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mjporterauthor's review against another edition
3.0
I received a free E-Arc from Netgalley.
The Confessions of Young Nero is the third book I've read in the last three weeks about Rome and her Empire. I was most intrigued to find out more about a time period that I've little studied and which previously, I've had little interest in, but did find it quite annoying that there are no years given throughout the text - I wanted to know where Nero's story fit with the other books I've read.
To begin with, The Confessions of Young Nero is a very good introduction to the life of corrupt Rome. The story starts when Nero can be no more than a three year old, and, being told in his voice, progresses well as he grows and develops while all around him the ambitions of his family, and then his mother in particular, guide his path. There are murders and plots and deaths and a wonderful collection of debauched characters, as there should be in any story of Rome, and all in all, the story begins to build to something that promises to be truly intriguing.
Sadly, this doesn't happen. No sooner has Nero become Emperor than the focus of the book shifts and suddenly all the drama and intrigue happens only in Nero's fantasies as he strives to be an artist as opposed to an Emperor. This would not have spoilt the story if the focus had been a little less on building works and reciting poetry, and playing musical instruments and more on how he actually governed, as there is very little of this, other than the occasional long list of people he has in positions of power who are fulfilling certain roles for him.
I understand from reading the comments by the author that this is very much a revisionist approach to Nero, and I have no problem with that at all. For too long the stereotypes of historical figures have masked any efforts to find out the truth beneath all the lies and mishaps of the survival of historical documents, and yet, in this case, the story that emerges isn't one that holds the readers attention as well as it should have done.
There were brief glimpses that the story would become somewhat more interested in the way that Nero actually ruled, but these are never fully realised, and the reader is left thinking that being the Emperor was easy-peasy provided you could stay alive to do so. This is a shame. I would have liked to know more about events in Britain and more about events concerning the followers of Christ, but these details are only given in short bursts, two tantalizing to offer any real insight.
The author presents an incredibly detailed view of Rome and its surrounding cities - how realistic this is, or isn't, I can't say, but there are points when it does feel as though you might be strolling around Rome or Pompeii, and that is an enjoyable aspect of the novel.
I would say it started as a good 4/5 star novel, but withered away at the end when I was only reading because I knew I'd nearly finished it.
The Confessions of Young Nero is the third book I've read in the last three weeks about Rome and her Empire. I was most intrigued to find out more about a time period that I've little studied and which previously, I've had little interest in, but did find it quite annoying that there are no years given throughout the text - I wanted to know where Nero's story fit with the other books I've read.
To begin with, The Confessions of Young Nero is a very good introduction to the life of corrupt Rome. The story starts when Nero can be no more than a three year old, and, being told in his voice, progresses well as he grows and develops while all around him the ambitions of his family, and then his mother in particular, guide his path. There are murders and plots and deaths and a wonderful collection of debauched characters, as there should be in any story of Rome, and all in all, the story begins to build to something that promises to be truly intriguing.
Sadly, this doesn't happen. No sooner has Nero become Emperor than the focus of the book shifts and suddenly all the drama and intrigue happens only in Nero's fantasies as he strives to be an artist as opposed to an Emperor. This would not have spoilt the story if the focus had been a little less on building works and reciting poetry, and playing musical instruments and more on how he actually governed, as there is very little of this, other than the occasional long list of people he has in positions of power who are fulfilling certain roles for him.
I understand from reading the comments by the author that this is very much a revisionist approach to Nero, and I have no problem with that at all. For too long the stereotypes of historical figures have masked any efforts to find out the truth beneath all the lies and mishaps of the survival of historical documents, and yet, in this case, the story that emerges isn't one that holds the readers attention as well as it should have done.
There were brief glimpses that the story would become somewhat more interested in the way that Nero actually ruled, but these are never fully realised, and the reader is left thinking that being the Emperor was easy-peasy provided you could stay alive to do so. This is a shame. I would have liked to know more about events in Britain and more about events concerning the followers of Christ, but these details are only given in short bursts, two tantalizing to offer any real insight.
The author presents an incredibly detailed view of Rome and its surrounding cities - how realistic this is, or isn't, I can't say, but there are points when it does feel as though you might be strolling around Rome or Pompeii, and that is an enjoyable aspect of the novel.
I would say it started as a good 4/5 star novel, but withered away at the end when I was only reading because I knew I'd nearly finished it.
kh2912's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
I found this enjoyable, although it didn't quite hold my attention as much as previous Margaret George offerings. Despite the narrative being mostly from a first person perspective I still found Nero somewhat difficult to empathise with. However, the story is well written, entertaining and moves at a decent pace (somewhat assisted by the short chapter lengths).
I found this enjoyable, although it didn't quite hold my attention as much as previous Margaret George offerings. Despite the narrative being mostly from a first person perspective I still found Nero somewhat difficult to empathise with. However, the story is well written, entertaining and moves at a decent pace (somewhat assisted by the short chapter lengths).
sonjamchen's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
joecaratenuto's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
applescruff1981's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Slavery
suzemo's review against another edition
3.0
Margaret George's latest(er?) books tend to be a miss for me, and this one was better. Not amazing, but a lot better. I felt like it moved a little too slowly, and I would have far preferred a giant door-stop of a single book than the two smaller halves, but author's gotta eat, I suppose.
In the plus column:
George's writing itself is pretty easy to read and snack on, and her writing continues to be accessible and enjoyable.
I majored in classical civ for a while, and it's nice to see Nero not treated as an amazing monster (which I don't think he was), even though he could have been. It's definitely a historical [i]fiction[/i], but I don't think George is getting to crazy with it, and it's a nice take on a usually salaciously over-done personality
Additional viewpoints other than Nero's, though really, I want a crazy historical fiction book about Locusta now.
Negatives?
I mentioned it was slow, it is.
I don't like the use of the first person with Nero as much, at least not for the early part of his life. I just can't be bothered to get invested in brilliant little prodigy minds
The additional viewpoints that pop up at random and do not add much to the story, I want to like them, and they're a good idea, just not well executed.
That said, this book is far, far better (imo) than Helen or Mary of Magdelene, which I did not like. The audio narrator was really good, which helped a lot (except for the obnoxious pronunciation of Augusta/Augustus, anyway).
In the plus column:
George's writing itself is pretty easy to read and snack on, and her writing continues to be accessible and enjoyable.
I majored in classical civ for a while, and it's nice to see Nero not treated as an amazing monster (which I don't think he was), even though he could have been. It's definitely a historical [i]fiction[/i], but I don't think George is getting to crazy with it, and it's a nice take on a usually salaciously over-done personality
Additional viewpoints other than Nero's, though really, I want a crazy historical fiction book about Locusta now.
Negatives?
I mentioned it was slow, it is.
I don't like the use of the first person with Nero as much, at least not for the early part of his life. I just can't be bothered to get invested in brilliant little prodigy minds
The additional viewpoints that pop up at random and do not add much to the story, I want to like them, and they're a good idea, just not well executed.
That said, this book is far, far better (imo) than Helen or Mary of Magdelene, which I did not like. The audio narrator was really good, which helped a lot (except for the obnoxious pronunciation of Augusta/Augustus, anyway).
venpyre's review against another edition
4.0
I can't speak for the historical accuracy of this book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the prose. May pick up the sequel someday.
dlrcope's review against another edition
4.0
Impeccably well researched and well written. Deserves five stars, except the characters are so dark! I couldn’t love them and was not drawn to read more, which I think is an essential requirement for that fifth star. Despite the quality of the work, finishing the book required some effort.
desiree_mcl's review against another edition
3.0
Listened to this on audio. While I like the narrator, his voice is very pleasant, for some reason anything he's reading just goes in one ear and out the other. Hardly anything sticks in my brain.
As for the book, I did enjoy it. I know very little about Nero, so it was nice to read an historical fiction about him. And I'm interested in reading some history books about him.
However, my main issue with this book was that Nero seemed more modern in his thoughts. Now-a-days childhood and making sure children have a childhood and thinking/saying "I'm still a child" is common place. Back in Nero's time, I'm not sure how prevalent that was, that may be a wrong assumption on my part, but having adult responsibilities at a much earlier age happened a lot more than it does now and, I think, was more of the norm of that time. So I didn't believe that he would have had that thought process, as often as he did.
As for the book, I did enjoy it. I know very little about Nero, so it was nice to read an historical fiction about him. And I'm interested in reading some history books about him.
However, my main issue with this book was that Nero seemed more modern in his thoughts. Now-a-days childhood and making sure children have a childhood and thinking/saying "I'm still a child" is common place. Back in Nero's time, I'm not sure how prevalent that was, that may be a wrong assumption on my part, but having adult responsibilities at a much earlier age happened a lot more than it does now and, I think, was more of the norm of that time. So I didn't believe that he would have had that thought process, as often as he did.