A review by dwcofer
Emperor Nero: The Splendour Before The Dark by Margaret George
5.0
As I said in my Review of Margaet George’s first book on Nero, I typically do not read historical fiction, but this book was a great example of historical fiction well done. This book picks up the story at the Great Fire in Rome in 64 A.D. As with her first book, this one is also extensively well researched and historically accurate. Margaret George conducted a great deal of research prior to writing this book. Much of her research and sources are detailed in an Afterword. The narrative flowed well, and is easy to read. Like the first book, this one is also long, almost 600 pages, so reading it took a while, but was time well spent.
Like in the first book, the story is told in the first person POV, mostly from Nero’s perspective, with a few chapters told from the point of view of other characters, such as Locusta, a poisoner, and Acte, one of Nero’s lovers.
This book shows a side of Nero not often seen. Nero is often portrayed as the emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” But George shows several other perspectives of the great emperor. Nero was a visionary in engineering, architecture, and urban planning. He was exceedingly generous and identified with the common man more than he did with the aristocrats of the day. Nero was blessed with artistic talent and culture. He was a poet, musician, athlete, and chariot racer, who had a passion for the arts and performing on stage.
As with the first book, I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for fans of ancient Rome and those who love a great historical fiction novel. Even though I do not normally read historical fiction, this book may make me change my mind about that.
Like in the first book, the story is told in the first person POV, mostly from Nero’s perspective, with a few chapters told from the point of view of other characters, such as Locusta, a poisoner, and Acte, one of Nero’s lovers.
This book shows a side of Nero not often seen. Nero is often portrayed as the emperor who “fiddled while Rome burned.” But George shows several other perspectives of the great emperor. Nero was a visionary in engineering, architecture, and urban planning. He was exceedingly generous and identified with the common man more than he did with the aristocrats of the day. Nero was blessed with artistic talent and culture. He was a poet, musician, athlete, and chariot racer, who had a passion for the arts and performing on stage.
As with the first book, I cannot recommend this book highly enough, especially for fans of ancient Rome and those who love a great historical fiction novel. Even though I do not normally read historical fiction, this book may make me change my mind about that.