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.
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Bullying, Colonisation, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, 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.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Animal death, Confinement, Death of parent, Homophobia, and War
More...