The Wolf Den
Written by Elodie Harper
Narrated by Antonia Beamish
4/5
()
About this audiobook
“A gripping historical story.” —The Independent
“This powerful . . . trilogy opener beautifully walks the line between gutting and hopeful.” —BuzzFeed, Best Books of March 2022
Sold by her impoverished mother. Enslaved in an infamous brothel in Pompeii. Determined to fight for her freedom at all costs. . . . Enter into the Wolf Den.
Amara was once the beloved daughter of a doctor in Greece, until her father’s sudden death plunged her mother into destitution. Now Amara is a slave and prostitute in Pompeii’s notorious Wolf Den brothel or lupanar, owned by a cruel and ruthless man. Intelligent and resourceful, she is forced to hide her true self. But her spirit is far from broken. Buoyed by the sisterhood she forges with the brothel’s other women, Amara finds solace in the laughter and hopes they all share. For the streets of the city are alive with opportunity—here, even the lowest-born slave can dream of a new beginning. But everything in Pompeii has a price. How much will Amara’s freedom cost her? The Wolf Den is the first in a trilogy of novels about the lives of women in ancient Pompeii.
Elodie Harper
Elodie Harper is the award-winning author of the bestselling Wolf Den trilogy, set in ancient Pompeii. The first book in the series, The Wolf Den, was a Waterstones Book of the Month, and the second, The House with the Golden Door, was a Sunday Times bestseller. Her next novel, Boudicca's Daughter, is out in August 2025. Alongside her career as a writer, Elodie has worked as a reporter at ITV News and producer at Channel 4. elodieharper.com
More audiobooks from Elodie Harper
The House with the Golden Door Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boudicca's Daughter Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
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Reviews for The Wolf Den
214 ratings7 reviews
What our readers think
Readers find this title gritty, moving, tragic, beautiful, and pleasantly surprising. The main character, Amara, is particularly likable. The series is recommended for those who enjoy emotional and captivating reads.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5
Jun 30, 2025
It's not my cup of tea. It's a very long book, and I'm grateful to be listening to the audiobook. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Oct 26, 2024
Quite emotionally stimulating in many different ways, I absolutely loved it! I’m just starting the 2nd book of this trilogy. I didn’t realize at end of book 1 that this was a trilogy & so at 1st I was outraged when it ended bc so much was still open & unresolved in the story. I’m so excited to continue reading this amazing story. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Oct 5, 2024
Gritty and moving. I loved every minute. It’s tragic and beautiful how the scenarios of those in the past can still feel so familiarly heartbreaking. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Aug 11, 2024
Really liked this book and series. I went into blind just liking the book cover and was pleasantly surprised at how good it is. I really liked Amara, the main character. I recommend this series. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Mar 31, 2023
This is a GOOD Book. Brutal but enjoyable. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Nov 17, 2022
Unexpected - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Jan 25, 2022
Thanks to Sterling Publishing for an advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This novel is so unique. I've never read anything like it. This girl-power story of a Pompeii brothel centers on Amara, sex-trafficked by her own mother and sold to a cold and heartless pimp named Felix. She is close to a younger slave named Dido, but many of the "wolves" in the den help one another in order to survive. A brilliant doctor's daughter whose only crime is poverty, Amara is determined to gain her freedom—at any cost. Amara becomes a musical act with Dido and sees the wealthy and glittering side of Pompeii, and befriends Pliny the Elder at one of the parties where she performs.
What amazes me is how unsexy this book manages to be when sex is practically all that happens. The pain and the grief of the women overwhelms any titillation the reader might get from the depictions of sex, which are portrayed as either a cold calculus or a despairing submission by the women (except for one green-eyed Briton who fights tooth and nail against her captor and rapists), and brutal rape by the men. There are all the rivalries both within the Wolf Den and between the Wolf Den and other brothels, that one would expect. The depiction of Pompeii life is well-researched and very convincing, especially given how little of Pompeii remains.
The ending seemed a little wobbly but it definitely fit the novel.
