Rating: 
Summary: Better than Fiction
Review: Robert Graves is a superb writer but his topic is what really takes this book over the top. Nothing in this book could really be made up. Based on ancient Roman history, the twists and turns of the plot, the antics of the main characters, the beliefs and behavior of the Roman citizens, the irony of history, and the absolute impossibility of what is clearly happening right before your eyes will keep you turning the pages of this book so fast your head will spin. My favorite scene: when the mad Emperor dresses like the goddess Aurora and dances in dead earnest to bring in the dawn. The scenes describing the Pythian oracle would be hard to match anywhere in world literature. Just two of a hundred of the most amazing scenes you'll ever find in any book. Graves has truly written a masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece! Stunning!
Review: Oh my God! This is a contender for the best story of all time! I can't believe that I only recently learned about it. This book would be a masterpiece if it were only fiction, but it's all true! I Claudius is an amazing story of the most fascinating people and the most interesting situations. Some of the people you admire for their virtues. Some of them you despise for their shocking evil. And yet they seem like people that I could easily know today. The story unfolds at a non-stop pace. I can't imagine anyone having enough creative genius to invent such a stunning story. But it's a true tale from the Roman Empire, recorded by the most capable man, Emperor Claudius. And it's more. It's a marvelous look at who we all are as human beings; striving for all the things that people strive for, as the players play their roles through relationships and society. Reading this story, I did not think I was reading about ancient people from a strange time. I thought about very real people that could be living out roles and scenes on today's stage, but with different rules. Thank you, Claudius, for recording this story for us. I'm glad I got to know you.
Rating:
Summary: Better than any soap opera you can name!
Review: This is my all time favorite book. You can't help taking an interest in the Roman Emperors and the history of Rome after reading this book. Excellent job by Mr. Graves.
Rating:
Summary: Deserving of its acclaim
Review: This book was recently rated as one of the top 100 books of the twentieth century. After reading the book I can see why. It give a great history of the first three emperors of Rome. Reading this book will give you an appreciation of who did what and why. It breathes life into one of the most interesting eras of human history. To understand Rome and the early empire we understand our origins and ourselves that much better. This book accomplishes that.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding...
Review: I, CLAUDIUS is easily one of the finest crafted historical fiction novels I have read, on par with Clavell's SHOGUN and Eco's NAME OF THE ROSE. The novel concerns the pre-Imperator days of Claudius, and how he manages to survive his loveless family as well as the deaths of much of his family to become Imperator in 41 AD. The book is superbly written, the plot is well-crafted and enticing, the characterization excellent and the book itself is simply a fantastical read. Beyond just good writing and a good story, I, CLAUDIUS brings up questions of morality, shows a variety of human vices and can be used as segue into ancient Roman history. All in all a complete package.
Rating:
Summary: The real deal
Review: Forget about "Spartacus", "Titus", or "Gladiator", this book paints the most detailed and lurid picture of ancient Rome. Only a master such as Robert Graves could meld a fascinating history lesson with a political thriller. The characters are eminently defined with unusual depth and are unforgettable. Graves' matter of fact narration of the cruelties and excesses of power makes the story at once realistic and horrifying. This is not the Disney version of ancient Rome (or the PBS version) and readers should prepare themselves for a strong dose of brutality. Above all else, Robert Graves is a master storyteller.
Rating: 
Summary: It's like living in Rome
Review: Robert Graves transport you to ancient Rome with all it's grandiosity and esplendor, but also with all the intrigues and excesses. I recomend it to everyone who has an interest in history. I am definetly going to read the sequel!
Rating:
Summary: I, Claudius - this book changed how I read forever
Review: Instead of going into gory detail about the particulars of this text, as I'm sure you've read a few summaries already, I will merely say that this book changed my reading habits forever. I read this book, simply out of curiousity, because the title was familiar and from the first page of Graves' novel I was gripped. Written in an excellent, half-comic, half-tragic style, the novel flows, and keeps you reading until it abruptly (and I'd say quite cruelly ends). The moment which will stick in my mind forever is when I first read the scene when Claudius is called into the chamber of Caligula. Caligula mad intends to kill Claudius, but Claudius quickly picks up on the emperor's madness...and well read the book. This book changed it all for me, the next book I read was Tacitus, Annals of Imperial Rome, then The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire..and so on. This book lit a passionate flame of curiousity about Roman History and then eventually world history, ever since reading this book 3 years ago, I have read only ancient classics, greek, roman and world histories, at the pace of at least one a month. For that reason alone I must rate this book highly and maybe it will light that curiousity in you too.
Rating:
Summary: "...this, that, and the other..."
Review: This book is a joy from page one, through its sequel, Claudius The God, to the BBC version of the two. It is great literature, great melodrama, and great history all in one. As you read, you will quickly come to side with Graves' conception of Claudius as not being the dolt everybody believed. It turns ancient Rome into a real place, populated by real people...a society not very much different from our own. I cannot recommend this book more.
Rating: 
Summary: Good book, Great Story....
Review: I found it hard to follow, but enjoyed the story. I can't decide if I will read the sequel. I love Roman history and this certainly shows the brutality of their society.
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