Julie’s Reviews > I, Claudius > Status Update

The book starts with biographies of the people who surround Claudius as he is growing up. He is derided by his Uncle Augustus (current emperor) and his Aunt Livia who believe that, since he stutters and is sickly that he is also stupid. There are people who see the truth and befriend him, though. Much of the first part of the book reads like a gossip column about the ruling class.