Livia Drusilla’s father and her brand-new husband Claudius Tiberius Nero side with Brutus and the republic after Caesar’s assassination. When Mark Antony and Caesar’s young heir Octavian join forces against the assassins, Livia must flee the city with her husband and infant son Tiberius. In their flight, they escape death several times and on her return to Rome she meets Octavian whom she immediately likes – even if she’s supposed to loathe him.
‘I am Livia‘ describes the first half of the life of Livia Drusilla – wife of emperor Augustus and mother of emperor Tiberius. Livia was a formidable woman who was hated even then and is still poorly portrayed today. But before her marriage to Augustus, Livia did not have it easy and this book does shed some light on that story. I really liked the first half of the novel because of that, Livia’s allegiance is constantly changing and many events have a real impact on her life. Once she is married to Augustus it all drags on a bit more. The strive for power between Octavian and Mark Antony seems to go on for ages and I had hoped the book would take us beyond the battle of Actium (but it didn’t).
Livia recounts her own young life in a kind of memoir style being a woman in her old age. That’s not my favourite tactic for this kind of book, but Smith still gets away with it here. Although there is one scene with her grandchild Claudius that seems out of place.
All in all, there is nothing special about this book. But Smith doesn’t do anything crazy and stays rather true to historical facts and I really appreciate that. I am Livia just offers a great introduction to this formidable woman in her early years.
Have you read anything about Livia Drusilla or Augustus?
In Another Era 
I’ve only read about Livia in I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I would like to know more about her, so I’ll definitely think about reading this book – thanks!
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I hope you’ll like it when you get to it.
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