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bites_of_books 's review for:
Memoirs of Hadrian
by Marguerite Yourcenar
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a book club pick and I can say that I probably wouldn't have picked it up on my own. It's focused on history and philosophy, which are not the strongest of my interests. However, Hadrian, Roman emperor from 117-138, was quite an interesting figure. While this is a fictional tale of Hadrian's life, the author used all the information available at the time regarding Hadrian and his life so it gave a lot of historical, political, and relationship details that are factual. Hadrian was a man who fought for his position among all the other nobles while also working for the people who needed him.
I'll admit that a lot of the political movements and nation's names were hard to follow since Yourcenar's writing style is one that flows from one thought to the other. It's a bit like a stream of consciousness, like that of a philosopher going from one topic to the next, following his thoughts as they come. This style was what made it difficult to follow so at times I got the idea of what Hadrian was going through but less of the details.
The most interesting part for me was Hadrian's personal relationships, from that with his wife Sabina, to that with his lover Antinuous, and his adopted heirs. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse at how he might have felt while those relationships flourished and ended.
If you love philosophy and history you'll probably enjoy this a lot, especially if you have a bit more background on Roman empire history and all its characters. I'm definitely glad I read it since I got to expand my reading horizons and I'm not as intimidated by history or philosophy heavy novels as much after reading this one.
I'll admit that a lot of the political movements and nation's names were hard to follow since Yourcenar's writing style is one that flows from one thought to the other. It's a bit like a stream of consciousness, like that of a philosopher going from one topic to the next, following his thoughts as they come. This style was what made it difficult to follow so at times I got the idea of what Hadrian was going through but less of the details.
The most interesting part for me was Hadrian's personal relationships, from that with his wife Sabina, to that with his lover Antinuous, and his adopted heirs. I really enjoyed getting a glimpse at how he might have felt while those relationships flourished and ended.
If you love philosophy and history you'll probably enjoy this a lot, especially if you have a bit more background on Roman empire history and all its characters. I'm definitely glad I read it since I got to expand my reading horizons and I'm not as intimidated by history or philosophy heavy novels as much after reading this one.