The grass crown ebook

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Would you also like to submit a review for this item? You already recently rated this item. Your rating has been recorded. Write a review Rate this item: 1 2 3 4 5. Preview this item Preview this item. Under his command, Rome has conquered the Western world, weathered invasion and crushed its enemies.

These books are a serious literary feast. They're stuffed with just Politics, war, architecture, tradition, sex, complex interpersonal relationships and dramatic events great and small are on every page. No one could question McCullough's research and you're gonna learn every possible thing about this era of Rome that you can imagine and a ton you can't. The political system of Republican Rome was seriously complex and this woman has allowed even a clueless pleb such as myself an understanding of how it worked.

I probably mentioned this in my review of the first book, but her liberal use of maps, diagrams and portraits all created by the author herself will also help your understanding and mental recreation of this fascinating, dead world.

I do have to say her portraits can be a bit hinky-looking excepting the obviously author-revered Sulla I looked ahead at the portrait of Vercingetorix from Caesar and almost fucking threw up. In that particular instance, hewing so closely to the historical portrait from a coin was probably not a good idea. This is of course from another book though, and the worst offenses such as Mithridates are excusable.

The author is obviously gifted and clearly loves her chosen subject, and it shows even in these amateur portraits. The characters are vividly drawn and even complex. Even when I find them repulsive, the Romans are constantly entertaining to read about.

Constantly conquering shit, scheming and gossiping and stealing, murdering each other That said, you probably aren't gonna get very close emotionally with these people as you may have in other historical novels.

Take Sulla, for instance. He's a joy to read, and my love for the underdog certainly wants to see him succeed despite all the snobbish two-faced haters in the Senate, but the dude is honestly fucking abhorrent.

He's clearly a sociopath and remorseless murderer, as well as a pretty heavy misogynist despite being loved by women, and I'm confident in including the author as one of these women.

It's a mixed experience and often an uncomfortable one, but one gets the sense that this is really how it was in this world. None of these traits were necessarily even considered particularly reprehensible. So morbidly gripping. I do have a couple of relatively minor complaints; the dialogue can be a bit stiff and exposition-heavy.

Also, McCullough clearly doesn't have much of an interest in Roman military matters; the marches and battles of the constant warring are certainly referenced and depicted, but too often it's in the form of secondhand relation or a quick glossing over.

I am an unrepentant nerd when it comes to ancient military and these episodes could certainly have been depicted with more detail and depth. I get that not everyone is interested in these things but there is absolutely no way to get around the fact that Rome's military and its wars were an absolutely crucial factor in its rise to such heights of power.

It's just not good enough to say "and then Marius and his army ran really quick up the Via Appia and slaughtered the shit out of the Samnites and everyone was stoked. If the rest of the series continues with this kind of epic quality I really don't see the reason for me to read another fictional account of the era. Which is closeminded and dumb, but this lady is good. Oct 09, Lizz rated it it was amazing.

Political ambition. Ambition for power. Ambition to become the greatest man in Rome. Ambition to be remembered forever. Patrician or Plebian. First class knight or senator or just a member of the Head Count of Rome. Imagine being in the dangerous position where you cannot be questioned, even when your policies and military failures lead to the destruction of your people and soldiers.

Imagine another dangerous position where you cannot question at all. You can speak up and be killed, or stay silent and watch those you love die. I cannot understand. Oh how I try! These men are enigmas, which is positively fascinating. Even though their ambition and hubris lead to their ultimate demise, I love to watch. I found myself feeling for these personalities. Whether I felt for good or bad. McCullough brought history to life. The one available is severely edited down into a 6 hour story.

I recommend reading the real complete version. The first pages of this is so boooring, then it picks up and becomes a very good book with intermittent boring parts. McCullough is a very good writer. Another problem is the plethora of Roman names with a cast of thousands that makes it very difficult to keep track of the characters. Recommended to history buffs. The last pages were the very definition of intense.

However, this is not his story. Marcus Livius Drusus really stands out as a strong character, and I loved reading about him and his family. For many years, he was a significant thorn in the side of the Romans, posing a significant threat to their strength in the East.

My interest did wane slightly at various times, picking up at others, but the last pages long enough to be a novel in itself were probably the best part of the novel.

View 1 comment. Aug 27, Douglas rated it really liked it. Nobody - not even the venerable Robert Graves, or Marguerite Yourcenar, can write a crackling, entertaining AND factually nails-on story of Ancient Roman politics, history and characters like McCullough.

Thanks to her books I can describe the difference between a praetor and a consul, and understand that great Roman leaders didn't just start with Julius Caesar.

This book mostly covers the period of the dictator Ok, I can admit it - I'm an ancient Rome junkie, and Colleen McCullough is my dealer.

This book mostly covers the period of the dictator Sulla's rise to fame, the twilight of the great Gaius Marius, and the early childhood and adolescence of both Julius Caesar and Pompey Magnus. I am, quite frankly, in awe of the amount of research and detail that went into this book. This is how historical fiction should be: respecting the uniqueness of cultures far removed from ours, but unflinching in the face of the alienness and brutality that were inherent to these periods - unlike the pretty costume fests that historical fiction is usually.

Quite frankly, after studying Greek and Roman history for a semester I vowed I'd never spent a single minute on it again less due to the sub I am, quite frankly, in awe of the amount of research and detail that went into this book. Quite frankly, after studying Greek and Roman history for a semester I vowed I'd never spent a single minute on it again less due to the subject itself and more thanks to inept and unfriendly teachers , but I devoured and loved every single word in this book.

I do wish McCullough had spent more time discussing what a monumental turn in history Sulla's decision to lead his army on Rome was - she did, of course, but the last pages of the book felt rushed to me. I'd have liked to see more of Marius' decent into madness instead reading about characters telling other characters about this madness, but these are minor nitpicks in light of this fantastic series of books.

Jan 07, Tom rated it it was amazing. Wow, pages and where did it go? McCullough does an outstanding job of bringing Republic Rome to life. Excellent character development, fast-moving, hooking plot This second book in the series covers Lucius Cornelius Sulla's rise to being First Man, and then things go nuts!!! Blood, blood and more blood. McCullough creates vivid, believable and lovable characters, and avoids getting bogged down in historical detail "showing off", but w Wow, pages and where did it go?

McCullough creates vivid, believable and lovable characters, and avoids getting bogged down in historical detail "showing off", but works in an appropriate level of detail to enrich the story without losing the strong narrative line.

Unfortunately, the parallels with modern American politics are scary and sad. Top notch Historical Fiction. A mixed bag. Flashes of genius interspersed with long stretches of tedium and density. Rise of Sulla and Fall of Gaius Marius.

List of characters woefully incomplete. Line drawings good but maps and diagrams poor. I do not understand reasoning for all the very positive reviews. Oct 12, Campbell rated it really liked it Shelves: roman-history , fiction , historical-fiction. I've always found the Italian Civil War very confusing. I still find it very confusing, but I think I understand it a little better now.

I first read this work 29 years ago and found my second reading of it to be just as riveting and enjoyable. McCullough is a master at bringing history to life. Feb 14, Christin rated it really liked it Shelves: greeks-and-romans-too. I was a horrible classics student. I barely read the books and I couldn't remember the dates or names of anything other than the obvious characters and events.

But I could remember fun details and things that were amusing to me. Killing someone by pouring molten gold down their throat is one of those things. So when Mithridiates tells a consul who knows what his name was, SEE?

There might be something seriously wrong with my psychology. But when I told Patty, the one who lent me the book, all this, she just said "psh, that's why we're friends. I still like Sulla. Even though he murders people because he gets bored. And I'm glad he didn't get killed yet because I still want more. Yes, even though he broke up with Metrobius. So much happens in this book, which is good since it's a thousand fucking pages, but it's odd to look back on things that happened and realize they're all in the same book.

They seemed to happen so long ago. But, luckily, there were more characters to care about, so I wasn't bored for their storylines. It was upsetting in the middle, when all the good people started to die but my Sulla remained so I soldiered on. View all 7 comments. Feb 10, Brandt rated it it was amazing. The easiest way to become an expert in the end of the roman republic, and later, the end of Ceasar, is to read this series. Historical novels always walks a line of historical correctness and entertainment, i thought this series managed to provide both, which is an impressive feat considering the extensive amount of information available for this time-period.

This series follows the most important romans and their families for two generations. The rise to power of the succesful battlecommander Gaiu The easiest way to become an expert in the end of the roman republic, and later, the end of Ceasar, is to read this series. The rise to power of the succesful battlecommander Gaius Marius, the following period under Sulla the dictator, the triumvirat between Pompeius Magnus, crassus and Ceasar, Ceasars campaigns in france and germany, his return to rome, and his murder.

Each book ends with an afterword where McCullough explains what she have made up, what is speculation, and what we know. There are even a lot of authentic drawings based on bustes of the real people in the story. This is my favorite, non-fantasy, series.

Really fascinating stuff.. I love this series! McCullough is such a good writer I also enjoy reading about a period of ancient Rome that I am not as familiar with. I did enjoy "The First Man in Rome" slightly more than this one; I think because there was more of a "rise to glory" theme in the first book as opposed to this one's "fall from grace.

Mar 18, Hannah rated it really liked it. I think the only reason I liked this one just a little less is the fact that it dragged occasionally, here and there, which threw a hitch into the pacing.

I will be reading the next one very soon, and I'd absolutely recommend not as ridiculously over-the-top fun as the first one, but still way more fun than it had any right to be. I will be reading the next one very soon, and I'd absolutely recommend these books to anyone interested in this period of history. The Grass Crown is the second book in the Masters of Rome series and is honesty even better than the first one.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favourite series. McCullough's knowledge of the historical period is just mesmerizing. The setting, the traditions, the characters - everything truly comes to life in her novels. It is obvious she did extensive research and perfectly knows what she's writing about, but th 4.

It is obvious she did extensive research and perfectly knows what she's writing about, but there is more than that. Her narration wonderfully works also because, while incredibly rich, it is not heavy or boring by any means. There is lots of politics and wars, with an impressive cast of characters, and yet she makes it easy to understand everything that's going on.

It is true I have a good knowledge of Roman history, and that there are some slower parts after all, it is a giant of a book!

The strenght of McCullough's novel is also evident in the two main characters. Maius and Sulla are very different, almost opposite men, and yet both of them are absolutely fascinating, complex and realistic.

My favourite of the two is definitely Sulla: I've always liked him as a historical figure obviously, I like morally ambiguous men I loved him in the first book already, but my love for him became absolute in this novel. He is the perfect example of an anti hero: honestly, there are not so many good qualities in him, and most of his actions are difficult to justify, but I found him perfect all the same. I myself was surprised at how attached I'd grown to him. I felt so much for him view spoiler [after his son's death.

I was truly heartbroken. It was terribly sad and very well portrayed. He already appears in this novel as a child and, to be perfectly honest, I found him a little too perfect for my tastes, but I'm still excited to see how he will be portrayed as an adult. Don't miss this series if you like Roman history; you won't be disappointed. The delay wasn't because it wasn't good - quite the contrary, it's an incredibly entertaining history lesson disguised as a novel - but because I had so much going on personally that I just didn't have time to sit and immerse myself in this world.

Even if I'd had the time, it wouldn't have been a quick or easy read. It's an old-school historical fiction epic, written in archaic, old-fashioned language, which forces you to slow down and really focus on what you're reading. It doesn't help that the cast of characters is huge and they all have long, multi-layered names, and they all overlap because, of course, all Roman patricians were related in some way.

I had a hard time keeping a lot of the secondary characters straight in my head, especially after I took my six-month break in reading - I ended up forgetting who was who! But it's a fascinating book in much the same way Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles is fascinating because you see the genesis of these legendary figures. Seeing them in their childhood incarnations and reading about the events that shaped them into such remarkable men will give you goosebumps.

It's not easy but it's definitely worth the effort. Trying to read an epic thousand-page novel while buying and moving into a new house is not advisable. I haven't picked it up in months, but I ought to go back to it soon, or else I might need to start at the beginning. And it's riveting! Nov 09, Becky rated it it was amazing Shelves: historical-fiction.

It covers the period from 99 B. Since I know very little about the history of ancient Rome I learned a great deal from this detailed account which is largely a story of political intrigue, civil war and upheaval.

I also found it to be very suspenseful and proved that truth can be stranger than fiction. This book also introduces Julius Caesar as a child. As someone who reads pretty quickly this was a rare book that took me a full month to read, so it is not an easy undertaking to get through it, but it is definitely worth the time and energy for anyone who is interested in history.

I look forward to reading the entire series. Great book, as historically accurate as for events and characters as a historical novel can be. I was so into this book I could physically experience the events to smelling tasting and the heartbreak that the characters experienced, it was so realistic to me that I was dreading the end of the book.

I came to Identify with one of the main characters Gaius Marius, I was wishing that I could skip over the ending because I didn't want here about his last days and his death, which is was familiar wit Great book, as historically accurate as for events and characters as a historical novel can be. I came to Identify with one of the main characters Gaius Marius, I was wishing that I could skip over the ending because I didn't want here about his last days and his death, which is was familiar with through reading history.

I would love to have the luxury to read this series from book I First man of Rome to the last book, straight through. I would love to spend the next year living in Rome through this series. But it is not to be. I recommend this book to all who love history. Shelves: literature. I'd read The First Man of Rome on a friend's recommendation back in , then picked this up at a used bookstore several years later.

Being schooled in church history, I'm weak on the history of the Roman Republic before Caesar. The time gap between the two books, the second of which follows immediately on the heels of the first, and my ignorance doubtlessly caused me not to appreciate this novel as much as I might have. OK, I have always wanted to read this book until the end - I have tried earlier but I guess I was not brave enough.

But now Fantastic point of view for the time in history where Great Man delivered chess games of high class, where "dignitas" and "auctoritas" were the thing that truly great personalities were thriving for I am amazed and can not wait to read the Fortune's Favorites. Great recommendations ; Whoa!!! Great recommendations ; After that shaky beginning I was hooked, thoroughly enjoying watching the development of known future characters of this historical epic.

You really couldn't make it up though, of course, McCullough did exactly that; it is fiction! I haven't yet received the next installment to my chagrin.