Memoirs of Hadrian
The Roman Empire, and other civilizations of antiquity (I like that word, it's grand), were what first propelled me to read more into history at a pretty young age. I read about the Ptolemies and Caesars alongside Encyclopedia Brown outwitting Bugs Meany (not that hard by the way).
So when I came across a copy of this book and saw the glowing reviews for it here I thought I'd give it a try. It's pretty good.I was immediately drawn in through the first paragraphs where Hadrian describes his frustrations and resignation about getting old.
Yourcenar completely avoids the usually pitfalls of the long letter / memoir device - throughout Hadrian moves back and forth in time and recounting events linked the way memory is. The account is mostly linear, but he often alludes to future events and decisions as direct results of current experiences.
Also, there is little to no reports of conversations, only the results or attitudes of them. In many ways I was completely convinced with this memoir and I appreciated the wealth of research conducted by the author, referenced in an appendix in the back.
At times my attention drifted as the narrative, being what it was, often seemed distant, but overall I enjoyed reading it every night after work (hardcovers are too heavy to bring along on commute) and enjoyed reading up on the various historical people and places mentioned in the text.
