Blog tour: The Immigrant Queen

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Welcome to the blog tour for The Immigrant Queen by Peter Taylor-Gooby!


More about the book…

Hated as a foreigner, despised as a woman, I became First Lady of Athens

Aspasia falls passionately in love with Pericles, the leading statesman of Fifth Century Athens. Artists, writers and thinkers frequent her salon. She hides her past as a sex-worker, trafficked to the city, and becomes Pericles’ lover. Her writings attract the attention of Socrates, and she becomes the only woman to join his circle. She is known throughout the city for her beauty and wit and strives to become recognised as an intellectual alongside men.

Pericles’ enemies attack him through Aspasia and charge her with blasphemy. As a foreigner she faces execution, but her impassioned address to the jury shames the city and saves her. Pericles is spellbound, they marry, and she becomes First Lady of Athens.

Sparta besieges the city; plague breaks out and Pericles is once again in danger.

The Immigrant Queen tells the true story of how Aspasia rose to become the First Lady of Athens and triumphed against all the odds.

More about the author…

Peter Taylor-Gooby OBE is a leading social policy academic. He has published widely and made many TV and radio appearances. He previously worked as a teacher, an antique dealer, in a social security office and on adventure playgrounds. The Immigrant Queen is Peter’s fourth book with Troubador Publishing. He is based in Canterbury.

My impressions…

I love how the rekindled love with Ancient Greece that we have been witnessing in literature over the past few years is giving new voice and life to too many forgotten women. Now, it’s Aspasia’s turn!

Focusing on her life, the book offers a vivid depiction of ancient Athens, a city that is often considered the cradle of democracy but was riddled with contradictions. While free men could participate in the Assembly, this privilege excluded most of its population: women, foreigners, and slaves. This backdrop of inequality serves as the stage for Aspasia’s story.

As a foreigner with a background in sex work, she rose to prominence in a remarkable way. She entered Socrates’s intellectual circle, and – evolving from lover to wife – she became a trusted political advisor to Pericles, Athens’ most influential statesman. She was a powerful figure, though much of her legacy has been obscured over time.

Clearly well-researched and rich in details that bring both time and place to life, this novel shouldn’t be missed if you love to dive into female-focused retellings or historical fiction.

Three words to describe it. Engrossing. Historical. Rich.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s eye-catching.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, this is the first book by this author that I read.


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