Story of Augustus (Octavius) is told in epistolary form. Gave me a better feel for this era. Hadn't realized (or had forgotten) that Augustus started with a triumvirate (Marc Antony, Lepidus); that his ascension was a rather close-run affair. Brutus; Cassius; Livy; Cicero. Cleopatra.
His three early friends, especially Marcus Agrippa.
Isolation, perhaps unhappiness, in this retelling of the holder of so much power. Remarkably long life, established the role of "emperor" as a real thing in Rome; established meaningful stability.
More focus on his daughter (Julia) than I needed - she was harmed by availability to power more than Octavius - hard times for talented women in imperial families (or elsewhere, I suppose).
Useful counterpoint to Shakespeare's telling of this story.
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