
The Ruin of the Roman Empire
A New History
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Narrated by:
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Mel Foster
About this listen
The Ruin of the Roman Empire takes us back to the sixth century, into the lives, cultures, and events that influenced ancient Rome. James O'Donnell restores the reputations of many "barbarians", while showing that Rome's last emperors doomed their realm with the hapless ways in which they tried to restore and preserve it.
Sweeping and accessible, The Ruin of the Roman Empire captures the richness of late antique life and the colorful characters of the age, while offering insight into today's debates about barbarism, religion, empires, and their threatened borders.
©2008 James J. O'Donnell (P)2008 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
Excellently done
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Everything you want a history to be.
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Important History
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Interesting book with boring reader
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Excellent Survey!
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Additionally, I found the author to be a little self-important and pedantic in his writing style.
Although not as extensive in its historical scope, I would suggest Justinian's Flea (also available on audible) over this book.
Go for something else
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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
Probably not because I don't know anyone more interested in this subject than I, but if I did, I would. This book, in my opinion, is for someone knowledgeable in the field. I am by no means an expert in the field, but I have read a lot about it and my attained knowledge of the subject area helped to make sense of the material.What did you like best about this story?
I like that the story brought out what I was hoping the book would, what happened after collapse of the western roman empire.What aspect of Mel Foster’s performance would you have changed?
I thought Mel Foster did good, but sometimes the narration is monotone and I can find myself drifting off.Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were manyAny additional comments?
I thought this book was overall good. I wanted some more knowledge of the time period when Rome lost its self. It was very interesting to hear and learn of this time period. I, at times, got lost trying to keep track of all of the historical figures involved, but I thought that this book was overall well done and enjoyed listening to it.Very educational and thought provoking
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Dull and Annoying
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Would not Recommend
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The author promises to tie things together by the end, but I've lost patience.
Even the narrator seems bored silly
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