Thursday, April 17, 2014

I Am Livia - Phyllis T. Smith

Date Started: April 7, 2014
Date Finished: April 15, 2014

This was another Kindle first book - and it looked like the best of the bunch this month so I thought why not. Plus I desperately needed to read something that didn't involve vampires after my Vampire Academy binge. Historical fiction? Why not!


So the story is told from the perspective of Livia Drusilla, and below is the Publishers Weekly review taken from the Amazon page (I felt like this summarized it better than I have time to!).

From Publishers Weekly

This highly polished and compelling story of ancient Rome is told by Livia Drusilla, wife of Caesar Octavianus who defeated Marc Antony and Cleopatra in the Battle of Actium. This Livia, however, treats herself more kindly than history has done. She blithely waves away any allegation about committing murder for political purposes. A champion of women's rights, mostly her own, Livia reveals her manipulative and politically cunning nature—something she may have acquired at her father's knee, as he was among those who plotted the assassination of Julius Caesar. The author offers a richness of historical detail, taking us from Livia's early marriage to Tiberius Nero to her second marriage to Julius Caesar's adopted son. Able to arrange events in her favor, Livia persuades her first husband to give her away to Caesar even as she prepares to deliver his second child. Seamlessly written, this novel will appeal mightily to fans of historical fiction.    

The only point I'd add to this review is that I felt like the book ended somewhat abruptly when she reconciles with Octavianus after he returns from defeating Antony two years prior. There is an epilogue of sorts where we learn that they were married for something close to 50 years and never had any children - so that when Octavianus died he left the empire to Livia's son by Tiberius Nero. That said, this is a fascinating period of history and the book certainly made me want to learn more about the real people whose lives were portrayed - and in a sense, I think that's the best thing historical fiction can do - make you curious about the real history that inspired the story.

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