Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
Sequel to I, Claudius, this book is essentially the required descent of the pair (assuming its predecessor ended in the climax). It stands on its own as a good read, but a bit tedious and disappointing when viewed in the shadow of its older sibling.It opens with the newly-minted Emperor Claudius standing in the blood of his nephew, ex-Emperor Caligula. Given how highly Graves built up Claudius as a hero in I, Claudius, this book is Graves' attempt to explain away the historically-documented
I loved the chance to hear the actor Derek Jacobi from the TV production of I, Claudius do the reading of this sequel. Unfortunately, I didnt realize the audiobook was an abridged edition of the book until the end. That accounts for the disappointing compression in the narratives. Still, it was a pleasure to experience highlights in the reign of this survivor of all the murders associated with the succession of his uncle Calligula. He succeed by pretending to be an idiot. This presented a
This luxuriant work of historical fiction is a more literary sequel to I, Claudius, excelling that book in its measure of psychological insight into the emperors descent into slovenly madness. It is exceedingly well-written, and the pleasure of its erudition went some way to making up for its complete lack of pace. Graves has a tendency to dwell on administrative details for an inordinate length of time, which lends an admirable verisimilitude to its fictional nature as an autobiography, but
This luxuriant work of historical fiction is a more literary sequel to I, Claudius, excelling that book in its measure of psychological insight into the emperors descent into slovenly madness. It is exceedingly well-written, and the pleasure of its erudition went some way to making up for its complete lack of pace. Graves has a tendency to dwell on administrative details for an inordinate length of time, which lends an admirable verisimilitude to its fictional nature as an autobiography, but
At the end of I, Claudius, our favorite emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty is hoisted on the shoulders of the Praetorian Guard and finds himself the absolute ruler of the civilized world. With Claudius the God, we get to see what happens next, though a large part is devoted to the story of Herod Agrippa.Claudius continues with his fictional autobiography, recounting his attempts to rule benevolently following the chaos of Caligula's reign, and to create a civil society from which the Republic
I've given the sequel to I, Claudius five stars as well and had a good time reading both of these brilliant novels by one of the greatest authors I've ever read, Robert Graves. His brilliance was apparent on each page that I eagerly kept turning. How in the world did he manage to make the Rome of Augustus so spellbinding I don't know, but his sense of time and place had me experiencing the whole story as if I were there in person observing everything as it happened.This is the sort of Historical
Robert Graves
Paperback | Pages: 533 pages Rating: 4.22 | 11945 Users | 519 Reviews
Identify Books Concering Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
Original Title: | Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina |
ISBN: | 0679725733 (ISBN13: 9780679725732) |
Edition Language: | English |
Series: | Claudius #2 |
Characters: | Tiberius Claudius Caesar, Valeria Messalina, Herodes Agrippa, Cassius Chaerea |
Setting: | Rome(Italy) Roman Empire |
Chronicle Toward Books Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
Miracles do happen ask Claudius the unread historian the idiot, the clown, as his family perceives him, the people also yet becomes Emperor ( one of the best too) of the Roman Empire... These events unfold with the assassination of his mad nephew Caligula, the Praetorian Guard needs a ruler or else they become obsolete, no monarch to keep from harm and will go back to the intolerable barracks. Claudius, is found behind a curtain in the palace shaking ( more than the curtain) scared to death, to state it mildly, expects the rampaging soldiers seeking revenge on the escaped assassins to kill him like so many others, in the aftermath of the butchering of his predecessor. At first he refuses the dubious honor, but there is nobody left and he wants to live, all other obvious candidates have died mostly violently and plainly unwillingly, but he is from the Imperial family the poor, pathetic creature the soldiers hoist him on their shoulders, a parade ensues showing Claudius, to the happy citizens and proclaim him Caesar. The reluctant, amazed Roman Senate not known for bravery, scatters in panic so does his terrified rivals, the few still inside the building confirms his status. His first act, ordering the killers to be liquidated Claudius hated the brutal Caligula, still these men were a threat to him, they must be severely punished or another person might get the same bad idea, on the new Emperor. Messalina his intelligent devious third wife is delighted at the rise of her old husband, to absolute power in Rome (who would have been silly enough, to forecast it ?). Married when just 15, the very pretty girl to a decrepit, ugly , stupid man of 50 with no future and often no money either... but the always promiscuous woman, had compensations. A member of the elite of the elites, not anybody higher than her new family and now she is a rich, powerful, celebrity, people noticed her talked about and the scandalous rumors flowed to the ends of the Empire, everyone knew about the debaucheries except the loving husband, who would have the courage to tell him...His close friend the future Jewish king (thanks to the Emperor) charismatic, extremely amusing and able Herod Agrippa, advises Claudius at the beginning of his reign both were students together when children, he says to the monarch never trust anyone and proves it later... Claudius had a new, expensive port for the city of Rome built in Ostia, new aqueducts for the quickly expanding thirsty capital, a large lake drained for farmlands ( or tried to) desperately needed, but his most famous lasting accomplishment was the conquest of Britain after a tough, long struggle but popularity is fleeting a crop failure can cost a ruler the throne, and his enemies are everywhere ready to strike... " Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown". Shakespeare knew the public well. A sequel that is almost as good as the original, the fantastic stories of ancient Rome at its most hedonistic. This is pure joy for people interested in the ancient metropolis , the eternal city...Particularize Containing Books Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
Title | : | Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2) |
Author | : | Robert Graves |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | First Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 533 pages |
Published | : | October 23rd 1989 by Vintage (first published 1934) |
Categories | : | Historical. Historical Fiction. Fiction. Classics |
Rating Containing Books Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
Ratings: 4.22 From 11945 Users | 519 ReviewsCritique Containing Books Claudius the God and His Wife Messalina (Claudius #2)
3.5 starsSince my college days I didnt know Robert Graves and told myself I wouldnt read him at all due to his formidable writing style as a Greek scholar till I finally decided to try reading his amazing memoir Goodbye to All That from which I regarded as my first step toward his other works. Surprisingly, the more I read him, the more I found his narration informative, rewarding and sometime humorous. However, if youre interested in reading this historical novel, you should read his I,Sequel to I, Claudius, this book is essentially the required descent of the pair (assuming its predecessor ended in the climax). It stands on its own as a good read, but a bit tedious and disappointing when viewed in the shadow of its older sibling.It opens with the newly-minted Emperor Claudius standing in the blood of his nephew, ex-Emperor Caligula. Given how highly Graves built up Claudius as a hero in I, Claudius, this book is Graves' attempt to explain away the historically-documented
I loved the chance to hear the actor Derek Jacobi from the TV production of I, Claudius do the reading of this sequel. Unfortunately, I didnt realize the audiobook was an abridged edition of the book until the end. That accounts for the disappointing compression in the narratives. Still, it was a pleasure to experience highlights in the reign of this survivor of all the murders associated with the succession of his uncle Calligula. He succeed by pretending to be an idiot. This presented a
This luxuriant work of historical fiction is a more literary sequel to I, Claudius, excelling that book in its measure of psychological insight into the emperors descent into slovenly madness. It is exceedingly well-written, and the pleasure of its erudition went some way to making up for its complete lack of pace. Graves has a tendency to dwell on administrative details for an inordinate length of time, which lends an admirable verisimilitude to its fictional nature as an autobiography, but
This luxuriant work of historical fiction is a more literary sequel to I, Claudius, excelling that book in its measure of psychological insight into the emperors descent into slovenly madness. It is exceedingly well-written, and the pleasure of its erudition went some way to making up for its complete lack of pace. Graves has a tendency to dwell on administrative details for an inordinate length of time, which lends an admirable verisimilitude to its fictional nature as an autobiography, but
At the end of I, Claudius, our favorite emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty is hoisted on the shoulders of the Praetorian Guard and finds himself the absolute ruler of the civilized world. With Claudius the God, we get to see what happens next, though a large part is devoted to the story of Herod Agrippa.Claudius continues with his fictional autobiography, recounting his attempts to rule benevolently following the chaos of Caligula's reign, and to create a civil society from which the Republic
I've given the sequel to I, Claudius five stars as well and had a good time reading both of these brilliant novels by one of the greatest authors I've ever read, Robert Graves. His brilliance was apparent on each page that I eagerly kept turning. How in the world did he manage to make the Rome of Augustus so spellbinding I don't know, but his sense of time and place had me experiencing the whole story as if I were there in person observing everything as it happened.This is the sort of Historical
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