shanaqui's review
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
Emma Southon has a particular style that I imagine some people really hate: conversational, chatty, often even flippant. When she doesn't know something, because no one knows, she says so. When she's painting a picture from imagination to fill in the gaps, or choosing one interpretation of many, she says so very frankly. I find it very readable, and I appreciate how clear she is about when she's using sources, how she's using sources, and when she's just having to make things up -- or choose one option above others because there's nothing particular to tell them apart. She's interested in telling a story here, and it shows.
That said, I can understand why those who are just looking for facts would rather she stop it; for all that she's clear about sources vs imagination, it's really not formalised. Don't let that fool you, though: there's an extensive bibliography at the back.
I really liked Southon's plan to discuss events through women: I was kind of surprised Livia wasn't a choice, for example, or Cleopatra, or Agrippina (who Southon has written a whole biography of!) -- but instead Southon makes a harder decision, and often picks less well-known women.
I found it really enjoyable, though I still prefer her book on murder in Ancient Rome.
That said, I can understand why those who are just looking for facts would rather she stop it; for all that she's clear about sources vs imagination, it's really not formalised. Don't let that fool you, though: there's an extensive bibliography at the back.
I really liked Southon's plan to discuss events through women: I was kind of surprised Livia wasn't a choice, for example, or Cleopatra, or Agrippina (who Southon has written a whole biography of!) -- but instead Southon makes a harder decision, and often picks less well-known women.
I found it really enjoyable, though I still prefer her book on murder in Ancient Rome.
arachan's review
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
A blunt history of the Roman history without the baked in biases of White European Male historians. Southon is a very engaging historian who manages to see beyond the dry history of empire to show how some women left their mark on the history of the Roman Kingdom/Republic/Empire. She refuses to be overawed by the fanboys of Roman history and challenges the reader to look beyond the writings of the Roman elite to consider the more complicated and nuanced picture of the way the Romans lived and thought of the world.