Augustus a Novel

The character is well developed and the events follow smoothly one after the other. More importantly, Augustus is highly idealized in this book. So much so in fact, that with all the angst and success in his life, the reader is eased into sympathizing with him on every occasion. It is a very selective history, one aimed to popularize Augustus no doubt. A view that was somewhat shattered when reading the true, historical Caesar.

All in all, it's good fun, and the realistically described Roman settings, and supporting characters comes across without hiccups.

The writing style however, left something to be desired, though the use of Augustan expressions makes up for it.

Excellent!!!
Review date: 2002-07-22 Rating: 10 out of 10

This was a lot of fun to read! Massie has done a superb job of making the historical figure of Augustus into a real man dealing with some very real demons. I can readily believe that the words are those of Augustus himself. We know right from the first chapter, when he refers to "the Republic which I restored" that this will not be an objective retelling of what one can read in any history book. At times he presents versions of events that could only be believed by someone trying to justify his actions to himself. Massie also does an excellent job of contrasting the language and mood of the young Octavius and the elderly Princeps. The characters are at times much more lascivious than they could ever in reality have been, but it serves as an appropriately lush dramatic backdrop for the rest of the story. The goal of the book is not historical accuracy, but the reinvention of the truth as seen through the eyes of a young and ambitious, and then old and besotted, man. Those who condemn the book because it supports questionable positions fail to realize that it is supposed to be a completely biased, subjective, one-sided editorial on the man's life, because that is how Augustus must have seen himself if he were to retain his resolve and do what, according to him, had to be done. Even as he speaks, we can see the flaws in his arguements, we can see his harsh and at times cruel character. We both feel sorry for him and resent him. In short, his story is dramatic, no matter whether we agree with him or not, and that's what makes this a great book. No educated person will take this account as absolute historical truth, only as an entertaining yarn using familiar historical characters.

Winners don't make good characters for drama
Review date: 2001-08-01 Rating: 4 out of 10

The real Augustus was not a charming person. He was that "subtle tyrant", as Gibbon called him, who ruthlessly chased down Antony and Cleopatra until force them to commit suicide, then murdered their children. A great politician, indeed, though a cold manipulating [person]. In this novel, however, he seems to be telling us all the time: "What a nice, warm and understanding man, husband, father and grandfather I am!".

Besides, he was a winner, and winners never make good characters for drama. Everything seems so easy for him; he is so fortunate all the time, his enemies fall like flies in front of him. With a slap of his fingers the Roman Empire is solidly built. Why would such a lucky guy, we wonder, bother to write about his life instead of enjoying it? On the other hand, Claudius and Tiberius, both successors to him, were pathetic, therefore humans; they were splendid characters, the former in "I, Claudius", by Robert Graves, the latter in "Tiberius", by the same Allan Massie.

But the unattractiveness of the main character is not the only problem. Like Augustus himself, Massie's novel lacks emotion; it is cold, with no surprises. Verisimilitude seems to have been the author’s main concern, that's why he took the trouble to presume, in a long and unnecessary introduction, that those memoirs are real ones, discovered in a monastery and so on. Curiously enough, that introduction, apart from Augustus' very easy victories, is the less believable part of the whole book.

There is one moment, however, in which we sympathize with the main character: when he candidly confesses having suffered sexual abuse by Antony, thus revealing the real motive for his hatred towards Cleopatra's lover. But it's the only one in the whole story. Not enough.

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