History Literature / HouseholdGods

Nicole Gunther-Perrin is a young lawyer in Los Angeles, California, USA. She's proud of her skills, but beaten down by her wearying existence trying to climb in the legal profession while also juggling taking care of her two children. Nicole's struggling to break through the firm's glass ceiling where she works, and pry child support payments from her ex-husband (who's traded up for a younger woman, much to Nicole's annoyance). When especially frustrated, she wishes for a life in ancient Rome to her statues of the Roman gods Liber and Libera, giving them a wine offering but naturally not expecting anything. The next day though Nicole wakes up in the body of female Roman tavern keeper Umma, living in the city Carnantum on the Imperial frontier (now modern Vienna, Austria). Abruptly stuck in an alien past, Nicole is forced to live out this new life and hope for some way of getting home.

!Examples:

* DeathByChildbirth: A Roman mother Nicole meets dies in childbirth, due to a complication the physician unwittingly makes worse through infecting her during his examination. Nicole can only watch helplessly, and much of the tragedy is due to the fact it's caused by his ignorance (though he's a good physician by the standards then-it's just ''no one'' knew any better).

* TheFundamentalist: Nicole is disturbed by how fervent a Christian whom she runs into acts, being a pretty lapsed, nominal Catholic herself.

* IdiotHero: A problem with the story is that Nicole's ''really'' naive about life in ancient Rome. You don't expect random Americans to be experts on it, but as Creator/JoWalton points out in [[https://www.tor.com/2010/06/10/id-love-this-book-if-i-didnt-loathe-the-protagonist-harry-turtledove-and-judith-tarrs-lemghousehold-godslemg/ her review]], Nicole's shocked even by the fact that they ''have'' slavery, which is very much common knowledge (as many films such as ''{{Film/Spartacus}}'' have portrayed it). Nicole's ignorance and incurious nature will likely make many (like Walton) be very annoyed with her, even if they'd enjoy this otherwise for portraying the late Roman Empire so well.

* ShownTheirWork: Tarr and Turtledove obviously researched life in the 2nd century Roman Empire to the maximum, with many, many details given of daily life then. It's the best feature of the book to some people.

* YeGoodeOldeDays: The book plays with this trope. The protagonist, a female lawyer who lives in modern LA (c. the late 90s when the book came out) wishes for something else than her difficult life juggling a career and family, praying to a statue of two Roman gods she bought, thinking it was better in the era they came from. When her prayer is then granted, and she's woken up in the body of a female Roman tavern owner in the 2nd century AD, it turns out to be quite unpleasant in many ways. She's disgusted by the lack of hygiene, slavery and the Romans' attitudes toward many issues. Then things become worse. Ultimately it boils down to finding appreciation for what she has in her own time.

* ShownTheirWork: Tarr and Turtledove obviously researched life in the 2nd Roman Empire to the maximum, with many, many details given of daily life then. It's the best feature of the book to some people.

* RaisedCatholic: Nicole was. Though she's lapsed, the contempt Roman pagans have toward Christians even so strikes hard given her background.

* CharacterDevelopment: As a result of her experience in the past as Umma, Nicole [[GrewASpine stands up for herself more]], pushing to get the job she deserves and her ex-husband's delinquent child support. Plus, she learns to ''really'' appreciate what she has by seeing how much harsher life can be.

Nicole Gunther-Perrin is a young lawyer in Los Angeles, California, USA. She's proud of her skills, but beaten down by her wearying existence trying to climb in the legal profession while also juggling taking care of her two children. Nicole's also struggling to break through the firm's glass ceiling where she works, and pry child child support payments from her ex-husband (who's traded up for a younger woman, much to Nicole's annoyance). When especially frustrated, she wishes for a life in ancient Rome to her statues of the Roman gods Liber and Libera, giving them a wine offering but naturally not expecting anything. The next day though Nicole wakes up in the body of female Roman tavern keeper Umma, living in the city Carnantum on the Imperial frontier (now modern Vienna, Austria). Abruptly stuck in an alien past, Nicole is forced to live out this new life and hope for some way of getting home.

Nicole Gunther-Perrin is a young lawyer in Los Angeles, California USA. She's proud of her skills, but beaten down by her wearying existence trying to climb in the legal profession while also juggling taking care of her two children. Nicole's also struggling to break through the firm's glass ceiling where she works, and pry child child support payments from her ex-husband (who's traded up for a younger woman, much to Nicole's annoyance). When especially frustrated, she wishes for a life in ancient Rome to her statues of the Roman gods Liber and Libera, giving them a wine offering but naturally not expecting anything. The next day though Nicole wakes up in the body of female Roman tavern keeper Umma, living in the city Carnantum on the Imperial frontier (now modern Vienna, Austria). Abruptly stuck in an alien past, Nicole is forced to live out this new life and hope for some way of getting home.

* CharacterDevelopment: As a result of her experience in the past as Umma, Nicole [[GrewASpine stands up for herself more]], pushing to get the job she deserves and her ex-husbands delinquent child support. Plus, she learns to ''really'' appreciate what she has by seeing how much harsher life can be.

* IdiotHero: A problem with the story is that Nicole's ''really'' naive about life in ancient Rome. You don't expect random Americans to be experts on it, but as Creator/JoWalton points out in [[https://www.tor.com/2010/06/10/id-love-this-book-if-i-didnt-loathe-the-protagonist-harry-turtledove-and-judith-tarrs-lemghousehold-godslemg/ her review]], Nicole's shocked even by the fact that they ''have'' slavery, which is very much common knowledge (as many films such as ''{{Film/Spartacus}}'' have portrayed it). Nicole's ignorance and incurious nature will likely make many (like Wilson) be very annoyed with her, even if they'd enjoy this otherwise for portraying the late Roman Empire so well.

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Nicole is horrified by slavery, and even moreso to find she's living in the body of a female slave owner, whereas for Romans it's completely innocuous. No one else gets why she's suddenly dead-set on manumitting Umma's slave (not even the slave, Julia, herself).

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Nicole petitions Emperor Marcus Aurelius to receive compensation for her rape (she's a lawyer, or was back in the modern US) because the rapist was a Roman legionary. However, the Romans' law lacks vicarious liability (the concept that superiors are generally responsible for their inferiors bad acts) and since he wasn't acting on orders by the government, they're not accountable. Aurelius gives her compensation himself, feeling Nicole deserves it whatever the law says.

* ReallyGetsAround: Julia is quite promiscuous, saying she just loves to have sex and it's the best pastime. In fact, it turns out Umma utilized this by having Julie charge for sex, with her taking the money ([[UnproblematicProstitution Julia's fine with it]]) but Nicole stops that, not liking the idea of being a pimp.

* ReallyGetsAround: Julia is quite promiscuous, saying she just loves to have sex and it's best pastime.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Marcus Aurelius is portrayed as a compassionate, generous and reasonable man, who deliberately refrains from indulgences while treating even a common citizen like Umma/Nicole respectfully as he's an ardent Stoic. TruthInTelevision: the real man was famous for his integrity, being called the "last good Emperor".

* IdiotHero: A problem with the story is that Nicole's ''really'' naive about life in ancient Rome. You don't except random Americans to be experts on it, but as Creator/JoWalton points out in [[https://www.tor.com/2010/06/10/id-love-this-book-if-i-didnt-loathe-the-protagonist-harry-turtledove-and-judith-tarrs-lemghousehold-godslemg/ her review]], Nicole's shocked even by the fact they even ''have'' slavery, which is very much common knowledge (as many films such as ''{{Film/Spartacus}}'' have portrayed it). Nicole's ignorance and incurious nature will likely make many (like Wilson) be very annoyed with her, even if they'd enjoy this otherwise for portraying the late Roman Empire so well.

* DeathOfAChild: Aurelia dies from the pestilence, and so does the baby of a woman whom she knows in childbirth. It's shown this is a sadly common occurrence among ancient Romans.

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Nicole wistfully wishes for a better life in ancient Rome, and to her horror the gods she made it for are real, granting her wish.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Almost the entire point of the book is to show case how the late Romans really lived, and just how alien the ideas they held were to modern people (in this case the American protagonist). She's progressively shocked by how much filth there is, casual cruelty, disdain toward Christians, violence and of course rampant slavery.

* TheDungAges: The book highlights how much this was the case in the late Roman Empire. It's mostly because of ignorance or simply inability to do anything else however. How do you keep the flies or lice away with no screens or shampoo, for instance? Nonetheless, it's hard on the protagonist, who's a time traveler from the US in the late 90s. They still do bathe frequently, but it doesn't help much since the grime quickly sets in again, bath water is rarely changed, and sick people go too.
* FishOutOfTemporalWater: Nicole, a modern woman from the late 20th century, is sent back to the 2nd century Roman Empire. She knows very little of how things are done (hence her romanticized view about ancient Rome, which prompted the wish to begin with) and struggles mightily with adapting. The people around often think there's something off with her as a result.
* IdiotHero: A problem with the story is that Nicole's ''really'' naive about life in ancient Rome. You don't except random Americans to be experts on it, but as Creator/JoWalton points out in her review, Nicole's shocked even by the fact they even ''have'' slavery, which is very much {{common knowledge}} (as many films such as ''{{Film/Spartacus}} have portrayed it). Her ignorance and incurious nature will likely make many (like Wilson) be very annoyed with her, even if they'd enjoy it otherwise.

* RapeAsDrama: When the Roman Army liberates Carnantum from the Germans, Nicole is overjoyed at first. Then a legionary rapes her, despite the fact she (appears to be) a Roman citizen, and runs off.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Marcus Aurelius is portrayed as a compassionate, generous and reasonable man, deliberately refraining from indulgences while treating even a common citizen like Umma/Nicole respectfully as he's an ardent Stoic. TruthInTelevision: the real man was famous for his integrity, being called the "last of the Good Emperors".

* SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Nicole is horrified by slavery, and even moreso to find she's living in the body of a female slave owner, whereas for Romans it's completely innocuous. No one else gets why she's dead-set on manumitting Umma's slave (not even the slave, Julia, herself).

* YeGoodeOldeDays: The book plays with this trope. The protagonist, a female lawyer who lives in modern LA (c. the late 90s when the book came out) wishes for something else than her difficult life juggling a career and family, praying to a statue of two Roman gods she bought, thinking it was better in the era they came from. When her prayer is granted, and she's woken up in the body of a female Roman tavern owner in the 2nd century AD, it turns out to be quite unpleasant in many ways. She's disgusted by the lack of hygiene, slavery and the Romans' attitudes toward many issues. Then things become worse. Ultimately it boils down to finding appreciation for what she has in her own time.

''Household Gods'' is a 1999 book by Creator/HarryTurtledove and Judith Tarr in which a late 20th century American woman finds herself in the 2nd century Roman Empire due to an ill-advised wish.