Really looked forward to sink my teeth into this historical novel which covers fertile ground and ripe (sic) historical figures. The narrator Livia Drusilla, who marries an ancestor of the maligned/notorious Nero of Rome's burning fame, manages to include in the narrative all the illustrious ( and should be famous ) personages of the time...this was a wonderful recap of the history of Ancient Rome during a momentous time in its history, from Caesar's assassination to her marriage to Octavian, the future Caesar Augustus.