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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
CLAUDIUS THE GOD is the second part of Robert Graves' two-part fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor Claudius. I, CLAUDIUS was the first. Unlike the first book, which concentrated on the long chain of events that ironically brought Claudius to the throne, the second volume is more concerned with Claudius' own personal feelings on how he should reign, and events in the Near East and Britain which affect his rule.
Two things, however, stand between this book and a five-star rating. The first is that the initial 100 pages of the book are about the life of Herod Agrippa. As interesting as Herod is historically, concentrating solely on him for so long takes away from the focus on Claudius. The second gripe is that the last few years of Claudius' life, after his marriage to Agrippina, are glossed over in a few pages. This may be inspired by the historian Tacitus' comment that in his final years Claudius was merely the puppet of his slaves, freedmen, and wife, but it has a most disconcerting effect on a reader who up to that point has become used to hearing about things in detail.
I would recommend this series to anyone, and the two books do a wonderful job of bringing ancient Rome to life, but CLAUDIUS THE GOD is not quite as wonderful as I, CLAUDIUS.
For those who enjoyed this series, I would suggest reading Michael Grant's translation of Tacitus' ANNALS, published by Penguin.
Two things, however, stand between this book and a five-star rating. The first is that the initial 100 pages of the book are about the life of Herod Agrippa. As interesting as Herod is historically, concentrating solely on him for so long takes away from the focus on Claudius. The second gripe is that the last few years of Claudius' life, after his marriage to Agrippina, are glossed over in a few pages. This may be inspired by the historian Tacitus' comment that in his final years Claudius was merely the puppet of his slaves, freedmen, and wife, but it has a most disconcerting effect on a reader who up to that point has become used to hearing about things in detail.
I would recommend this series to anyone, and the two books do a wonderful job of bringing ancient Rome to life, but CLAUDIUS THE GOD is not quite as wonderful as I, CLAUDIUS.
For those who enjoyed this series, I would suggest reading Michael Grant's translation of Tacitus' ANNALS, published by Penguin.
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Honestly this was just as dry as book one and a lot of the characters I liked in book one are understandably missing. There were a few chapters I found interesting and worth the read regardless of very bland and info dumps in between.
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
challenging
funny
sad
slow-paced