A great read, written in a style that makes it hard to believe you are not reading an actual autobiography written by Claudius himself. The intrigue, betrayal, murders etc. are shocking, but all based on near-contemporary historical sources. Whether those are true or not (Tacitus, Suetonius etc) is a separate issue. Graves elaborates and exaggerates for the sake of a good story, but the decay and corruption of the Roman Emperors is well known, and he sets this atmosphere very well. Claudius is a sympathetic narrator, another feat of the writer and the book was very enjoyable overall.