Book Review

[kenjari]

I Loved Tiberius
by Elisabeth Dored

This book is much better than the title seems to indicate - it's a competently written, interesting historical novel about Julia, daughter of Caesar Augustus. The plot is compelling and snappily paced, but I would have liked a little more introspection, especially since it's a first-person narrative and seems to be intended to be something of a vindication of a woman whom history judged harshly.

Comments

[aquafolius.livejournal.com]

おかげさまで、僕の本を読むリストは長くなっています。


*adds another title*

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

Translation? (My Japanese is nonexistant. I think the only word I recognize in Kanji is Totoro. ;) )

Yeah, it is a pretty dippy title - makes it sound like a cheap paperback romance. The book was written in 1963 - maybe writers and publishers back then had different ideas about what constitutes a good title.

[aquafolius.livejournal.com]

"Thanks to you, my list of books to read grows longer"

unfortunately thanks to you sounds negative, hence the Japanese.

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

Have you read Mary Renault's historical novels? She writes about ancient Greece, and does a very good job of it.

My original intent in putting up book reviews was mainly personal - to keep track of what I had read. Plus, knowing I'll have to come up with something to say helps me think about what I'm reading in a more focused way. But it's really nice to know that other folks are getting something out of it, too.