saralilyb 's review for:

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome by Mary Beard

4.0

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A convincing representation of what living then would be like. It's not enveloped in the classical style of some other ancient histories I've been reading, which is at times disappointing but ultimately refreshing. She's honest about when and where and on what her information is contingent on some other information. I wanted it to be longer and more detailed in most sections. If it has a flaw it is that it moves the time frame between sections in a way that sometimes left me disoriented. It would take a paragraph or two to reorient. While the overarching structure of the book is linear, the sections aren't always so.