Reviews tagging 'Torture'

I, Claudius by Robert Graves

2 reviews

srm's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Still one of my favorite books. It never ceases to amaze me how this just rips along. And Graves's ability to invest you in characters who only pop up for a brief time is remarkable. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Child death, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Slavery

seanml's review against another edition

dark informative mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

The Julio-Claudian history is a very exciting one, so it isn’t surprising to find that this book, a textbook masquerading as a narrative, is so easily enjoyable despite its length. Of course, there are a large number of artistic liberties taken, but every time I looked up the historicity of something, I found it was much closer to truth than I initially would have thought. In the end, purely from a narrative perspective: Livia is diabolical, Tiberius is a vile bastard, and Caligula is a psychopathic megalomaniac. 8.5/10.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexism, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Homophobia, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War