THE COURSE OF HONOUR

Take a step back to the time of Emperor Tiberius of Rome (31CE) through the accession by Titus Flavius Vespasian, as seen through the eyes of Caenis, first a slave, then a freedwoman in the house of the Julio-Claudians. Diana Bishop’s soft British accent breathes life into Caenis from girlhood to adulthood as she interacts both publicly and privately with Vespasian, lives within the Roman mores in a time of decadence, and watches Vespasian work his way through the Cursus Honorum. Bishop’s narration quickly disappears into the background, and Rome comes to life in all its glory and intrigue. Davis has created a work of fiction based on so much fact that it will encourage listeners to renew their acquaintance with Tacitus and even Robert Graves’s I, CLAUDIUS. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine [Published: AUG/ SEP 01]