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Product Description
From Amazon
Having never seen the famous 1970s television series based on Graves' historical novel of ancient Rome and being generally uneducated about matters both ancient and Roman, I wasn't prepared for such an engaging book. But it's a ripping good read, this fictional autobiography set in the Roman Empire's days of glory and decadence. As a history lesson, it's fabulous; as a novel it's also wonderful. Best is Claudius himself, the stutterer who let everyone think he was an idiot (to avoid getting poisoned) but who reveals himself in the narrative to be a wry and likable observer. His story continues in Claudius the God.
Book Description
Considered an idiot because of his physical infirmities, Claudius survived the intrigues and poisonings of the reigns of Augustus, Tiberius, and the Mad Caligula to become emperor in 41 A.D. A masterpiece.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent book on an interesting topic.,
By Tom MacMillan (Kingston,Nova Scotia,Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I, Claudius (Paperback)
All fans af historical fiction need look no further for an intersesting read. The book chronicles the reigns of the Roman Emperors Augustus, Tiberius and Caligula as seen through the eyes of Tiberius Claudius. The book reads in true roman fashion, with characters droping like flies from the very start. The odd thing is how the book makes you not cry but chuckle. The combination of ridiculusly evil characters and humerously unfourtunate events make for a story so tragic you just have to laugh. This is only added to by the way that Claudius records things like murder,war,assasination,divorce and mass executions in a trivial way. Claudius, who is considerd as an idiot due to his stutter and limp, plays up his stupidity in order to stay out of the constant political intrigues, while in fact he is one of the smartest romans of the lot and in the end, I couldn't help but feeling somewhat attached to Claudius.This book is truley marvelous and succeeds perfectly in retelling an ancient tale. And as a plus, I am now extremly knowledgeable on this time of history after reading this book.
5.0 out of 5 stars
What they really should've taught in history 101...,
By M. D. Smith "Scientist and Bibliophile Extrao... (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)
This review is from: I, Claudius (Paperback)
I was introduced to Robert Graves through the work of Gene Wolfe, whom I noticed was a fan of I, Claudius. So I gathered my wits and a mug of coffee, and proceeded to read the book. Frankly, most of the events of Claudius' life are astonishing, from a scheming Livia to a decadent Caligula, depicted almost surrealistically. Yet Roman history attests for all that happened and more. The writing is vivid and insightful, neither too urbane nor witty for its own sake. Exellent prose, and an exellent story which could only be played out by real human actors and their machinations.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Historical Fiction, with an Emphasis on Historical,
By brewster22 "brewster22" (Evanston, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: I, Claudius (Paperback)
I was very excited to read "I, Claudius" because of the almost unanimous praise it has received by Amazon readers. I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed in it. It's by no means a bad book, but I found that Robert Graves' cold historical voice kept me at a distance emotionally from the story and characters. Graves relates the story in a "first this happened, then that happened" kind of way, which has the benefit of explaining the history surrounding Claudius's rise to Roman Emperor in a clear and non-convoluted way. However, Graves' approach to the story also succeeds in keeping the reader uninvolved in the proceedings, because characters never become alive, but instead remain as about as engaging as the people you read about in high school history books. In short, I would recommend this book if you're in the mood for a plot-driven novel---and believe me, there's plenty of plot to sink your teeth into. But if you're in the mood to wrap your mind around fully developed characters and psychological complexity, I would read something besides this.
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