542 reviews for:

The Memoirs of Hadrian

Marguerite Yourcenar

4.12 AVERAGE

lewisboyd's review against another edition

2.0

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Certain sections of this book rank among the most beautiful pieces of prose I've ever read - its Achilles' heel is the hundreds of pages of unnecessary detail about imperial bureaucracy that throttle Yourcenar's writing and philosophy before it has a chance to breathe.

ivanfigueiras's review against another edition

5.0

challenging reflective slow-paced

ruhru38sb's review against another edition

2.0

challenging informative slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

blueberry_8's review against another edition

4.75

reflective

edithcita's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

diane6's review against another edition

3.75

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Interesting fictional re-telling of Hadrian's reign told in the first-person by the Emperor himself.  Slow-reading, but excellent cultural depiction of life in the Roman Empire and psychological study of Hadrian.

ev53's review against another edition

4.0

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This book received glowing reviews. It is beautifully written, however in the end the writing and historical references were too dense for me to really enjoy; I did not finish it. Hadrian was an impressive leader and did amazing things during his reign. Yourcenar's years of research is admirable. A review of the book, including back ground about the author appeared in the New Yorker in 2005:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2005/02/14/becoming-the-emperor

aodiogo's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging informative reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

dlbvenice's review against another edition

5.0

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Note of 1949: the more I strive for an exact portrait the further I diverge from the kind of book, and of man, who would please the public. Only a few students of human destiny will understand.

This short paragraph from the afterword of Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadrian encapsulates for me both this book and its magnetic effect. Clearly her magnum opus, this densely written, nuanced, deeply insightful portrait of a man who ruled the Roman empire of two millennia past is anything but a conventional novel. Instead, the author set herself to the challenge of inhabiting a man separated from her by culture, language, technology, and worldview across a span of centuries -- and has somehow succeeded.

With a command and absolute understanding of the complexity of language necessary to evoke a deeply thoughtful, passionate, fully human character through the written word alone, she manages to transport us to a time and place that is both familiar and utterly different from our own world. I can only admire with gratitude the artistry and extraordinary empathy that brings to life such an extraordinary figure as Hadrian, separated from us by so much time.

indeed_angie's review against another edition

4.0

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Continuavo a incontrarlo come suggerito ovunque, alla fine mi sono arresa e l'ho ordinato in biblioteca. Un libro bellissimo, al di la delle nozioni sull'imperatore Adriano, figura storica fenomenale, la Yourcenar è in grado di tratteggiare l'uomo al di la del personaggio.