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  • The Twelve Caesars

  • By: Suetonius
  • Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
  • Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (327 ratings)

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The Twelve Caesars

By: Suetonius
Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
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Publisher's summary

From the dignified grace of Augustus to the cruel debauchery of Nero, this history chronicles all the vices and virtues of the first 12 rulers of Imperial Rome.

The Twelve Caesars was written based on the information of eyewitnesses and public records. It conveys a very accurate picture of court life in Rome and contains some of the raciest and most salacious material to be found in all of ancient literature.

The writing is clear, simple and easy to understand, and the numerous anecdotes of juicy scandal, bitter court intrigue, and murderous brigandage easily hold their own against the most spirited content of today's tabloids.

Public Domain (P)2009 Audio Connoisseur

What listeners say about The Twelve Caesars

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant performance

Outstanding reading of a classic; thoroughly engaging. I found myself listening several times over to key parts. Highly recommended.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Grrrrreat

This was very good. The reading was phenomenal. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Roman history

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just the gory details, please.

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

I would recommend this audiobook to an ancient history or roman history buff.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I cannot say I had a favorite ceaser because I learned new or different facts/gossip about each. The author had a unique viewpoint of the 12 and it was interesting to compare, say, the history of Claudius to the work of Claudius translated by Robert Graves.

What about Charlton Griffin’s performance did you like?

His narration was adequate.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to listen to this in parts rather than try to take it all in at one listen. Some stories were a little juicier than others and I wanted to listen to them more than once.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The narrator is so great. Like is reading from a

The narrator is so great. Like he is reading from a 1984 news paper: But, like the gossip column. such a good delivery...

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great narrator, poor chapter headings.

The publisher of this audiobook does a terrible job of naming chapters but the narration is excellent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unbelievable!

I could not put this book down. The way the emperors lived sounded like fiction, with each generation being even more outlandish than the one before. It's hard to imagine how the Roman people put up with them for as long as they did. This book unintentionally provides insight as to why the Roman empire eventually failed by giving examples of the repulsive character and lack of statesmanship of the latter emperors. The narrator was perfect for this book. 10/10 would recommend

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

A very good listen

I really enjoyed this listen. I rarely listen to the same book twice but I will make an exception for this book!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Horrible Reader.Great Content

Never much liked the Romans of old. Having listened to 'Lustrum', I was interested to learn more. This is a source. I have listened a few times already. Charlton Griffin is not easy on the ear. So it took a few tries to actually hear the content.
One of the things I like, is that in spite of the years and that this is a translation, and it is gossipy, is that Suetonius is almost like a neighbour telling me a story over the fence.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

Well done. I only wish it was easier to navigate between chapters. Twelve biographies divided only into two sections makes jumping around difficult.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great overview

Wonderful overview and I would highly recommend to understand power unearned corrupts and the role a leader plays in the direction of his/her people. Great narrative.

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