Tom Holland
Paperback | Pages: 464 pages Rating: 4.19 | 14370 Users | 853 Reviews
List Containing Books Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
| Title | : | Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic |
| Author | : | Tom Holland |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 464 pages |
| Published | : | March 8th 2005 by Anchor (first published January 1st 2003) |
| Categories | : | History. Nonfiction. Ancient History. Historical. Politics. Classics. Cultural. Italy |
Narration Concering Books Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
In 49 B.C., the seven hundred fifth year since the founding of Rome, Julius Caesar crossed a small border river called the Rubicon and plunged Rome into cataclysmic civil war. Tom Holland’s enthralling account tells the story of Caesar’s generation, witness to the twilight of the Republic and its bloody transformation into an empire. From Cicero, Spartacus, and Brutus, to Cleopatra, Virgil, and Augustus, here are some of the most legendary figures in history brought thrillingly to life. Combining verve and freshness with scrupulous scholarship, Rubicon is not only an engrossing history of this pivotal era but a uniquely resonant portrait of a great civilization in all its extremes of self-sacrifice and rivalry, decadence and catastrophe, intrigue, war, and world-shaking ambition.Identify Books To Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
| Original Title: | Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic |
| ISBN: | 1400078970 (ISBN13: 9781400078974) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Spartacus, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, Brutus, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, Cleopatra, Augustus, Julius Caesar |
| Setting: | Rome(Italy) Roman Republic |
| Literary Awards: | Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction Nominee (2004), Hessell-Tiltman Prize (2004) |
Rating Containing Books Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
Ratings: 4.19 From 14370 Users | 853 ReviewsWrite Up Containing Books Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic
Rather than gesture his men onward, Gaius Julius Caesar instead gazed into the turbid waters of the Rubicon, and said nothing. And his mind moved upon silence.The Romans had a word for such a moment Discrimen, they called it--an instant of perilous and excruciating tension, when the achievements of an entire lifetime might hang in the balance. The career of Caesar, like that of any Roman who aspired to greatness, had been a succession of such crisis points. Time and again he had hazarded hisRoman history is well documented and this book does a great job of retelling their superb history. Marius the retired Military hero is appointed commander to fight Romes enemy Mithridates. This angered his former deputy Sulla who had campaigned for that job. Sulla then challenged Marius for the job which caused a civil war in Rome. Unfortunately Marius died before he could campaign. Without his leadership Sullas forces defeated the remainder of Mariuss soldiers. Then he marched on Rome and
Never have I read a book that seemed to spiritually call out to me to 'turn the next page' as this. Holland takes you through dense history like a gazelle leaping through a fen, knowing just where to place it's feet and how long to dwell in a certain spot.Finished it in a working week.
I'm surprised by the great reviews this book receives on GoodReads and on Amazon. I found the writing to be extremely choppy and full of unsupported generalizations about what Romans desired, detested, dreamed about, etc. This is not good history- no matter how many primary documents the author reviewed, there is simply no way for a modern author to get into the heads of the ancients. This is a world in which Greek towns welcomed home their sailors with phallic processions, in which women
Ive grown accustomed to Tom Holland. Hes a writer with a fairly limited bag of tricks and a somewhat cynical attitude towards the subjects of his writing, or perhaps towards humanity as a whole. After reading four of his books, I find I can predict his judgements on this or that historical event or personage with considerable accuracy. One simply assumes the worst, and Tom provides it. He also has a few stock forms of sentence construction ('Just as A, so B appears in numerous variations, as
This historical period is so fascinating that writing a History that reads like a novel doesn't sound like a big deal. But where many provide dry accounts, Holland excels with his sterling prose. Even if you already know the story, this book will give you new insights and a fast paced account of the Roman Republic that is always fun to read. The narrative is structured in a zoom in/out fashion. The author quickly covers in the first part of the book from the beginnings of the republic until the
Rather than gesture his men onward, Gaius Julius Caesar instead gazed into the turbid waters of the Rubicon, and said nothing. And his mind moved upon silence.The Romans had a word for such a moment Discrimen, they called it--an instant of perilous and excruciating tension, when the achievements of an entire lifetime might hang in the balance. The career of Caesar, like that of any Roman who aspired to greatness, had been a succession of such crisis points. Time and again he had hazarded his
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