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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
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
funny
informative
reflective
Mary Beard knows how to placate the keeners, rile up the crowd of old boys (or those who refer to her as "Mary" where they would never dream of referring to a male classicist as, say, "Dave"), and speak directly to the general audience. Her history of the first phases of Rome are pacy enough to keep the reader interested and extended enough to provide a good foundation for whatever her chosen subject may be. I found it really only sprung into life around the second half of the book with Augustus and the 12 emperors following, with Beard's focus on the "people" of Rome really only possible in the last chapters. Earlier chapters are dutiful enough but suffer from a bit of dust around the edges. In any case, there's a lot here for the interested crowd - if you're patient enough to spend time with a five hundred page book!
informative
medium-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
A thoughtful look at ancient Rome in a way that highlights our lasting ties to this time and place. The timeline jumping works, but does get a little confusing- there's a timeline at the end that helps.
informative
slow-paced