I, Claudius

By: Robert Graves

Narrated by: Nelson Runger

Length: 16 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

Here is one of the best historical novels ever written. Lame, stammering Claudius, once a major embarrassment to the imperial family and now emperor of Rome, writes an eyewitness account of the reign of the first four Caesars: the noble Augustus and his cunning wife, Livia; the reptilian Tiberius; the monstrous Caligula; and finally old Claudius himself and his wife, Messalina. Filled with poisonings, betrayal, and shocking excesses, I Claudius is history that rivals the most exciting contemporary fiction.

©1934, 1961 Robert Graves (P)1987 Recorded Books

I was a bit disappointed...

I thought this would be a historical account of the first Ceasers from the standpoint of Emperor Claudius, but it turned out to just be a fictional story, and that not really evan good historical fiction. I guess it did depict the evil and violence and gave a flavor of the political intrigue that was so much a part of the reality of Roman empire, but overall I was disappointed.

If you enjoy historical tales...

I really enjoyed this book. At the beginning I was concerned for the vast number of characters and their relationships I could not remember, however I quickly fell into the story and couldn't wait to get back to this Roman tale of drama, plotting, poison, monarchy and succession.

Great!

At some point, I realized that it was also history, but I didn't really notice!

Thoroughly Enjoyed the audio

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

its a history.

What did you like best about this story?

a person thought to be useless arouse to imperial power

Which scene was your favorite?

Germanicus addressing the mutany with authority

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the events before and death of Agustus

Any additional comments?

nil

great hitorical novel

if you are in to history, this book is for you. the real game of thrones

Unsurpassed, addictive brilliance

Put aside all thought of stuffy classics. Think well-spun tale, full of twists and turns, subterfuges and bloody tyranny. Bear in mind that the BBC at the peak of its tour de force of TV drama production in the '70s and '80s made these two books into a masterpiece surpassed only (perhaps) by Brideshead Revisited. You can't do that with dull material.
As the title siggests, the books are written in the first person, as the autobiography of the partly disabled, sickly survivor of the Claudian wing of the Roman aristocracy who became emperor by flying below the radar and outliving all the other candidates. The choice of reader is critical, as we are listening to an elderly man tell his long and convoluted life story. Nelson Runger's voice rumbles along with just the right timbre and clarity for the character of the wily and learned Claudius. More importantly he has such a fine actor's grasp of text and meaning that we never, for one moment, feel that we are being read to. We are simply being told the bloody, scheming, erotic and shocking tale of Rome's ruling dynasty at the peak of its imperial power, spun out as an captivating yarn.
While never claiming officially to be an historian Graves was a close descendant of German historian Leopold von Ranke and prized historical accuracy. So much, if not all of the two books is historically accurate, a perspective which serves as the binding sauce to Graves' words and Runger's delivery.
One of my very best Audible purchases, which I will listen to again and again.

Superb

I highly recommend this audio book. The book itself, by Robert Graves is a classic. Its an in depth , richly painted portrait of the Julio-Claudian dynasty as seen through the eyes of its most unlikely members. However, the performance of Nelson Runger as narrator makes this a particularly good listen. He did a great job of becoming Claudius. When a narrator can disappear into the part, and really become the part, thats pure joy!

Racy story tamed down.

What did you like best about I, Claudius? What did you like least?

I enjoyed the intimate details about the various Ceasars. I got bored with the one person narrative after awhile. For so many salacious details it got pretty boring. I thought the PBS show was much better than the book it was based on.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Less description and more action.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed Claudius and Calpurnia's interactions, especially when she lent him all the money he had paid her over the years.

Did I, Claudius inspire you to do anything?

Look into Bernard Cornwall's Roman books. I bet he will do much better.

clearly the precursor to Game of Thrones.

what an incredible story. It is fictional of course, but based on real events and makes me very thankful we live in a Republic, for as nuts as our government sometimes seems, it's certainly much more organized and predictable than having a Roman dictator running the show.

this book was quite a wonderful surprise. I love historical fiction, and had been intending to read it for a while, but somehow got the impression it would be rather dull. Quite the opposite! Though narration was fantastic, and the only irritant is that the beginnings of chapters sometimes chopped off a few seconds of narration, I don't know if this is because of the app or something in the audible book. But this small issue did not to detract from The fantastic and incredible storytelling.

Great Book

This is a fantastic read. The "auto"biography is very colorful, personal and gave me the feeling I was seeing ancient Rome for the first time. While historical fiction, it is interesting to note the parallels between what was happening then and what is happening in our society today. Degradation, promiscuity, corrupt self-serving government, murder, intrigue, incest, disease...and in the middle of it all poor crippled Claudius, coming out the other side on top of it all.

Mr. Runger does a lively reading. Very easy listen. Perfectly suited to the entertaining content!