
    <id>811184</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lisa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Centerville, UT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/811184-lisa]]></link>
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  <isbn>1569470103</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569470107</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">24</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Beacon at Alexandria (The Hera Series)]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687m/146684.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172181687s/146684.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/146684.The_Beacon_at_Alexandria</link>
  <average_rating>4.30</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>127</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch she flees Ephesus for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually becomes drawn into Church politics and is forced once again to flee. She serves as an army doctor at a Roman outpost in Thrace until, kidnapped by barbarian Visigoths, she finds her destiny to heal and also to be a woman and a wife.<br/>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1986</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 21 14:21:10 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jan 21 14:22:20 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[One of my all-times favs.  About a girl who tries to make it in a man's world during to height of Alexandria's success.  Drama, love, intellectual, just great!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13084027]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/13084027]]></link>
</review>
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