“Recuérdalo siempre, hijo mío: Roma eres tú.”

When no Roman citizen is willing to prosecute the corrupt Senator Dolabella, Julius Caesar steps in. The Jury has been bribed and Dolabella's lawyer has inside information, but Caesar is determined to do what he feels is right and defend Rome. Spanning from his childhood to the trial where he is a young twenty-three years old, we follow Julius as he becomes the man we all know from the history books.

I did read the translated version of this, but I almost wish I had read the original. I always wonder if I am missing a little something with translations. With that said, this was kind of okay...but not my favorite. While this was an interesting and well researched take on the life of a young Caesar, I also found it very long and the time jumps to be slightly jarring. If ancient history is your thing, you might enjoy this.

I Am Rome
by Santiago Posteguillo

I loved this book! This is, of course, the story of Julius Caesar – but not the story of his great successes, which we have all heard before. This book begins with the struggles between Caesar's uncle, Gaius Marius, and the other populares, who wanted a more equal distribution of wealth to the people of Rome and its provinces, and the optimates, the old guard senators, anxious to preserve their power and wealth.

These struggles provide the backdrop throughout the book. The optimates will stop at nothing, including murder, to hold on to their privileges. They hate Marius for what he represents, but he is a legendary general in Rome – so they can't get rid of him. Marius takes a young Julius under his wing and gives him advice that will see his nephew through a lifetime.

But this book deals only with Julius from his childhood through his prosecution of the corrupt senator Dolabella, The trial could be a make or break situation for Julius. Will he win or lose? And will the outcome drive the rest of his life?

This is the first moment of his climb to the very top of Roman society. A fit ending place for this book. But I would hope that the author will continue the story that he has told so well.

I don’t think I had ever read about Caesar like this. I always knew about the commander, the ruler, the lover sides of him, but I forgot about the lawyer he was. His oratory skills were developed during those days of his life, and even though this was a historical fiction, it was meant to be told. This dude was not only “et tu, Brute?”

The book followed the trial of Dolabella, where Caesar was the prosecutor supporting Macedonians whose were bullied (and more) by Dolabella. The defense was trying to focus on Caesar’s background and his inexperience as a lawyer. However, as cunning as he was, Caesar was there to prove everyone wrong. While trial was explained, childhood and adolescence of Caesar were detailed between the scenes.

Of course this was not an official biography of Mr. I know it all but I have all these dudes stabbing me in my back, but it was a good view into his excellency’s early days and first marriage. I’m actually looking forward to read next installment.

Oof. I really was intrigued by this but could not get into it. I think if I had this physical copy, I would have an easier time reading because I think the format through my off. DEfinitely still read if you're interested!

This book was not for me, unfortunately. While there were some compelling scenes, like the battle with the Teutons, too much of it was political machinations. I didn’t feel like there was enough character development. And while there were some big conflicts, there weren’t enough of the little conflicts and stories to keep me turning the pages. I won’t be posting this review elsewhere.

Thank you to the publisher - I received a complimentary eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a lot to digest. It took a while to get my bearings in what was going on but I kept reading because it was fascinating. This is one that I may need to read again to really enjoy all it has to offer.

In Rome, 77 B.C. Senator Dolabella is about to go on trial for his crimes. Twenty-three year old Julius Caesar is about to take on a case that threatens to end his career and his life. Why? Caesar is chosen over Cicero to prosecute the corrupt former Macedonian governor Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella, and it’s an impossible situation. Though clearly guilty of plunder and rape, Dolabella is a favorite of Roman dictator Sulla and a member of the optimates. The optimates are an exclusive group in the Roman Senate unwilling to concede power to anyone. Julius Caesar is a young upstart from a lower-level patrician family, therefore Dolabella is sure he has already won the case. The novel traces the history leading up to Dolabella’s trial in 77 B.C.E. and depicts the hidden grudges behind the efforts to ensure Caesar’s defeat.

I found this novel to be difficult to read due to the long conversation. The author shows shows us the hypocrisy of a society that embraced high ideals but accepted violence as part of the political process. The author writes cliffhangers in the book yet somehow it reminded me of a soap opera. The story is a reminder that, though more than 2,000 years separate us from ancient Rome, some conflicts haven’t changed. With that thought it makes me sad that it still continues on in present day. Was Caesar Rome?

Thank you to Random House and Netgalley for this advanced copy!
If there is anything I've figured out since people started say "my roman empire is ..." is that my roman empire is NOT the actual roman empire. And that's not this book's fault. This book has so many characters and it jumps around a lot, sometimes in the same chapter, sometimes on the same page, and my brain started to shut down from it all. The parts where I could concentrate were great and I loved some of the dialogue and descriptions, but this book felt like a chore at times. Maybe if the roman empire was my cup of tea, I would have loved this more.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early advanced copy of the book. I am not so convinced that this was a book in a genre that I generally read.

This is a good historical read. There were times I was a little confused only because of the languages ,of writing at times it read like a history lesson which I found at the end I did learn alot more more Caesar. The author did a great job in his research thank you netgalley

There is a wealth of information in “I Am Rome”, which is interesting Yet, I felt it was definitely out of my league The fact that it read like a text book was a "turn off" while I endeavored to keep going. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I did not know the history dramatized in the book 'I Am Rome'. This was thoroughly researched, expertly written, and a story worthy of the acclaimed protagonist. The book left me wanting to learn more about one of the most famous leaders in history, born into one of the most corrupt and cruel civilizations that ever existed. There are so many parallels to the current political climate. It feels like this one is written as a warning to our current leaders, as well as a call to the brave future leaders we will need to quell the inevitable future we are so enthusiastically charging towards.

I didn't want to put this one down. I missed hours of productive work as I continued to turn pages towards the climactic finale. Well done Santiago Posteguillo.

Now this is a story that pulled me in from the beginning and I really enjoyed it. Going up against such a force and doing what needed to be done was amazing and made this book a good read.

I found myself really enjoying this book and wanting to read more about this trial. I’ve been interested in Roman history, off and on, which brought me to this book. But I don’t always enjoy historical fiction. Some authors can pull it off. Most have trouble. Santiago Posteguillo did a wonderful job with the historical characters and events, really giving them life and creating tension, and I hope the sequel to this book will be translated soon.

My degrees are in history and I’ve also studied French and English translation. I had a number of issues with historical inaccuracies and mistranslations in this book. I could not finish and am reviewing privately as public reviews would be one stars across the board. I will not be continuing with future installments.

I wanted to like this book, but I struggled with way it was written. When I finally looked it up and realized this is an English translation of a book originally written in Spanish, then it began to make sense why it was rubbing the wrong way. Sadly this one made my DNF stack.

It was somewhat interesting to learn more about the (presumably well-researched) history of Rome and Julius Caesar. However, I found it to be pretty dull reading. Since I read an English translation, I don't know if this is due to the original or to the translation. I typically enjoy historical fiction because the author can include more of the human relationships than a straight history but even that aspect didn't add enough to keep me interested.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a free e-ARC of this book.

Very interesting history told as a novel about Julius Caesar, his family, and a lot of what is going on in Rome! It is easier to read than a history book, but the very detail that makes it a novel also makes it something you have to really be interested in to read it.

5 stars for the concept and information
4 stars for readability for most readers

It felt a lot like a play at times, as well - like you were watching what was going on.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. #sponsored

A historical novel promoted as a courtroom drama and a political thriller only half lives up to it's claim. The courtroom drama featuring a young Julius Caesar is fascinating and moves at a fairly brisk pace, however the majority of the novel reads like a history book, complete with end of chapter footnotes. I enjoyed the courtroom drama /political thriller elements but the constant digression into earlier timelines and Roman history greatly bogged down the overall novel. Recommended for history buffs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an advanced reader copy