A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon

4.12 AVERAGE

subtracty0707's review against another edition

5.0
dark funny informative fast-paced
I had never read a book like this before. Fantasticly informative and full of 'fun' facts.
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not_another_ana's review against another edition

3.75
challenging dark funny informative medium-paced
Murder had been introduced as a solution to Roman political arguments and it could never be taken back.

A humorous look into murder in Ancient Rome that will both horrify you and make you chuckle. In a society like this, where fights to the death and executions were often entertainment for the masses, we have to wonder what constitutes murder? The author takes the time to define and classify the kinds of murders present in the Roman Empire and then follows up with examples and anecdotes.

I did enjoy this, but I will say that if you actually want to learn about Ancient Rome from scratch then this is not the book for you. It goes right into the murders, starting with the most famous one: Julius Caesar's demise, and then jumps around in time to the historical accounts that exemplify the central theme of the chapter. The tone is quite snarky and sarcastic, and dark jokes abound though I think it was still respectful enough of the subject matter. Highly recommend the audiobook, the narrator nailed the tone of the text.
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mrcreads's review against another edition

5.0
funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

tylerc814's review against another edition

5.0
dark funny informative fast-paced
janey92's profile picture

janey92's review

4.5
dark funny informative sad medium-paced
loch_nessie's profile picture

loch_nessie's review against another edition

5.0
dark funny informative medium-paced

johnolphnt's review against another edition

3.75
dark informative reflective sad fast-paced
millielusson's profile picture

millielusson's review against another edition

5.0
funny informative
Absolutely stunning book. Loved the way it was written, so funny, and so informative. Have already recommended it to other people as an accessible, well-written non-fiction option.
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papalex's review against another edition

5.0
"Nero burning rom". Damn that part got me laughing like hell! Awesome book, full of information on the subject, yet not too thick on it as to bore someone.

ernestpenguin's review against another edition

4.25
funny informative