Rubicon
by Tom Holland
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 86)
Read in February, 2008
recommends it for:
anyone into roman history and stories of intrigue
Wow! Holland writes like a fiend. Man, this book was a page turner. Holland's appears to have a good grasp of his subject and writes in a manner that is at once erudite and passionate. Although he never strays from exhibiting a rather large and tricky vocabulary Holland is still quite readable and his characterizations of the Roman Republic's leading figures are vividly rendered. Damn good book. Great bibliography for anyone wanting to learn more about the final days of the Republic and its tran...more
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Read in July, 2007
After hearing much about this book for several years now and seeing it referenced in essays about the current state of our nation, I found the most striking thing about it was not the parallels to the USA's current situation vis-a-vis the world and the Patriot Act. Rather, what impressed me most were the differences between the world of the Roman 2000+ years ago and our contemporary one. The main such difference being Roman fatalism, the sense that one must make the most of what is, after all, ...more
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Terrific recreation of the days of the tottering Republican Roman empire. Characters -- Sulla, Pompey, Cicero, Caesar and more -- come vividly to life in all their savagery, ambition dreams and foppery. A great work of narrative history, and leagues ahead of all those togas-and-sandals epics.
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Read in August, 2006
A great, contemporary retelling of the pivotal moments in Roman history. It had been a few years since I'd studied classics when I picked this up, and it brought back all my passion and interest in the subject. Holland's follow-up, about the Greek-Persian wars, is a great read as well.
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Tom Holland makes the slow death of the Roman Republic and the lives of the great men over the same period completely absorbing. Some might criticise him for what might be called 'popular history' but he writes with erudition and humour.
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Read in November, 2006
One star for this book is quite hars. The book is based on the classical Roman writings such as Virgil (Vergilius) or Cicero. If you want to read a novel written in the "antique" style by a modern writer then this is for you.
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Need to learn about the last days of the Roman Republic in a hurry? Look no further. Tom Holland swiftly goes through the times, as well as the factors undermining the republic. Get this if you need to cram.
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give this to pretty much any straight male. i've tried it out on my 55 year old father, 17 year old cousin, and 23 year old (at the time) boyfriend (at the time), and all loved it.
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Read in May, 2008
Highly entertaining account of the Roman Republic, focusing on the 100 years or so leading to the rise of Octavian and the death of Marc Antony. Who knew "Rome" was so accurate?
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Interesting history of Rome. Works hard to contemporize, and usually succeeds. Very good. On to Persian Fire next!
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Read in March, 2006
Great overview of Roman history. Appreciate the complexities of the politics and that these were real people.
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I thoroughly enjoyed this book - it's about the Romans ... but hey, what have they ever done for us ;o}
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Read in January, 2006
Finally, some Roman history by someone who has some literary flair.
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