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Matthew's Reviews > I, Claudius
I, Claudius
by
by
Matthew's review
bookshelves: 2021, completist-book-club, historical-fiction, audible, audio, classic
Jul 19, 2021
bookshelves: 2021, completist-book-club, historical-fiction, audible, audio, classic
I need to read up on the background behind this book as I am not sure how much is fiction and how much is just actually history told as a story by a character who lived it. To me, Historical Fiction means a fiction story set in a historical time period and maybe told with real historical figures. In this case I am thinking it is more than that; not really a fictional story at all but could possibly be characterized as non-fiction.
I was fascinated by this story. It is a time period that I am aware of but that I don’t really know much about. I knew some of the characters names and a bit about their reputations, but this book really filled in everything else for me. At times it was a bit heavy and I found my mind wandering – picture listening to a history lecture – but I do like history in general, so I was able to enjoy the majority of the book.
One thing that might get tiresome for you if you decide to read this is that it is a bit repetitive. Now, that is not the fault of the author. In this case, the history itself was very repetitive and it was usually the not so pleasant stuff (murder, suicide, corruption, etc.) that was repeated. I guess you could say that it is an early Soap Opera!
This book is not for everyone. If you don’t like history or in-depth – sometimes sterile – narration of events, I don’t think it is worth giving this a try. But, if you like history, tales of the Roman Empire, the development of early Europe, etc. it may be a book that you will enjoy.
I was fascinated by this story. It is a time period that I am aware of but that I don’t really know much about. I knew some of the characters names and a bit about their reputations, but this book really filled in everything else for me. At times it was a bit heavy and I found my mind wandering – picture listening to a history lecture – but I do like history in general, so I was able to enjoy the majority of the book.
One thing that might get tiresome for you if you decide to read this is that it is a bit repetitive. Now, that is not the fault of the author. In this case, the history itself was very repetitive and it was usually the not so pleasant stuff (murder, suicide, corruption, etc.) that was repeated. I guess you could say that it is an early Soap Opera!
This book is not for everyone. If you don’t like history or in-depth – sometimes sterile – narration of events, I don’t think it is worth giving this a try. But, if you like history, tales of the Roman Empire, the development of early Europe, etc. it may be a book that you will enjoy.
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Reading Progress
July 1, 2021
–
Started Reading
July 1, 2021
– Shelved
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
2021
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
completist-book-club
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
historical-fiction
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
audible
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
audio
July 1, 2021
– Shelved as:
classic
July 17, 2021
–
Finished Reading
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by
Mark
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Jul 19, 2021 07:13PM
Nice review, the characters are real as you'd be aware - and most of the dramas actually happened. But there is much debate among scholars of antiquity regarding how some characters are portrayed. For example, Livia - many of the historians at the time were clearly misogynists, for example the likes of Tacitus - painted women as manipulative and capable of murder. The BBC series based on this book is terrific, great actors. Depicting the truth of what actually happened in antiquity is so difficult. Claudius was actually an incredible character - even if he was heavily influenced by his freedmen and his wives (see there we go again).
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Mark wrote: "Nice review, the characters are real as you'd be aware - and most of the dramas actually happened. But there is much debate among scholars of antiquity regarding how some characters are portrayed. ..."Thank, Mark!
Interesting thoughts on this being one authors interpretation of the events that have been debated by scholars and historians. Also, the fact that the history as we know it could have been skewed by the personalities of the historians. I am interested in seeing if I can find the series to watch - I bet I would enjoy it!
Mark wrote: "...many of the historians at the time were clearly misogynists."Huh! Imagine that! History painted with the brush of the views of the historian. :-P
Carol wrote: "Mark wrote: "...many of the historians at the time were clearly misogynists."Huh! Imagine that! History painted with the brush of the views of the historian. :-P"
HA! Indeed!
BTW Matthew I watched I, Claudius on YouTube - it was made in the 1970s so looks dated but on some ways this adds to its charm and maybe even its authenticity too
Mark wrote: "BTW Matthew I watched I, Claudius on YouTube - it was made in the 1970s so looks dated but on some ways this adds to its charm and maybe even its authenticity too"Oh, good thought! I should check on YouTube!
Hmm, thanks for the warning. I am not a fan of dry narration of events so I might skip this.
Adina wrote: "Hmm, thanks for the warning. I am not a fan of dry narration of events so I might skip this."I will clarify that the narrator does a pretty good job trying to make it not dry, but for some it may be difficult to make this content exciting.
I loved this book. The characters, the plots, the scheming. Great review Matthew.
Margaret wrote: "I loved this book. The characters, the plots, the scheming. Great review Matthew."Glad you enjoyed, Margaret - it is a great one for those who like this genre and style of writing!
