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umrapazquele's review against another edition
5.0
Uau...
Que livro. Dos melhores do Saylor até agora, sem sombra de dúvida.
Sim, há palha, sem dúvida. Mas esta palha é necessária, é história, e como o autor diz no final, é autêntica.
O Saylor é um mestre. Nada mais a dizer...
Que livro. Dos melhores do Saylor até agora, sem sombra de dúvida.
Sim, há palha, sem dúvida. Mas esta palha é necessária, é história, e como o autor diz no final, é autêntica.
O Saylor é um mestre. Nada mais a dizer...
celsius273's review against another edition
4.0
Of all the books for which I had not choice but to read in school, this has been one of the most enjoyable. TBH, it's probably because it is story (plot) based and easy to understand yet captivating to in its language. I've been translating Cicero's orations against Cataline (interestingly enough, a modern spelling of Catalina!) and from that, he sounds like a horrible person. What this book does is totally flip this perception around; Cataline is painted as misunderstood and Cicero is not as glorious as he appears in history.
Our narrator, Gordianus 'the Finder' and his non traditional family are fictional characters. Gordianus inherits a farm from his friend Lucius Claudius which angers the rest of the Claudii but lucky for Gordianus, his acquaintance, the famed Cicero, argues for him in court despite growing political unrest both in and against himself and wins Gordianus the right to the house. Thus sets the scene for our story; Gordianus, adjusting to life on a farm surrounded by angry neighbors and with an IOU to Cicero.
Catalina's "riddle" is actually a riddle brought up in the book but it is fairly innocuous only serving as a springboard for the main mystery of the story, sorry, there's no really better way to explain it without giving away spoilers. But while Gordianus's may be the narrator, arguably the biggest transformation occurs in his 16 year old adopted son, Meto. As he comes of age, Gordianus finds it difficult to start treating him as an adult, especially because he is still prone to childish behavior. As a result, they grow distant as the novel passes and I found myself mentally slapping both of them for being asses sometimes.
Quick note on his family. Gordianus's wife Bethesda was a former slave of his; both of his sons are adopted, Eco, who is 26, was a homeless child on the streets and Meto was also a former slave whom Gordianus saved; his daughter, Gordiana or Diana for short, is his only legitimate child, she's also the cutest character!.
Honestly, there are so many plotlines woven into the novel that I never really found myself getting bored. While Gordianus's opinion on the Cataline vs. Cicero fight can be thought of as the driving force of the novel, there are murder mysteries, growing pains, and self discovery issues as well that make this novel so dense with intrigue.
I started reading this book because I kind of had to for school, but it just got so interesting and real that I actually spent basically two nights reading this instead of studying for upcoming tests. I liked Roman culture such as religious rituals, slaves, bathing, dining, and familial structure is blended seamlessly into the story as is the history itself (which I presume is mostly true as it matches with what I have learned). Saylor really knows what he is talking about and though some people may find it boring to be learning so much about Roman life, I didn't mind because it helped tremendously in connecting the things we learned in class. Before, I would have had no idea how all of those characters - Sulla, Crassus, Cicero, Caesar, Pompey etc. - were related, both in the political and familial sense but this novel cleared things like that up immensely.
Overall, Catalina's riddle was interesting and kept me on my toes with the pace of developments in the mystery. It's long, over 500 pages of pretty small text, but there was no useless text in hindsight. If the start of the fall of the Roman republic sounds intriguing, I would definitely recommend giving this book a whirl. Also, don't mind that this is book three, I haven't read the other two and I understood this one just fine!
Our narrator, Gordianus 'the Finder' and his non traditional family are fictional characters. Gordianus inherits a farm from his friend Lucius Claudius which angers the rest of the Claudii but lucky for Gordianus, his acquaintance, the famed Cicero, argues for him in court despite growing political unrest both in and against himself and wins Gordianus the right to the house. Thus sets the scene for our story; Gordianus, adjusting to life on a farm surrounded by angry neighbors and with an IOU to Cicero.
Catalina's "riddle" is actually a riddle brought up in the book but it is fairly innocuous only serving as a springboard for the main mystery of the story, sorry, there's no really better way to explain it without giving away spoilers. But while Gordianus's may be the narrator, arguably the biggest transformation occurs in his 16 year old adopted son, Meto. As he comes of age, Gordianus finds it difficult to start treating him as an adult, especially because he is still prone to childish behavior. As a result, they grow distant as the novel passes and I found myself mentally slapping both of them for being asses sometimes.
Quick note on his family. Gordianus's wife Bethesda was a former slave of his; both of his sons are adopted, Eco, who is 26, was a homeless child on the streets and Meto was also a former slave whom Gordianus saved; his daughter, Gordiana or Diana for short, is his only legitimate child, she's also the cutest character!.
Honestly, there are so many plotlines woven into the novel that I never really found myself getting bored. While Gordianus's opinion on the Cataline vs. Cicero fight can be thought of as the driving force of the novel, there are murder mysteries, growing pains, and self discovery issues as well that make this novel so dense with intrigue.
I started reading this book because I kind of had to for school, but it just got so interesting and real
Spoiler
I was actually terrified when the bodies started appearing!Overall, Catalina's riddle was interesting and kept me on my toes with the pace of developments in the mystery. It's long, over 500 pages of pretty small text, but there was no useless text in hindsight. If the start of the fall of the Roman republic sounds intriguing, I would definitely recommend giving this book a whirl. Also, don't mind that this is book three, I haven't read the other two and I understood this one just fine!
escan's review against another edition
5.0
Gordianus spent a not insignificant portion of this book like "I love all my children equally: Eco, Diana, and *looks at smudged writing on his hand* Meat."
Really though, the family dynamics in this novel were one of the things I loved most about it: the contrast between the older, more level-headed Eco and the angsty teenager Meto was really interesting. In fact, Meto as a whole was one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me - the way he desperately wants his father's approval but also needs to step out into the world and forge his own path, his struggle with feeling like he doesn't belong in his own family or in Roman society, and his relationships with his siblings (turning to Eco for guidance when he feels like he can't ask his father, and bickering with Diana to no end but also being her fiercest protector) all feel perfectly real.
I also really enjoyed the fact that the novel answers the question on everyone's minds, namely what if Catilina was really hot. On a serious note, I did love the portrayal of Catilina as a largely decent man (as much as anyone else in Roman politics, anyway) and it was interesting to see such an anti-Cicero take on the whole affair.
There were a lot of moments where I genuinely couldn't put the book down, where the tension and the sense of danger was so high that I felt I might actually die if I didn't reach the end of the section before stopping - unfortunately, I do feel that these were kind of interspersed with bits that were just a bit... dull. There was a lot of rumination about the nature of Roman politics and the day-to-day running of a farm and the like, and I feel that the book could probably have got by with about 20% less of that. I'm very glad that in the end
All in all, it was a pretty great book. It had murder, it had intrigue, it had family relationships, it had an interesting take on an interesting affair, and it had the return of which I was very pleased about!
Edit: This one has really grown on me!
Really though, the family dynamics in this novel were one of the things I loved most about it: the contrast between the older, more level-headed Eco and the angsty teenager Meto was really interesting. In fact, Meto as a whole was one of the most interesting parts of the novel for me - the way he desperately wants his father's approval but also needs to step out into the world and forge his own path, his struggle with feeling like he doesn't belong in his own family or in Roman society, and his relationships with his siblings (turning to Eco for guidance when he feels like he can't ask his father, and bickering with Diana to no end but also being her fiercest protector) all feel perfectly real.
I also really enjoyed the fact that the novel answers the question on everyone's minds, namely what if Catilina was really hot. On a serious note, I did love the portrayal of Catilina as a largely decent man (as much as anyone else in Roman politics, anyway) and it was interesting to see such an anti-Cicero take on the whole affair.
There were a lot of moments where I genuinely couldn't put the book down, where the tension and the sense of danger was so high that I felt I might actually die if I didn't reach the end of the section before stopping - unfortunately, I do feel that these were kind of interspersed with bits that were just a bit... dull. There was a lot of rumination about the nature of Roman politics and the day-to-day running of a farm and the like, and I feel that the book could probably have got by with about 20% less of that. I'm very glad that in the end
Spoiler
Gordianus and his family move back to Rome, because frankly the country life was a bit too boring for me, even with a neighbour plotting to kill you!All in all, it was a pretty great book. It had murder, it had intrigue, it had family relationships, it had an interesting take on an interesting affair, and it had the return of
Spoiler
RufusEdit: This one has really grown on me!
munchkindad's review
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
raptorimperator's review against another edition
5.0
Great addition in the Roma Sub Rosa series. Give great examples of Cicero's reign as consul and his paranoia over revolution.
eososray's review against another edition
3.0
Gordianus on a farm just didn't quite have the same appeal as Gordianus in Rome. But I do love Roman history and the political machinations of Catilina and Cicero made an excellent setting for the story.
mbondlamberty's review against another edition
5.0
Fun and easy reads through which to learn Roman History - if you don't know your Cicero from your chickpea, this will help
csdaley's review against another edition
3.0
My least favorite of the Gordianus books so far. I really felt like I was plodding through it. I still enjoyed but I think that it was a just barely enjoyed it. I thought the first two books were plotted tighter with a more engaging central mystery. I will still be buying the 4th book but I hope that it returns to a faster pace.
awwhh's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0