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Agrippina
- Empress, Exile, Hustler, Whore
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
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Agrippina
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Summary
Agrippina the Younger held a unique position in the first Roman imperial family. As great niece of Tiberius, sister of Caligula, wife of Claudius and mother of Nero, she stood at the centre of power in the Roman empire for three generations. Even in her own time, she was recognised as a woman of unparalleled power. From exile to being hailed empress, across three marriages and three widowhoods, her life, power and role were extraordinary in their scope and drama. Beautiful and intelligent, she is alternately a ruthless murderer and helpless victim, the most loving mother and the most powerful woman of the Roman empire.
She is portrayed in ancient sources as using sex, motherhood, manipulation and violence to get her way and as single-minded in her pursuit of power for herself and her son. Agrippina’s life sheds light on the Julio-Claudian dynasty and Rome at its height - the chaos, blood and politics of it all - as well as the place of women in the Roman world.
This book follows Agrippina as a daughter born to the expected heir to Augustus’ throne and who was then orphaned; as a sister to Caligula, who raped his sisters and showered them with honours until they attempted rebellion against him and were exiled; as a seductive niece and then wife to Claudius, who gave her access to near unlimited power; and then as a mother to Nero, who adored her until he killed her.
She was 44 when she died. It takes us from the camps of Germany during a mutiny, through senatorial political intrigue, assassination attempts and exile to a small island, to the heights of imperial power, thrones and golden cloaks and games and adoration.
We will see Agrippina found her own city (Cologne), live up to and then flaunt the greatest ideals of Roman femininity and motherhood, and explore the absolute limits of female power in Rome. The biography of Agrippina is also the biography of the first Roman imperial family, the Julio-Claudians, and of the empire itself.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aika
- 27-11-23
fascinating!
amazing story of an amazing woman that had so much impact and was never fairly or truthfully represented in history. enjoyed it a lot. the narrators overexaggerated gossipy delivery style gets old quite quickly and can get grating at times. too frivolous for a serious content
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 16-12-21
Brilliant
This is brilliant. Great feat of storytelling by a diligent historian not afraid to criticise the sources, link to contemporary phenomena, and make the historical figures relatable characters. The reader has just the right tone and voice too, making this a well-worth 11 & 1/2 hour listen. Be you a Roman history buff, or a novice to the world of imperial Rome, this book is for you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Debbieshep
- 29-06-21
Refreshing
I’m only half way through this but I must say after a wee period of adjustment, I’m getting used to the narrators unusual style. Her narration very much suits the author’s writing style. It’s made what could have been a confusing and dry subject lively, engaging and funny. Looking forward to hearing the rest.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-11-21
History brought to life by author and narrator
I really enjoyed how Emma Southon made Agrippina's story contemporary by regular reference to events in our own time. Imogen Church perfectly captured the tone of the book - one of the best Audible narrations I've heard!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 25-10-21
Great herstory
Hard to get through. The narration was a constant knowing, too loud, rant. It didn't need that sort of delivery. The writing was sufficient without the over stressed points.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dee Watcher
- 05-07-21
Really Enjoyed it.
This was not what you would expect for a book about Ancient Rome. But it kept me spellbound.
The tone was chatty and very modern, with numerous references to current affairs.
As someone who became interested in ancient Rome after watching I Claudius, I found it fascinating to hear a version of the events and subsequent events from a very different point of view. The author takes a female centric view, (not surprising as this is the biography of a woman) which drives home how very skewed conventional history can be.
I really, really enjoyed this so much. I would recommend it to anyone interested in history.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sair0075
- 30-04-23
How to get listeners truly entranced in history
If I had had this book at school I think I would have found history more exhilarating than I did, but it could also be that I'm older now and having been to Rome, am in awe of it. This is how history should be told. It might not be factual and the author freely admits to speculation but a lot of history is just that. Educated people doing their best to unravel the past (I know we have a lot of ancient documentation but still - the only people who can actually say what happened are the people who lived at that time). The author has introduced me to someone who I probably should have known about given how famous male members of her family are. I really do recommend this book; I found it really enjoyable and interesting.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 04-03-21
An entertaining listen
This was good fun! It took me a while to get used to the narrator's unusual style, but I really grew to appreciate how she took on the role wholeheartedly; this is not a stuffy, serious history book and shouldn't be read as such. Southon injects her own personality into her writing and research, providing us with a humorous and human account of Agrippina's life and times. It's refreshing to hear a disparaging female perspective picking apart the ancient, mysogynistic sources and considering the historical figure as a real person with real feelings.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Steve
- 28-07-23
Shades of Terry Jones
funny, eye opening and with more than a hint of Terry Jones. both the book and performance kept me entertained for their duration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lizzie
- 29-11-21
Brilliant!
Clever and very funny exploration of lesser known Roman history. Found myself giggling a plenty, and enjoyed it thoroughly. This is not a stodgy serious history book and for that I am grateful.
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