Scan barcode
A review by ijill14
The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George
3.0
Review originally posted on journeyintotheshelves.tumblr.com & journeyintotheshelves.wordpress.com
**I received an eARC of this book courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group from NetGalley. This has had no bearing on this review.
Nearly everyone knows who Nero is on some basic level. When I asked my mother about him (someone who has never studied Ancient Roman history), all she knew about him was that he was the Emperor who let Rome burn. Before reading this novel, that was the extent of my knowledge of Nero as well. Now I can say, I know a little bit more.
Margaret George does a fantastic job at humanizing the man known as Nero. By beginning the narration at such a young age, the book opens when Nero — then known as Lucius — is only four years old, she is able to pick out moments that defined his character and shaped him into the man that the world knew and feared. He does not begin as a devious little child, but someone who loves the arts and yearns for someone to love.
Not only does George sculpt a new image for Nero that few know, she also paints the Rome that he lived in so vividly. From chariot races to the conniving and backstabbing political world that Nero finds himself in, George’s Ancient Rome does not shy away from the truth. The addition of what the real Rome looked like is why George’s historical fiction novels, this one in particular, puts her far above other historical fiction writers.
However, on a more personal level, I found myself constantly questioning the text (which is why the rating is not as high as my review would suggest). Because of the nature of the subject matter and the detailed facts that George is able to weave into the story, I flipped back and forth between enjoying the novel and thinking “did this really happen this way?”. Though it is a historical fiction novel, I kept questioning the validity of certain aspects, despite the immense amount of research that I know George did in the process of writing this novel. This constant mental shift continued to take me out of the story every couple of chapters, and made the reading a bit difficult at times.
Overall, I did enjoy reading The Confessions of Young Nero. It’s a highly detailed piece of art, and it gives life and heart to a man that many know as cruel and heartless. If anyone is looking for a way into learning about Ancient Rome without reading a meaty textbook or non-fiction work, you should read this book.
**I received an eARC of this book courtesy of Berkley Publishing Group from NetGalley. This has had no bearing on this review.
Nearly everyone knows who Nero is on some basic level. When I asked my mother about him (someone who has never studied Ancient Roman history), all she knew about him was that he was the Emperor who let Rome burn. Before reading this novel, that was the extent of my knowledge of Nero as well. Now I can say, I know a little bit more.
Margaret George does a fantastic job at humanizing the man known as Nero. By beginning the narration at such a young age, the book opens when Nero — then known as Lucius — is only four years old, she is able to pick out moments that defined his character and shaped him into the man that the world knew and feared. He does not begin as a devious little child, but someone who loves the arts and yearns for someone to love.
Not only does George sculpt a new image for Nero that few know, she also paints the Rome that he lived in so vividly. From chariot races to the conniving and backstabbing political world that Nero finds himself in, George’s Ancient Rome does not shy away from the truth. The addition of what the real Rome looked like is why George’s historical fiction novels, this one in particular, puts her far above other historical fiction writers.
However, on a more personal level, I found myself constantly questioning the text (which is why the rating is not as high as my review would suggest). Because of the nature of the subject matter and the detailed facts that George is able to weave into the story, I flipped back and forth between enjoying the novel and thinking “did this really happen this way?”. Though it is a historical fiction novel, I kept questioning the validity of certain aspects, despite the immense amount of research that I know George did in the process of writing this novel. This constant mental shift continued to take me out of the story every couple of chapters, and made the reading a bit difficult at times.
Overall, I did enjoy reading The Confessions of Young Nero. It’s a highly detailed piece of art, and it gives life and heart to a man that many know as cruel and heartless. If anyone is looking for a way into learning about Ancient Rome without reading a meaty textbook or non-fiction work, you should read this book.