— I Am Livia, by Phyllis T. Smith I admit that I had only heard of Livia Drusilla. I knew that she was powerful and extremely intelligent. It was a shame she was born in a time when women were thought of as simply the bearer of sons and hostesses at home. Her father indulged her and spoke to her of politics and inspired her to think for herself. It was a blessing and a curse. She was a woman who rose above it all and is looked upon for her strength, wisdom and for the advances she made. And we begin, actually, the day before Caesar's assassination and when Livia finishes, Octavius is Emperor. Without giving too many details away-actually, I'm giving none away, (so hah!) it's not an easy ride for Livia. Not in anyway. Yet, she managed it with a measure of grace I don't think I could have. People were always plotting murder, asking her favors (when she married Octavius), dealing with the many wars (successes and failures), suicides and so forth. It's fun how the author crafted how they met and I enjoyed reading the ups and downs of their relationship. I also felt badly for her first husband, Tiberius Nero, when he was summoned to see Octavius who told him he would divorce Livia so that he himself could marry her. (Okay, I gave you a spoiler, sorry!) What I liked was that I felt that I was there in the thick of it. When the action was going, I was there in Rome. I was seeing the proscriptions posted and I felt Livia's fear for her husband and for her life. When her father died, I felt sympathy for her. Likewise when her mother passed. Her sister Secunda irritated me for the most part and similarly irritated Livia. There are a lot of names thrown about that are familiar and some are not. But you walk away feeling a bit more knowledgeable about Ancient Rome and, of course, Livia. Though, it's a fictional take, I like to think that she felt the same emotions, had some of those thoughts. It gives a human side to her that I sometimes forget to give people of the past. What I didn't like was that we didn't get to see the infamous Livia. The one who allegedly had people poisoned and eventually (possibly!!) her own husband in the advancement of her son, Tiberius. I also didn't like the biased view of Cleopatra and Mark Antony. I understand that they clearly hated him but I would have liked a less biased view. 3.5 out of 5! |
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