Augustus

De: John Williams

Narrado por: Robin Field

A brilliant and beautifully written novel in the tradition of Robert Graves’ I, Claudius, Augustus is a sweeping narrative that brings vividly to life a compelling cast of historical figures through their letters, dispatches, and memoirs.

A mere 18 years of age when his uncle, Julius Caesar, is murdered, Octavius Caesar prematurely inherits rule of the Roman Republic. Surrounded by men who are jockeying for power—Cicero, Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony—young Octavius must work against the powerful Roman political machinations to claim his destiny as first Roman emperor.

Sprung from meticulous research and the pen of a true poet, Augustus tells the story of one man’s dream to liberate a corrupt Rome from the fancy of the capriciously crooked and the wildly wealthy.

©1972 John Williams; 1995 by Nancy Williams (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“ Augustus is a masterpiece.” ( Los Angeles Times)

Even better than Stoner

This was my first read of 2025 and it’s setting a high bar for the rest of the year. Williams’ prose is superb as always, but I found Augustus even more interesting, insightful, and engrossing than Stoner. It felt so real, or at least plausible, as if I was reading translations of actual extant texts. 10/10 recommend to anyone remotely interested!

Also, don’t give up if you have to pause and google some names to understand who’s who at the beginning. Williams is so adept at building the relationships and nuanced dynamics that it becomes easier to follow fairly quickly.

An interesting introduction to Roman history

What did you love best about Augustus?

The book is presented as a series of letters by people who know or knew Augustus constantly providing different perspectives and thoughts about a larger than life figure sometimes with the perspective of the times of the events sometimes years afterwards. It made for an interesting format. The book seemed packed with realistic details.

What other book might you compare Augustus to and why?

I cannot remember another historical fiction book with the constantly changing narrative device of Augustus.

Have you listened to any of Robin Field’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, but the narrator gave an impressive easy to follow performance. I was almost put off this recording by a negative review which I'm glad I ignored.

Any additional comments?

A very interesting read to introduce me to the character of Augustus Caesar. The book neither dwells long on gossip nor goes deep into battle tactics or economic theories. A good balance for me. I found he pace of the book good until the final soliloquy at the end which dragged a bit. I definitely recommend the book.

Wonderful retelling of Augustus Caesar’s life

I’m a huge fan of an epistolary style of story telling. Williams’s narration was first rate. If you love Roman history, you’ll enjoy this audio book.

what a sad story

this was a tragedy with out equal not kaid out through folly but gently with and by the success and accident of the life of the main character.

A moving history

The narrator does a superb job with all characters. The story is fascinating in its depth and detail. I may listen to this again as it took me a while to keep the players straight because of the Latin names. Lots of truths in here that certainly are applicable today.