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outsmartyourshelf's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed the second book of this duology even more than the first. In this one, Margaret George does a superlative job of humanising one of the most infamous figures in Roman history. It's packed with subtle detail - the first chapters which deal with the burning of Rome include Nero's account of his (albeit fictional) work with the Vigiles, those tasked with guarding Rome, where he encounters a group of men deliberately throwing lit torches into buildings & trying to prevent the flames from being put out. An account of the fire from Tacitus remarks on these groups, with one rumour being that the Emperor himself had ordered the burning of Rome. That version has always seemed rather unlikely to me, even taking into account the stated reason of clearing central space for his Domus Aurea, fire is a hard to control element & there was a real risk of Rome in its entirety being completed gutted.
Again in his marriage to Poppaea Sabina, the rumour of him having kicked her in a temper & causing a fatal miscarriage seems overstated. Nero was the last of the Julio-Claudian line of Emperors & a living heir would have been vital for both his family's grip on power & Rome itself. Stability was something the Empire lacked following Nero's death, with the Year of Four Emperors following, before a period of relative calm under Vespasian & the other Flavian Emperors. All in all, it seems like there had been a concerted campaign to malign aspects of Nero's personality & rule, but that is not to say that he was without fault.
He had people killed, including his mother (although to be fair she was trying to kill him too), his first wife (ditto), & many Christians (scapegoats for the fire). A lover & patron of the arts, Nero unfortunately let his passion for competing overrule wiser counsel - he may have been loved by the people but he was not liked by the Senate. His insistence in entering competitions thought beneath the dignity of the ruler of Rome, & his absences from the seat of power to compete in the Greek games created a power vacuum. Yes the doors of the temple of Janus were able to be shut during his rule, proclaiming peace across the Empire, but that very same Empire was built on war & conquest, & there was real danger from bored legions stationed far from Rome under competent commanders.
It's a lengthy book (almost 600 pages) & events move quite slowly as this is more about Nero the person & what could have led to his downfall. Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fiction full of rich detail.
Again in his marriage to Poppaea Sabina, the rumour of him having kicked her in a temper & causing a fatal miscarriage seems overstated. Nero was the last of the Julio-Claudian line of Emperors & a living heir would have been vital for both his family's grip on power & Rome itself. Stability was something the Empire lacked following Nero's death, with the Year of Four Emperors following, before a period of relative calm under Vespasian & the other Flavian Emperors. All in all, it seems like there had been a concerted campaign to malign aspects of Nero's personality & rule, but that is not to say that he was without fault.
He had people killed, including his mother (although to be fair she was trying to kill him too), his first wife (ditto), & many Christians (scapegoats for the fire). A lover & patron of the arts, Nero unfortunately let his passion for competing overrule wiser counsel - he may have been loved by the people but he was not liked by the Senate. His insistence in entering competitions thought beneath the dignity of the ruler of Rome, & his absences from the seat of power to compete in the Greek games created a power vacuum. Yes the doors of the temple of Janus were able to be shut during his rule, proclaiming peace across the Empire, but that very same Empire was built on war & conquest, & there was real danger from bored legions stationed far from Rome under competent commanders.
It's a lengthy book (almost 600 pages) & events move quite slowly as this is more about Nero the person & what could have led to his downfall. Recommended to readers who enjoy historical fiction full of rich detail.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Miscarriage
Moderate: Infertility and Infidelity
missgab721's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
wackysmack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
3.0
So I did enjoy this better than The Confessions of Young Nero. But it still doesn't sit well with me that George tries to gloss over the more negative aspects of his reign. While she does bring up good points to Nero's reign - him actually trying to help Rome during the fire (and NOT fiddling) and the artistic era he brought fourth - she really does seem to attempt to apologize for his negative actions by bringing up the positive ones. I did enjoy this one better, as I said, but it does have its flaws.
kbuchanan's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn't really bring myself to like this one very much. Perhaps some of this is on me, as this book is apparently a follow-up to an earlier Nero novel that I did not know about. I hardly ever make this mistake, but I picked up the audiobook at the library and it mentioned nothing about the earlier novel. However, what bothered me here was not that I felt I had missed out but more that I felt like the writing was somewhat simplistic while also making the research behind the book very, very conspicuous. I appreciate good research, but I don't need hugely long paragraphs proving to me that "I researched what people were eating in this area at this time. Now let me list all of it." It has been quite some time since I have read a work by Margaret George, but I remember liking earlier efforts more.
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
Nero is not known as one of the best Rome offered, but his story is compelling nonetheless.
Margaret George has done a fabulous job with this book, bringing Nero to life in a way that many could not. You almost want to feel sorry for him throughout the book - although there are a myriad of emotions that one will go through while reading!
Fabulous book, and deserves a read!
Margaret George has done a fabulous job with this book, bringing Nero to life in a way that many could not. You almost want to feel sorry for him throughout the book - although there are a myriad of emotions that one will go through while reading!
Fabulous book, and deserves a read!
ka_t's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Really enjoyed Margaret George’s retelling of the second half of Nero’s story. Not quite as compelling as the first (as it starts at the great fire of Rome) but really well researched and laid out.
beaconhillbooks's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
davriel's review against another edition
5.0
Another cracker from Margaret George, as she does what she does best and that is taking famous (or infamous) figures from history and making them so believable, so relatable and so human. As with her Henry VIII novel there are very sad moments, very tense moments and some joyous and genuinely humorous moments.
The other thing that I loved about this book was that it challenged a lot of the rumours and indeed outright myths surrounding Nero. Given that most of what we know of the man was written by people who outlived him and as such had a vested interest in rubbishing him now that they were working for a new Emperor of Rome. Not that he was a saint but with the nest of vipers the man grew up in is it any wonder he had his flaws? I mean the Julio Claudian Dynasty wasn't exactly a wholesome environment to grow up in. I won't spoil anything but suffice to say George puts across a lot of "What if it went down like this?" options to some of the more infamous situations in Nero's life.
I think really to sum it up, like other Margaret George books that I have had the pleasure to read I was genuinely sad when I came to the end of this book, which in my mind is when you know you have read something special.
The other thing that I loved about this book was that it challenged a lot of the rumours and indeed outright myths surrounding Nero. Given that most of what we know of the man was written by people who outlived him and as such had a vested interest in rubbishing him now that they were working for a new Emperor of Rome. Not that he was a saint but with the nest of vipers the man grew up in is it any wonder he had his flaws? I mean the Julio Claudian Dynasty wasn't exactly a wholesome environment to grow up in. I won't spoil anything but suffice to say George puts across a lot of "What if it went down like this?" options to some of the more infamous situations in Nero's life.
I think really to sum it up, like other Margaret George books that I have had the pleasure to read I was genuinely sad when I came to the end of this book, which in my mind is when you know you have read something special.
spottedang11's review against another edition
1.0
I've read a few of Margaret George's books before, and I've never struggled to finish a book as much as I did with this one. Granted, the first Nero novel wasn't my favorite, either, but I figured I'd see the story all the way through. I should have just stopped at the first one. I felt like I was slowly trudging through peanut butter to get through the pages. There was more focus on Nero's love of instruments and chariot racing than anything else. Yes, he rebuilt a city, but with every paragraph about the rebuild, was another about what he wanted to do. I felt like there really wasn't much of a plot, and the pages just plodded along. Even in the end, I still wasn't jarred out of my glassy eyed state. Ah, well. I'm sure there are plenty of people who loved this book, I for one wouldn't pick it back up again.