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I, Claudius (Claudius, #1)

Robert Graves

Start date: November 20, 2018

Finish date: December 31, 2018

Discussion: 2018 RT Tournament of Books

Why we're reading this: Our wildcard selection for the tournament.
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What Members Thought

Jun 24, 2014 Dawn rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, series-finished

I am a fan of anything to do with the Roman Empire. I find it endlessly fascinating how much of their systems of law and politics we continue to use and the amount of their language that is still a part of our lives.

As the intention must obviously have been, seeing as the point of view is from Claudius writing a history, this book is heavy on the facts and chronicles of events. Though it is written with a personal opinion on the characters, as Claudius is their contemporary.

I found the style o ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Mar 29, 2018 Elise rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favorites, 1930s, historical, read-in-2018

This is the best thing that I've experienced about Rome since HBO's Rome. Graves knows how to keep things entertaining, writing this as a fictionalized account of every violent anecdote and scandalous rumor about the Julio-Claudian dynasty to survive from the historians of antiquity. Livia is the star of the story, absolutely ruthlessly assassinating her way through the rule of Augustus and Tiberius to route political power where she wants it. The book ends with Caligula's assassination, so the ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Jan 11, 2014 Wendy rated it really liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, audiobooks, romans

“I was thinking, "So, I’m Emperor, am I? What nonsense! But at least I'll be able to make people read my books now.”

What a great way to learn some Roman history while being entertained by a bit of poisoning, backstabbing, incest, bullying, blackmail, and murder. And by "learning Roman history" I mean being able, after learning about all these people as dry, dull NAMES back in school, to put them into context within a very complex (and dangerous) web of noble Roman relationships. Finally I unders ...more

1 like · Like · see review