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    The Confessions of Young Nero: A Novel
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    The Confessions of Young Nero: A Novel
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    The Confessions of Young Nero: A Novel
    Audiobook19 hours

    The Confessions of Young Nero: A Novel

    Written by Margaret George

    Narrated by Susan Denaker, Katharine McEwan and Steve West

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of Helen of Troy and Elizabeth I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.

    Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar's imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman-or child.
     
    As a boy, Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.
     
    While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina's machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero's determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become-an Emperor who became legendary.
     
    With impeccable research and captivating prose, The Confessions of Young Nero is the story of a boy's ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateMar 7, 2017
    ISBN9781524755966
    Unavailable
    The Confessions of Young Nero: A Novel
    Author

    Margaret George

    Margaret George is the author of several best-selling novels, including The Autobiography of Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scotland & the Isles, and Mary, Called Magdalene. She travels widely to research her novels and lives with her husband in Madison, Wisconsin.

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    Reviews for The Confessions of Young Nero

    4/5

    74 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Historical fiction is a very popular genre that comes in many forms. Perhaps the most difficult to pull off for an author is the straight fictionalisation of historical events or an historical life with no added frills or speculations. This is what Margaret George gives us with this ‘life’ of Nero.The book is a re-telling of the life of Nero from being a small boy through to the burning of Rome. It is told mostly (excluding some short asides and comments from other characters) in the voice of Nero himself, as if this were a diary or journal. If course, no such document exists.The historical environment is well-researched, detailed and believable. The geography, the culture, the politics and the every day activities of the characters all feel grounded in reality. George eschews the standard take on Nero and delves deep into his character to understand what made him the Emperor he eventually became.As a child and adolescent Nero is dominated by his mother. He lives in a world where few can be trusted. And where unspeakable acts for political gain are the norm. As Nero grows up and becomes Emperor we see that he wants to be a diligent, hard working and essentially humane ruler. Through the course of the book we see him slowly, bit by bit, fall into the patterns of intrigue and evil that he initially despised. It is clear that the end of the book, with Nero returning to a burning Rome, represents a pivotal moment in his life where he will turn to either darkness or light, and it is the strength of George’s writing that we are not certain which path he will take.As a life told in fiction this is very good.
    • 3/5
      Because Nero is a minor character in one of my books and plays a more impactful role in the upcoming sequel, I was curious to see how George would handle this fascinating and controversial figure. The time period she writes about is considered by some historians Nero's "sane" period (even though it included his infamous murder of his mother). His early life, especially under the influence of the philosopher Seneca and other older mentors, showed much promise. As he grew older and more independent, his choice of companions grew more reckless and his actions less excusable.George, in her "Afterword," says she is trying to reclaim history for this very misunderstood ruler. In this first volume, I think she succeeded. She does an excellent job of showing the context and trauma of a child tossed in turbulent times, the angst of an artist forced into the role of strong ruler, the hurt of personal betrayals and losses, and the headiness that comes with absolute rule. These can all lead to the aberrations that we see in Nero's later years. Nero did much that was worthy in these times as a generous and compassionate ruler (to ordinary citizens-his relatives, not so much), dedicated artist, and innovative city planner. It will be interesting to see how George follows through in her next volume when Nero's life begins to run off the rails.Given all this, why only three stars? I generally liked the book. I found the history fascinating, writing lyrical, and descriptions lush; but the story languorous. It moved too slow for me. (People who follow my reviews know I have a preference for fast-paced fiction, so if you're tolerant of slow-moving plots, add a star). I have some sympathy for those who indicated in their reviews that they didn't finish the book. When I had only forty pages left, I stayed up late to complete the book, but found myself nodding off, then skimming because nothing happened in those pages until the last couple. If I hadn't been so compelled by the history, I'd have given it two stars.
    • 4/5
      My first Margaret George book was The Memoirs of Cleopatra and I fell totally in love with her style. I read every one I came across since and have never been disappointed. When I saw she'd taken on Nero, I knew it was a must read for me. In addition to being a George fan, I happen to love all things Julian & Claudian so this would be the perfect convergence.

      It was good but not as immersive as other books I've read of George. I don't quite know why but I admit that I felt a bit of remove from Nero's recounting of life. Instead of being on tenterhooks about what next would happen to him, I found myself looking for other characters I know from the time and being thrilled when they showed up. Some of them showed up with more color than I felt from Nero (Agrippina, Locusta & Poppea really deserve mention here). I applaud George for giving Nero a different take than the usual notorious figure he's usually painted as. It reminded me of I Am Livia by Phyllis T. Smith for that.

      This ends in a cliffhanger at a pivotal and exciting moment so it's clear that the best is yet to come. I will definitely be reading the second part of this and hope that not only will Nero be more vibrant in the telling so the next book will have more staying power in the memory.

      If you're looking for an I,Claudius, this isn't that. This is a serviceable telling to be sure but it's not of George's usual "sweeps you away" style. I daresay that if you're less familiar with the time and players you'll enjoy it more. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      This was a very detailed story about the first years of Emporer Nero. Margaret George gives Nero a personality. You love him or hate him at different times in his life. She tells a tale of him that is different from what we are used to hearing. I really enjoyed this story. I laughed and cried . I received this ebook from Netgalley and Berkeley for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
    • 4/5
      Exactly what the title implies - the rise and consolidation of Nero's power in ancient Rome. There is violence, intrigue but not a whole lot of romance. The novel ranges from his youth when he is manipulated by a power hungry mother till the time when Rome burns while under his leadership. The book is well researched and very easy to read for a historical novel. I really enjoyed reading about the strange route Nero took to assume leadership and his passion for the arts .Well worth the time.
    • 3/5
      Interesting take on Nero, an apologia for him, from the years of him as a 3-year old through a message bringing news of the Great Fire of Rome. The author gets into Nero's thinking--himself almost as 3 personalities: the dutiful, virtuous Roman emperor, the lover of music and the other arts, and his dark side of cruelty and sadism. Nero is presented as blaming others for circumstances in his life. The novel was well-written and was a riveting read but I guess I had too much of a negative viewpoint on him to fully enjoy the story. I note there will be a sequel.
    • 4/5
      *I received a copy of this book from the publisher.*Nero emerges as an almost like-able character in this novel covering his early years. It took me a while to get into this book, but once I figured out enough of the characters (everyone was scheming and backstabbing from the beginning) to understand the larger picture of the Roman imperial court, the book became much more enjoyable. I wouldn't mind a novel written just about Nero's mother either, to better explore all her plots and schemes. The ending was well-done and I am look forward to picking up the continuation of Nero's story.
    • 2/5
      I managed 200 pages of this book and then gave up. At that point I wasn't even half way through it and Nero had just become emperor. Then I learned that this is only part one of Nero's story and I knew that I had made the right decision. I would prefer to read a history book about Nero rather than this mix of fact and imagined conversations and feelings. I also thought that the author made a poor decision to have this story told in the first person by Nero (initially as a 4 year old) rather than in the third person. Even a preternaturally intelligent child with total recall could not possibly have remembered the conversations, or understood the political machinations, that he recounted in this book. This just wasn't for me.I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
    • 4/5
      I've always enjoyed reading historical fiction, and the ancient Roman world is a particular favorite of mine. Thus it was that I immediately dove into this novel depicting the life of Nero - about whom I knew less than many other famous Romans, barring what I read in Quo Vadis, Claudius the God, and Suetonius' Twelve Caesars - from his birth through the burning of Rome. I gobbled up the first 350 pages or so, then at around page 378 I stalled for a couple of weeks. It might have been that the relatively simplistic dialogue had gotten to me, or the way Nero tells about things that occurred without actually describing the scenes (the novel is written in first person). I suspect, though, that Nero's self-absorption had become tiresome and I just needed some time away from him, because, when I got back to it, I finished it quickly. I think it might have been better if the novel had been written in the third person so there would be more balanced viewpoints, which would have also precluded the necessity of occasionally inserting short chapters told from the viewpoint of a couple of other characters, apparently to add information that Nero could not have known, which was a bit disruptive to the flow. All in all, though, it was a very well-researched, well-written, and sympathetic look at a controversial figure who is usually portrayed as the debauched emperor who "fiddled while Rome burned," and I look forward to reading Part 2. Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC of this novel from First-To-Read in exchange for providing an honest review.
    • 3/5
      "Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?" Margaret George writes a biographical fiction depicting Nero in a more sympathetic light arguing that most of our sources about Nero, were heavily biased to make him look as bad as possible (per the afterward). I liked this book, however, the pacing seemed a bit off, I had a hard time finishing the last big. I think this is because this is part 1 of a two part story, and thus the end didn't have a typical climactic build up at the end, and honestly, I was kind of over Nero--you can only make murder and such gross ostentation sympathetic for so long. That said I am excited for the next installment.
    • 3/5
      It was ok

      Points for being very close to the actual history but the second half of the book dragged for me. There were also random shifting viewpoints that seemed unnecessary.
    • 5/5
      I will start by noting that I have read all of Ms. George’s books; she is one of my favorite authors so I was very excited to see something new and to learn that there is a second book in the series. Perhaps it’s bias but I love going into a book just knowing it’s going to be good. There are a few authors that I completely trust that will be true when I pick up their books and Ms. George is up at the top of that list.In this new book she brings the Roman emperor Nero to life – you know about Nero, right? The guy who fiddled while Rome burned. Would it surprise you to learn that not everything written about Nero is true? Would it surprise you to learn that some of the more provocative and horrible things written about him were true? But which are and which were a product of the old “history is written by the victors” school of smear the losers so we winners look all the better? That question gets trickier to answer when an author is dealing with a figure who lived so very long ago. Not much written record has survived and much of what is available was written many years after Nero’s demise.Ms. George does an excellent job of reading between the lines of history to parse the best and the worst of our hero to present a story of a young man who was really never meant to rule but who had a mother who was determined that he would. The book is told in his voice and it starts from when he is very young – 4 years old – and he is a very prescient child. This was the only (minor) complaint I had with the book. It seemed that the narration maintained its tone for the bulk of Nero’s early life despite beginning at such an early age. It changes towards the end as he comes into his power but for a good third of the book Nero’s voice is similar whether he is a toddler of 4 or a preteen. This is minor and picky but there you go.Other than that I loved, loved, loved this book. It took me back to one of my favorite times in history to one of the emperors about which I didn’t know as much as I would like. Nero is a very complicated character and he admittedly did some awful things but somehow in context and compared to some of the rest of his family he almost seemed angelic. Not to forgive him his actions by any mean but to at least refute some of the worst wrongs of his reputation.The book is a page turner that brings ancient Rome to life for the reader; the architecture, the food, the raucous parties and the machinations of power. It’s a tale of a mother’s desire for power for not just for son but for herself. It’s a story of love and hate, revenge and all that comes with money and power. It’s also the story of a young man who was a poet, musician and strong proponent of the arts at a time when most were not.Read it. Learn about this compelling and complex man.
    • 5/5
      The Confessions of a Young Nero – Margaret George Another strong first person historical novel from Margaret George. Not only does she bring first century Rome vividly to life she also repositions Nero from the degenerate that we mostly know him as today to a significantly more nuanced character. Can’t wait for the second part! Thoughts Disclaimer: I love all of Margaret George’s historical novels. She has an exceptional ability to take vast quantities of research and distil it in a way that adds colour to the novel without ever feeling like its lecturing or dry. In Confessions of a Young Nero this skill is on obvious display. Not only does Nero cleverly and subtly present his family tree and a history of the recent Roman Empire to the reader there are also hundreds of little details about clothing, food, dress, building works, entertainment and even the geography of Rome until you almost feel as though you are disappearing into the pages and the early first century. George starts the novel early in Nero’s life even though he admits his memories of the earliest chapters are hazy. I thought this was a clever way to highlight the amount of change and uncertainty he had in his life and present a character the reader could warm to, but it is does require leap of faith that a young child could understand the politicking around him which is probably the weakest part of the novel. His pre-teen and early teen years prior to being formally recognised as an adult are rich in character forming details – we see him thrive under Greek and Greek influenced tutors and show interest in both the arts and sports developing the more multi facted view of him. The majority of the novel is written in first person by Nero although there are a couple of chapters written by two other women, a poisoner and a lover. These chapters are thin and provide little detail into the characters of the two women and I find myself intrigued as to why they have been given a voice. Both Nero’s mother and his wife are incredibly well drawn but described only via Nero’s perspective of them. I’ll be interested to see if any one else is developed further in the second part when published.
    • 5/5
      I will start by noting that I have read all of Ms. George’s books; she is one of my favorite authors so I was very excited to see something new and to learn that there is a second book in the series. Perhaps it’s bias but I love going into a book just knowing it’s going to be good. There are a few authors that I completely trust that will be true when I pick up their books and Ms. George is up at the top of that list.In this new book she brings the Roman emperor Nero to life – you know about Nero, right? The guy who fiddled while Rome burned. Would it surprise you to learn that not everything written about Nero is true? Would it surprise you to learn that some of the more provocative and horrible things written about him were true? But which are and which were a product of the old “history is written by the victors” school of smear the losers so we winners look all the better? That question gets trickier to answer when an author is dealing with a figure who lived so very long ago. Not much written record has survived and much of what is available was written many years after Nero’s demise.Ms. George does an excellent job of reading between the lines of history to parse the best and the worst of our hero to present a story of a young man who was really never meant to rule but who had a mother who was determined that he would. The book is told in his voice and it starts from when he is very young – 4 years old – and he is a very prescient child. This was the only (minor) complaint I had with the book. It seemed that the narration maintained its tone for the bulk of Nero’s early life despite beginning at such an early age. It changes towards the end as he comes into his power but for a good third of the book Nero’s voice is similar whether he is a toddler of 4 or a preteen. This is minor and picky but there you go.Other than that I loved, loved, loved this book. It took me back to one of my favorite times in history to one of the emperors about which I didn’t know as much as I would like. Nero is a very complicated character and he admittedly did some awful things but somehow in context and compared to some of the rest of his family he almost seemed angelic. Not to forgive him his actions by any mean but to at least refute some of the worst wrongs of his reputation.The book is a page turner that brings ancient Rome to life for the reader; the architecture, the food, the raucous parties and the machinations of power. It’s a tale of a mother’s desire for power for not just for son but for herself. It’s a story of love and hate, revenge and all that comes with money and power. It’s also the story of a young man who was a poet, musician and strong proponent of the arts at a time when most were not.Read it. Learn about this compelling and complex man.
    • 4/5
      Like most of you (I’m assuming), I really only think of one thing when I hear about Nero: the emperor who fiddled madly while Rome burned down around him. Well, Margaret George, one of historical fiction’s great writers, has set her sights on the infamous Roman emperor in an attempt to (at least partially) clear his name.The novel (the first of two planned for Emperor Nero) focuses mainly on Nero’s childhood and early years as emperor. Born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, and nephew to the then-emperor Caligula (yes, that Caligula), who had his sister (Nero’s mother) banished from the country as a potential threat to his rule. Nero gets his first taste of Roman imperial politics at the tender age of three, when Caligula tries to drown him in a lake. Surviving the attempt, the young Nero’s situation is barely improved with the return of his mother after Caligula’s death, as her machinations, and those of the current rulers of the Roman empire, promise more pain and betrayal for the boy.After ascending the throne at age sixteen, Nero pledges to himself to be a different style of emperor than his uncle, Caligula, or any of his scheming relatives waiting in the wings. An artist and musician at heart, he attempts to seek his own path as the most powerful man in the world.George uses historical sources to bring accuracy and realism to her work, and this book is no exception. While artistic license must be taken (especially with Nero, whose achievements were largely posthumously suppressed from the historical record), Margaret George takes pain to ensure that her book cleaves as closely as possible to verifiable truth (and you know how I love a fictional book with a bibliography). Ultimately, this book is about family, and how the cutthroat and brutal dynamics of the Roman elite can sully even the most optimistic dreamer.Any lover of history or historical fiction will find a lot to love in this book. Margaret George is the queen of historical fiction for good reason. The book is engagingly written and suspenseful, and George’s characterization of the young emperor is complex and compelling. In all, this is a highly readable book about a man who exists today as a caricature of himself.An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Confessions of a Young Nero will be available for purchase on March 7th, 2017.