Great read - well written, well researched and funny!

This book is very enjoyable. What could have been a trite rendition of the greatest hits of Roman murders, as the author sort-of puts it, is instead a truly engrossing exploration of the romans as a culture fundamentally different to our own. On the way the author entertains, educates and ultimately reverses the focus of so much of scholarly writing on Ancient Rome. In the end, the author leaves you feeling a little more empathy for the victims in ancient Roman society and a little less for our own cultural conceits.

Also, it’s funny.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

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Hilarious and interesting

The author is very engaging, funny, and deeply researched - it's a brilliant book. The narrator delivers a deadpan performance that highlights the humour in the book. It's a must listen!

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Hilarious

Loved it and highly recommend. Heads up though it has swearing in it so just be aware.

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Brilliant loved every minute

This is a fantastic book. It mixes political and social history around murder/ killing in Ancient Rome, from assassinations to the Colosseum to the subura. I had a brilliant Ancient History teacher who would captivate us with the stories of Rome. Emma Southon is Mr White- with a bit of swearing to enhance the telling! I can't wait to read her other books.

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Never thought about it like that

This book provides a unique and thought provoking recount of roman history in such a way that it’s changed how i personally think about the roman empire.

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A raucous ride

An informarive, engaging and amusing history designed for the modern audience, bloody togas included. I sniggered my way through it in two days. If you are too delicate to handle occasional f-bombs, you should move along to a more staid tome.

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Great fun

Loved it. If you love ancient history this is just the thing, well researched and easy to follow. Entertaining!

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Hilarious History

Definitely not a book for anyone who can't tolerate (frequent) four-letter words or (less frequent) graphic descriptions of murder and torture with a bit of (somewhat less frequent) sex thrown in. Those potential readers apart, the book is rollicking good fun: it's witty and very clever. For anyone new to the history of Republican and Imperial Rome it's a great introduction to the highlights and lowlights, and for those familiar with the history it's a great way to brush up or take another look. Far from the usual po-faced presentation by traditional Historians, this book is by an Historian with a new take - a breath of fresh air to ruffle establishment feathers and gain a new audience for this fascinating period. The focus on murder gives wide scope for examining judicial and extra-judicial killing in their political and social context. As Emma Southon says, it's a chance to look at the ways in which people change and the ways in which they stay the same. Sophie Ward, as always, is a pleasure to listen to.

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Informative, depressing, funny

This book was incredibly informative and so engaging. I genuinely laughed so much more than I thought I would in a book about murder.

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Amateurish

For those who enjoy ancient history, I’d advise you to find something better researched and written. The author’s use of constant obscenities is the only thing that makes this work memorable - and not in a good way. For example: “He built a fleet to fu*k up the Carthaginian navy…” And so it goes on, and on.
I would understand if this approach was sparingly utilised for emphasis, or as a direct quote of extant texts, but no, it is used throughout the narration as a ‘quirk’, and gets tiresome fast - you quickly realise it is actually being employed to mask the author’s lack of skill.

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4 people found this helpful