The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The First Man in Rome
Book Review: Best Historical Fiction Out There
Summary: 5 Stars
The First Man in Rome is quite possibly the best historical fiction out there. It is well-researched, detailed, and the characters come alive as if the author knew them personally. There is a glossary in the back of Roman terms to clear things up that you don't know (unless you're a history major) but that doesn't mean the book is difficult reading. Quite the contrary: McCullough has taken a difficult subject and made it a pleasure to read.
A wealthy man, but lowborn, "an Italian hayseed with no Greek", Gaius Marius could buy and sell half the Senate and it wouldn't matter; he's still "shut out" of the upper-echelon of Roman politics without a proper patrician ancestry or political links to one of the noble families (not to mention the fact that several of those families are openly hostile to him). Lucius Cornelius Sulla, on the other hand, is impoverished and base but possesses one of those noble patrician ancestries, is in the opposite situation; due to lack of funds and military experience is he locked out of the political system completely.
Lucky circumstances and the person of Gaius Julius Caesar (the famous Caesar's grandfather) change both mens' futures completely. Sulla is thrust into the Senate and finally allowed his rightful place in history that his patrician ancestry should have assured, but his poverty disallowed. Marius's alliance with the Julii assures him a second chance at the main prize: the consulship of Rome, highest office in the land.
Truly a wonderful story, wonderfully narrated, and brought to life via real characters and expert dialogue. I'm not kidding when I say it's the best historical fiction work I have ever read.
Book Review: Read the series!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have all six of the books in this series, and have read them several times. The story takes you from Marius through to Octavian, and the transition from the Roman Republic to the setting for the Principate. It's about as historically factual as a work of fiction can get and is a wonderful, enthralling story as well. I strongly recommend the entire series to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, and especially to anyone who likes stories set in ancient Rome.Book Review: McCullough's Masterwork: Compelling and Informative
Summary: 5 Stars
Having grown up with works of Roman history, I picked up Colleen McCullough's First Man In Rome, looking forward to an entertaining and lively read.
The First Man In Rome is the beginning of her Master's Of Rome series. And it is a jewel. Her in-depth scholarly research in no way impedes her creating characters that come alive through her cunning depictions and her wise perception of what drives the thirst for power.
Background:
Gaius Marius, onetime praetor of Rome, is wealthy and restless. Hailing from Arpinium, he is considered a New Man-meaning non-patrician, therefore he cannot hope to climb the Cursus Honorarium, and become a senator or stand for consul.
Caesar, who lives next door to Gaius Marius is a Julian, with a noble history dating back to the founding of Rome. His wife Marcia has given him two beautiful daughters (Julia and Julilla) and two sons (Sextus and Gaius Caesar.)
Noble the Julians are, they are impoverished, and Caesar cannot hope to have at least one of his sons stand for Senator.
Lucius Cornelia Sulla is an enigma. Though noble through the ancient gens Cornelia, his father, a drunkard, frittered away what little money there had been, and Sulla ended up being raised in the Subura, where the poorest of Rome's citizens dwelt. This background has forbidden him his rightful place amongst Rome's patrician classes, and the right to stand for Senator.
McCullough's skillful interweaving of these three men and their families is handled with credibility and compassion. Though many of her characters are not totally likeable, she refrains from using tricks, or inserting her own judgements about these people.
The First Man In Rome is so thoroughly entertaining, once started, it's very hard to put down. This is no dry dusty treatise about this chapter in Rome's long history. It is a novel filled with fully human dimensions and depth, love, hate, corruption, greed and treachery. Her grasp of politics and its attendant manipulations is enormous. This quote in particular from Gaius Marius is memorable for it's inherent truth:
"There are no rules. And you don't even know who-let alone where-your enemies are. Give me a battlefield for an arena anytime! At least what happens on it is quick and clean-and the best man usually wins. But the Senate of Rome is a brothel stuffed with the lowest forms of life and the lowest form of conduct" "And if anyone is naive enough to think that political intrigue doesn't ruin more lives than any war, then he deserves anything politics dishes out to him"
The Roman women of that time are treated either with love and affection or in other cases, simply as property. Reminiscent of the way many women are still regarded today, some of the women are brilliant and yet, have no place to exercise their fine minds. Only one character, Aurelia, tosses tradition to the side and becomes a much beloved force to be reckoned with.
If you are looking for a fast paced, delightful book, filled with memorable people, epic battle scenes and political intrigue, I cannot recommend this book, nor indeed the entire series highly enough.
McCullough has thoughtfully provided a rich Glossary and a short guide to the names and their pronunciation, along with maps and line drawings taken from actual Roman busts.
The First Man In Rome is a keeper, one you'll return to again and again, when wanting something to carry you through the long cold nights of winter.
Book Review: One of my favorites books
Summary: 5 Stars
In the life of a reader, there are those things we read that we remember for a time, and then forget, and there are those things we read that leave impressions which never goes away. It might be a poem that really grasps you, or the book that started a love of science fiction, or a speech that hit some nerve and lingers in the heart.
For me, one of these was The First Man In Rome, by Colleen McCollough. My grandma had gotten it for a few dollars in the bargain bin at Target, and one day she handed it to me, and said I would love it. Now, I wasn't exactly a stranger to thick books; I'd been reading Tom Clancy for two years. But for some reason, this book intimidated me. Not wanting to disappoint my grandmother however, I thought I'd give it a try.
I was hooked from the very first page. It enthralled me so much that soon after I finished it, I went and bought the first two sequels. The series is set in Rome of the late Republican era, and starts in 110 BC. The First Man In Rome revolves around two main characters. Gaius Marius is a wealthy Plebian statesman and experienced army commander, whose further political ambitions have been foiled by the conservative aristocrats of the Senate, led by the Caecilii Metelli family. Marius is a "New Man," a newcomer to wealth and power who has no illustrious ancestors. He isn't even a Roman, strictly speaking, but an Italian, who the contemporary ruling class regard as an uppity country oaf.
Lucius Cornelius Sulla, on the other hand, is a Patrician of most noble birth and lineage; by rights he should have already been well on his way to power and influence. But a dwindling family fortune coupled to his late father's alcoholism has left him destitute. Fate decrees that the fortunes of both men will change drastically....
Through the book, both Sulla and Marius rise to power and influence, on the both the field of battle and in the political arena. Every paragraph drew me in, and kept me reading until I was sad as my fingers turned the very last page. The author has performed an enormous amount of research, and the world of Republican Rome is recreated in vivid detail, from its greatest glory to its most terrible depravity. The characters, whether historical or truly fictional, are complex and fascinating. And there is an overall aura of mystique associated with fate, fortune, and destiny.
This is the book that really got me into Ancient Rome. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Marius and Sulla were not just great characters conjured in an author's imagination, but were instead real historical figures! I started reading more and more, and I've never looked back.
Book Review: Fantastic read
Summary: 5 Stars
Colleen McCullough is an amazing author. She has brought to life so many historical/fictional characters from ancient Rome & made them approachable, lovable, sinister, whimsical, power-mad, intelligent and any other adjective I've failed to type. It's a wonderous world that seems a fantasy yet surly isn't. She's done a superb job of filling in fictional details in-between the historical parts. I can't recommend this any higher than five stars. There are six books to this series. I'm happy I have five more to read!