alyosha57's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
robertwhelan's review against another edition
2.0
Found the writing boring, it just didn't click for me.
robertwhelan's review against another edition
2.0
Found the writing boring, it just didn't click for me.
booccmaster's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
simonmee's review against another edition
4.0
Written as a semi-historical account, Count Belisarius is perhaps better understood as a love ode to its protagonist, who always does the right thing .
It is not a masterpiece of characterisation, except as to Belisarius' wife Antonina, but the book holds up as still very readable, with notweworthy asides such as letters about elephants and other such diversions:
The breach was sealed up again, but when the Goths came next night to resume work they were confronted by a placard reading: 'Road closed. By Order of Belisarius.'
As to its historical worth, I suggest appreciating Graves' efforts but proceed with caution. The Ostrogothic nation did not exist at the Battle of Adrianople, and the comment:
Compare the fine, simple story contained in the four Gospels, obviously born among illiterate peasants and fishermen who never studied either grammar or rhetoric, which the wearisome philosophic Christianity of our time!
...feels a bit off even for someone writing contemporaneous with the time period - the Gospels are hardly simple. That being said, the breakdown of internal politics and religion serve as useful lodestars.
Still a very good flowing read.
It is not a masterpiece of characterisation, except as to Belisarius' wife Antonina, but the book holds up as still very readable, with notweworthy asides such as letters about elephants and other such diversions:
The breach was sealed up again, but when the Goths came next night to resume work they were confronted by a placard reading: 'Road closed. By Order of Belisarius.'
As to its historical worth, I suggest appreciating Graves' efforts but proceed with caution. The Ostrogothic nation did not exist at the Battle of Adrianople, and the comment:
Compare the fine, simple story contained in the four Gospels, obviously born among illiterate peasants and fishermen who never studied either grammar or rhetoric, which the wearisome philosophic Christianity of our time!
...feels a bit off even for someone writing contemporaneous with the time period - the Gospels are hardly simple. That being said, the breakdown of internal politics and religion serve as useful lodestars.
Still a very good flowing read.
caddysnack's review against another edition
5.0
Re-reading this amazing fictionalized account of one of my favorite periods of history. Graves' narrative is amazingly compelling and fluid. Everyone should read this book!
alex_ellermann's review against another edition
4.0
"Count Belisarius" is a terrific biography and history lesson of and about a man, and an era, often overlooked. Author Robert Graves (famous for "I, Claudius" and "Claudius the God") really knew how to weave fact with speculation to bring the past to life.
The real Count Belisarius was a military genius of the 6th Century. Rome had fallen to the Goths, but a smaller Roman Empire lived on at its new capital, Constantinople. Belisarius, the Emperor's most capable general, retook huge swaths of formerly Roman territory, including the City of Rome itself. He was the last Roman to be named Consul, the last to be granted a Triumph. Here's a Wikipedia article about him; he really was an impressive guy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius
Still, it's possible to write a boring novel about an impressive guy. Graves did not do that. Instead, he put the reader in the shoes of these people who died 1500 years ago. Through his art, we walk the streets of High-Empire Constantinople, besieged Carthage, Palermo and Naples and Rome and Ravenna and on and on. We become enmeshed in the controversies of the day; we pick sides. We care. This is the magic of the historical novel, and Graves was a master of the form.
We all have gaps in our knowledge. Historical fiction is a painless way to fill them. If you're interested in learning about the 6th Century, you cannot go wrong with "Count Belisarius."
The real Count Belisarius was a military genius of the 6th Century. Rome had fallen to the Goths, but a smaller Roman Empire lived on at its new capital, Constantinople. Belisarius, the Emperor's most capable general, retook huge swaths of formerly Roman territory, including the City of Rome itself. He was the last Roman to be named Consul, the last to be granted a Triumph. Here's a Wikipedia article about him; he really was an impressive guy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belisarius
Still, it's possible to write a boring novel about an impressive guy. Graves did not do that. Instead, he put the reader in the shoes of these people who died 1500 years ago. Through his art, we walk the streets of High-Empire Constantinople, besieged Carthage, Palermo and Naples and Rome and Ravenna and on and on. We become enmeshed in the controversies of the day; we pick sides. We care. This is the magic of the historical novel, and Graves was a master of the form.
We all have gaps in our knowledge. Historical fiction is a painless way to fill them. If you're interested in learning about the 6th Century, you cannot go wrong with "Count Belisarius."
blaw139's review against another edition
4.0
Justinian going hard in his attempt to be the worst person to ever live