Agrippina

The Most Extraordinary Woman of the Roman World

By: Emma Southon

Narrated by: Teri Schnaubelt

The story of Agrippina, at the center of imperial power for three generations, is the story of the Julio-Claudia dynasty - and of Rome itself, at its bloody, extravagant, chaotic, ruthless, and political zenith.

In her own time, she was recognized as a woman of unparalleled power. Beautiful and intelligent, she was portrayed as alternately a ruthless murderer and helpless victim, the most loving mother and the most powerful woman of the Roman empire, using sex, motherhood, manipulation, and violence to get her way and single-minded in her pursuit of power for herself and her son, Nero.

This book follows Agrippina as a daughter, born in Cologne, to the expected heir to Augustus’ throne; as a sister to Caligula, who raped his sisters and showered them with honors until they attempted rebellion against him and were exiled; as a seductive niece and then wife to Claudius, who gave her access to near unlimited power; and then as a mother to Nero - who adored her until he had her assassinated. Through senatorial political intrigue, assassination attempts, and exile to a small island and to the heights of imperial power, thrones, and golden cloaks and games and adoration, Agrippina scaled the absolute limits of female power in Rome. Her biography is also the story of the first Roman imperial family - the Julio-Claudians - and of the glory and corruption of the empire itself.

©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

fresh feminist history, Loved it!!!

I was pleasantly surprised by how awesome this book is! I am now going to find everything Emma Southon has done! It's like listening to a friend tell an amazing historical story. Even though a lot of this history I knew her perspective was fresh and funny and insightful! Highly recommend if you're not easily offended

Narrator has a terrible voice, I could not even listen past Chapter 3

The tone of her voice, had to turn it off. Looking forward to reading it though, I love her story.

All history books wish they were this good

Loved the surprising anecdotes. Loved the language. The most powerful woman in Rome gets her due.

Absolutely gripping

Going into this, I had no idea who Agrippina was or what kind of life she lived. This book had me interested and invested from start to finish. The humor was witty and charming, and it was filled to the brim with sharp commentary and facts. Loved every second of it.

Kick-ass history!

Finally! A kick-ass history about an amazingly strong, intelligent woman who gave zero fucks about what men thought she should be doing. Brilliantly & irreverently told in a way that makes Roman history fun & exciting!

well done

I wish all history books were written this way. What a fun and educational book.

Lovely writing, dreadful delivery

I love Emma’s books but this narrator felt rushed. She started out alright but a few chapters in the woman was obviously just phoning it in. I had to stop listening, it irritated me so much.

Fascinating

A very interesting history that examines all the aspects with a great deal of enlightening scepticism. Was surprised that there were some negative reviews but realized it was probably the very down to earth language with lots of F bombs. If you are delicate about language maybe a more traditional telling would be better but I enjoyed the frankness.

Well behaved women rarely make history

I LOVED this book, found it from an interview the author did on The Rex Factor. I seek to learn more about women in history, and the structure of this book is right up my alley. Well researched and the author is clear when she states her opinion. It’s a little salty in language, so fair warning. My only critique is that I wish the audio recording would have been done by someone from Great Britain. I highly recommend this book!

Informative, scathing, funny, sad, and most of all

I dig her style. One question though. Did she really have to use so many cuss words?!