Augustus

John Edward Williams won the 1973 National Book Award for 'Augustus' and deservedly so. This amazing piece of literature masquerading as historical fiction (and I like historical fiction) draws the reader into the world of Gaius Octavius, later to be Augustus, first emperor of Rome. Williams tells his tale by the unusual technique of presenting letters, journal entries, and memoirs. By this method he allows the reader to... Read Full Review

I'm just going to tell you to do yourselves a favour and check this book out. Allan Masse, bow your head to the lesser known an appreciated John Williams. "Augustus: A Novel" is written in a very original way, using drafted letters, diaries, memoirs and even poems to tell the story making it a very easy read. You feel that you get to know each of the historical characters and they are written in a believable and stunningly... Read Full Review

Augustus, by John Williams, is an overlooked gem! This National Book Award winner describes the life of the Caesar Augustus, probably the most influential of the Roman emperors. He is famously reported to have remarked, `I found Rome in brick and left it in marble.' His reign was a time of peace and prosperity compared to the ruinous civil wars that preceded it. Unfortunately, there are few good yet accessible popularized... Read Full Review

With a creative style, John Edward Williams presents the life of Augustus Caesar, Julius's nephew then adopted son, who ruled and remade Rome. Rather than using a more conventional literary style, Williams unravels the novel as a series of letters, journal entries, and documents from the diverse characters that surrounded and often vexed his subject. Cleverly, Williams leaves Augustus silent in this exchange of letters until... Read Full Review

i am absolutely galled that no one has reviewed this classic tale of Roman life in the empire's infancy. As the publisher stated, this work was meticulously researched, seemlessly combining a tawdry soap opera-esque element with a hard, eloquently written, historical narrative.This book should be required reading in every high school in America! .I much preferred it to the often-tedious, "I, Claudius"