What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
The Forgotten Daughter
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. YA book set in ancient Greece during the Roman occupation or possibly in Roman countryside with Greek slaves [s]
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I don't know the book, but "sea" is "thalassa," not "thessala," which might make googling any more effective.
Mod
As a further aside--this book MIGHT possibly be a British publication, as the school I attended in Greece was an English one. (Which is why I have probs with spelling in English--some words I spell the American way, some the English way and some I've made up myself just because I'm so confused.)
Mod
But in the mean time I'm going to move this to "possibly solved" and will put it back up if it isn't.
And btw--thank you, thank you, thank you. Just in case it really IS my missing book.
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What's the Name of That Book???
Books mentioned in this topic
The Forgotten Daughter (other topics)Mara, Daughter of the Nile (other topics)
The main character is a young girl of Greek descent, a slave who works on her owner's country plantation. She is a house slave, and somewhat pampered. The master has never been to this property as long as the girl has been alive. There is an older female house slave and the over-seer, both of whom protect her. Her mother died when she was born, or very shortly afterwards, I believe. At anyrate, the mother has been dead for a very long time when the story is taking place.
One of the neightboring Roman estates has a "son of the house" come visiting, and he meets the girl and falls in love with her. The over-seer and older female are not willing to leave them alone, since they are worried about what might happen if they do, since the boy is 1) Roman and 2) free and 3) wealthy.
The girl and I think the older female run away at one point (or the boy takes them on a trip) and they go to the sea. I remember the girl standing and looking down at the sea and going "Thessala, Thessala" (the Sea, The Sea.) The girl has cut her hair and is pretending to be a boy during this time.
Later, the owner of the property comes to the property after a plague kills his wife and children. By this time the girl is back at the house, still dressed as a boy. The owner sees her and is stunned and says that she looks just like his son, that she is even wearing some of the son's old clothes (which had been sent there for the slaves to wear once they were no longer in good enough shape for the "family" to wear.)
(view spoiler)[It turns out that the owner is also her father. And that he had been told by his family that she and her mother had both died in childbirth. His family hadn't been happy that he was in love with--and had essentially married--a Greek slave girl. Also, the neighboring boy had realized that the girl was his daughter BECAUSE of that very resemblence, since he'd known the family for a long time. He tells the father that he'd recognized her right away as being the father's and that that was why he had always been polite and hadn't tried to force himself on her. Because the Roman wife was dead, as was the man's parents he was able to have her take her place as his oldest daughter. I believe that the 2 main characters were betrothed and set to marry at the end of the book, altho this part could just be my wishful thinking. (hide spoiler)]