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A review by emiged
I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith
4.0
More than 15 years ago, I stood in the middle of the massive ruins of Circus Maximus, awed by the age of the stones, by the incontrovertible proof that people like me had lived and raced, cheered and entertained, and sometimes died there two thousand years ago. My semester abroad in Europe opened my eyes in many ways, but in particular I started to feel a connection with earlier, even ancient, generations. They seemed more real, more human, more three-dimensional than the shallow stereotypes I had gleaned from history textbooks.
In I Am Livia, Phyllis T. Smith has created a compelling titular character based on the most sympathetic interpretation possible from the scant historical record. Not saying it's inaccurate, necessarily, but it's clear that she admires Livia and wants her readers to do the same, and in large part she succeeds. As she mentions in her author's note at the end, "Livia has gotten bad press. Rumor has a way even now of attaching to women who break the conventional mold, and it certainly did in ancient Rome."
Livia is the eldest daughter of a well-to-do family of Roman citizens. She is married off at a young age to Tiberius Nero, one of her father's colleagues, in an effort to strengthen their bonds during a suspicious period of political intrigue and conspiracies. Despite a strong grasp on politics, almost a prescience, her opinions and input are routinely ignored and she has a devastating glimpse into her future. "I saw my fate. I would not be fifteen forever, but I always would be a woman. I imagine spending all my years having my words discounted."...
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In I Am Livia, Phyllis T. Smith has created a compelling titular character based on the most sympathetic interpretation possible from the scant historical record. Not saying it's inaccurate, necessarily, but it's clear that she admires Livia and wants her readers to do the same, and in large part she succeeds. As she mentions in her author's note at the end, "Livia has gotten bad press. Rumor has a way even now of attaching to women who break the conventional mold, and it certainly did in ancient Rome."
Livia is the eldest daughter of a well-to-do family of Roman citizens. She is married off at a young age to Tiberius Nero, one of her father's colleagues, in an effort to strengthen their bonds during a suspicious period of political intrigue and conspiracies. Despite a strong grasp on politics, almost a prescience, her opinions and input are routinely ignored and she has a devastating glimpse into her future. "I saw my fate. I would not be fifteen forever, but I always would be a woman. I imagine spending all my years having my words discounted."...
To read the rest of this review, visit .