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Summary:
As Adrian Goldsworthy writes in the introduction to this book, “in his fifty-six years, Caesar was at times many things, including a fugitive, prisoner, rising politician, army leader, legal advocate, rebel, dictator . . . as well as husband, father, lover and adulterer.” In this landmark biography, Goldsworthy examines all of these roles and places his subject firmly within the context of Roman society in the first century B.C.
Tracing the extraordinary trajectory of Caesar’s life from birth through assassination, Goldsworthy covers not only Caesar’s accomplishments as charismatic orator, conquering general, and powerful dictator but also lesser-known chapters during which he was high priest of an exotic cult, captive of pirates, seducer not only of Cleopatra but also of the wives of his two main political rivals, and rebel condemned by his own country. Ultimately, Goldsworthy realizes the full complexity of Caesar’s character and shows why his political and military leadership continues to resonate some two thousand years later.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
Life of a Colossus
Customer Rating:
A well presented biography of, who may arguably be, the most well-known and studied man in history. It does well in its attempt to cover the main events prior to, during, and following Caesar's life. It carefully unravels his thinking and uncovers why he most likely may the decisions he did.
It does get a tad dull in some parts and the author does delve deep enough into the historical aspects for me (this truly is just a biography of Caesar, not a history of the Later Republic as is usually the case). Absolutely brilliant though.
A truly informative and enjoyable read.
Customer Rating:
Adrian Goldsworthy's writing reminds me of those all too rare teachers we remember from our school days who not only knew their subject, but could actually convey it to a class in a way that was both totally understandable and very enjoyable.
Such is the lucidity of Goldsworthy's prose and quality of his research, you find you literally flow through the pages, absorbing the material and feeling immersed and educated in the world to which Caesar was a part. No need here to backtrack, reread, and move on unsure of what exactly was explained and feel mentally fatigued in the process.
The work starts with an excellent build up showing the state of the Republic and the Julii clans fortunes prior to Caesar. Therafter Goldsworthy truly covers every corner of Caesars life. Many would be familiar with his Gallic exploits and the Civil War up till the Et Tu Brutus stage. But this work, while not ignoring that, covers that often overlooked side of Caesar: his youth, his upbringing, education, early efforts to impose himself in the publics eye at any opportunity, and his skillful rise to prominance and the obstacles he overcame (no mean feat given his families almost anonymous and powerless status at the time he was born)which make for every bit as interesting reading as his military prowess. Not only is Caesars political fortunes covered, but those of just about every serious protagonist who affected the political landscape before and during Caesar all of which makes modern politics feel very tame. The way its all told, does not personalise it like a memoir/biography but as if you are a bystander following anothers progress while being able to take in the sights and sounds of that persons world.
All-in-all a work that will provide no end of enjoyment to people just fascinated with Caesar and his world as well as people who just appreciate Roman history and learning about the times. In that respect this book provides as much information on Roman society and its culture,traditions, taboo's and organisation as it does on Caesars life as an added bonus. And it's all so articulate and fluently layed out. Hard to find a flaw with it seriously.
Excellent read on Caesar
Customer Rating:
I disagree with some of the reviews that say Caesar doesn't come to life in this book, I believe he does. You get into his mind, a man who simply dominated life like no other Roman. Admittedly the coverage was skimp on Caesar's time as a dictator, but Goldsworthy does his best in the room to describe the most important and interesting periods of Caesar's life. My favorite part about Goldsworthy is that he tells you what is known from our sources and what is pure speculation. He doesn't speculate himself as best he can which I like, and he doesn't try to make Caesar into Hitler as some modern revisionist historians have tried to do. He simply lays out the facts of what happened and lets the reader decide for himself about Caesar.
An Interesting Read
Customer Rating:
Andrian Goldsworthy paints a picture of Caesar as a reluctant dictator--a man who was only looking for the respect he deserved. When his opponents in the government forced his hand by trying to take away everything that he had worked hard for, then Caesar was left with no choice--destroy or be destroyed. Unlike other great conquerors, Caesar was very mild, often pardoning those who fought against him and even including them in his government. It seemed almost as if he were trying to offer chances to those who didn't give him any chances. It seems that it is this boost of reputation is what Caesar was really craving.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to learn about Caesar's life and how the politics of his day helped shape who he was as a person and how it influenced his actions.
Very Impressive
Customer Rating:
Adrian Goldsworthy did a fantastic job in writing this book. It's well written, painstakingly researched, and has little bias whatsoever. This is the second biography I've read on Caesar, and while the first [Julius Caesar by Philip Freeman] was a good introduction to the man, I found this book to be infinitely more informative and intriguing. At times the paragraphs can get a bit lengthy but after about 20 pages I got used to the writing style. The story is jam-packed with details that would escape most historians, but Goldsworthy presents them as a vital tool to help better explain just how complex the Roman world was at the time of Julius Caesar. I could go on and on about the various elements included in the book that helped make it one of the most enjoyable historical works I've read to date, but I don't mean to bore any readers of this review. To sum it all up, I must say that I was blown away by the scholarship I found in this book and highly, highly recommend it.
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