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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
This is an extremely readable overview of the history of Rome from the mythical founding of the city to 212AD when the Emperor granted Roman citizenship to all free inhabitants of the Roman Empire. Covering such a wide span of time means that many aspects of the history of Rome were skimmed over but it is a very good introduction and left me wanting to read more on the subject.
informative
I found this really enjoyable.
The book has a good structure and the chapters are broken up in shorter sections which maintain a good pacing throughout. Beard's writing style is engaging, very accessible and sometimes witty in a dry manner. It's also somewhat dispassionate. She writes with the confidence of an expert but not one with a thesis to prove or with a particular bias towards anything. It's basically the tone of a professor giving a lecture, which, for an introductory book, is fitting.
I am no expert in Ancient Rome so others who have more knowledge would probably find flaws here that I cannot, but the fact that this is a 600-page book that covers almost 1000 years of history is obviously not the most detailed analysis ever. It's a good introduction, though, and it made me want to learn more.
The book has a good structure and the chapters are broken up in shorter sections which maintain a good pacing throughout. Beard's writing style is engaging, very accessible and sometimes witty in a dry manner. It's also somewhat dispassionate. She writes with the confidence of an expert but not one with a thesis to prove or with a particular bias towards anything. It's basically the tone of a professor giving a lecture, which, for an introductory book, is fitting.
I am no expert in Ancient Rome so others who have more knowledge would probably find flaws here that I cannot, but the fact that this is a 600-page book that covers almost 1000 years of history is obviously not the most detailed analysis ever. It's a good introduction, though, and it made me want to learn more.
dark
informative
slow-paced
I’ll be honest that listening to this as an audiobook was hard. The narrator sounded like she might have a lisp and the content was often very dry. I enjoyed chapters 8 & 11; learning about everyday people, slaves, and women is much more interesting than most of the rest of the book.
Overall, it was super informative and seemed well-researched. If you have a burning desire to learn about Ancient Rome, this is the book for you.
Overall, it was super informative and seemed well-researched. If you have a burning desire to learn about Ancient Rome, this is the book for you.
informative
slow-paced
"[...] 'he talks as if he were in the Republic of Plato, when in fact he is in the crap of Romulus'".
Mary!!!!! Gostei muito desse livro como um resumão do primeiro milênio de Roma; muito bem escrito, engajante, vivo em suas descrições. O espírito da época é muito mais bem capturado aqui que a individualidade dos mais famosos heróis ou vilões da história, e certamente esse é um livro muito mais interessante por causa disso.
Entender como os romanos engajavam com sua própria cultura e origens, o que significava esse senso de identidade romano é o que domina aqui, e Mary nunca deixa de questionar e reinterpretar aquilo que chega até nós pela boca dos vencedores.
4.5/5
Mary!!!!! Gostei muito desse livro como um resumão do primeiro milênio de Roma; muito bem escrito, engajante, vivo em suas descrições. O espírito da época é muito mais bem capturado aqui que a individualidade dos mais famosos heróis ou vilões da história, e certamente esse é um livro muito mais interessante por causa disso.
Entender como os romanos engajavam com sua própria cultura e origens, o que significava esse senso de identidade romano é o que domina aqui, e Mary nunca deixa de questionar e reinterpretar aquilo que chega até nós pela boca dos vencedores.
4.5/5
Beard takes an interesting approach to Roman history: skeptical and doubting, examining all things in all lights. It takes some getting used to, but I think it works in the end. While this isn't the best history of Rome I've read, and while it isn't so much a history of the Senate and People of Rome as it claims, it's pretty good.
This book is outstanding. An excellent, accessible history of Ancient Rome, in which Beard not only relates the history of the first millennium of the city but also reviews the historical record and past scholarship. With colloquial language and occasionally wry commentary, this is a must read for armchair historians interested in the topic. I found it both interesting and entertaining.
informative
slow-paced
Very readable yet it is clear that Beard is one of the leading scholars of her field
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced