Title: Confessions of Young Nero
Author: Margaret George
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: Lucius has royal blood but is not first in line to become emperor. After the emperor dies, Lucius's mother, Agrippina, is returned from exile and comes to claim him from his aunt, who was raising him. It is Agrippina's singular goal to put Lucius on the throne. This novel follows Lucius from his young life and early years as Emperor Nero to the burning of Rome.
My Thoughts
My first thought when reading this book was that the passage of time was not chronicled well. Since it was told from Nero's perspective looking back on his life, the scenes where he was a very small child were told in a voice that made him seem much older. Then it would say something like "so many years have passed," but he was still only like 7. I found it very difficult to follow.
The mother-son relationship in this novel is super complicated and goes to a weird place that may make some readers uncomfortable. George's goal was the show a softer, more human side of Emperor Nero which I think she accomplished. I liked reading this novel, but I never felt super excited to read more and know what was going to happen next. Honestly, I enjoyed reading the acknowledgments at the end more than the story. I felt that more of the history was provided and the author's purpose was expressly stated, helping me to understand why she needed to tell this story. Apparently, there will be a second book to complete this story and I might be interested in reading it, just to see if the story picks up at all.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
My first thought when reading this book was that the passage of time was not chronicled well. Since it was told from Nero's perspective looking back on his life, the scenes where he was a very small child were told in a voice that made him seem much older. Then it would say something like "so many years have passed," but he was still only like 7. I found it very difficult to follow.
The mother-son relationship in this novel is super complicated and goes to a weird place that may make some readers uncomfortable. George's goal was the show a softer, more human side of Emperor Nero which I think she accomplished. I liked reading this novel, but I never felt super excited to read more and know what was going to happen next. Honestly, I enjoyed reading the acknowledgments at the end more than the story. I felt that more of the history was provided and the author's purpose was expressly stated, helping me to understand why she needed to tell this story. Apparently, there will be a second book to complete this story and I might be interested in reading it, just to see if the story picks up at all.
Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!
To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above
