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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

#21 - Augustus - John Williams



Title:  Augustus
Author:  John Williams
Genre:  Historical Fiction
Performed by:  Robin Field
Publisher/Date:  Blackstone Audio/2011
Dates listened to:  4/29/17 – 5/20/17
CDs/Hours:  12/14.5
ISBN: 9 78144 774538

At one point in his life Octavius Caesar thought he would be touted as divine because his subjects loved him so much.  And he was a great leader and his philosophy rang true.  For example, he felt that in order to lead well he needed to examine and be right with himself.  He even imagined what the mausoleum would look like after his death.
This historical fiction was well researched by Williams and is based upon memoirs, letters and memoranda of Cleopatra, Mark Anthony, Virgil and other communique between various other well-known personages of the time.  Only eighteen years old when his Uncle Julius Caesar is murdered, Octavius inherits rule of the Roman Empire.  Surrounded by men jockeying for power – Brutus, Cassius, Cicero -- the young Octavius works against the powerful Roman political machinations to claim his destiny as the first Roman emperor.  This book tells the story of one man’s dream to liberate a corrupt Rome from the fancy of the capriciously crooked and the wildly wealthy.  

I liked that insights from the teachers and other professionals of the time were also included in this story.  And I was pleasantly surprised that I like the book better than I thought I would.  But then Williams is a consummate story- teller, so why wouldn’t I?

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