book on Cicero

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salvete
I have question about a book i bought today in a bookstore. Its called Cicero. The life and times of Rome's greatest politician by Anthony Everitt.
valete optime

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salve
I seem to left out the question in my question.
Anyway my question was what people tought of it?
Vale

[Horatius Piscinus]

Salvete

I too, Coruncani, have received a copy as a gift. I took it to be someone's joke Thumbing through it, I have not tried to read it yet, it sems to be as reviews I have seen report. I am no fan of Cicero. Everett is a cheerleader, obvious from the title he gives Cicero. From the passages I have read I would say Everett is too indulgent of Cicero's own opinion of himself, never for a moment taking a critical look at Cicero's words or actions, and overlooking a great deal of what Cicero is known to have done. Everett is not an historian so he is not interested in Cicero the man, or his times, so much as Cornucanius says that Everett bemoans the loss of a childhood friend, the comfort of reading Cicero's words. It is a very slanted portrayal, no less than Cicero's own works, but very readable. I would consider it as light summer reading in fiction. Perhaps I shall stretch out on the hammock by the piscina and have a read in the shade of amaple today.

Vale
Moravius Piscinus

[Quintus Aurelius Orcus]

Salvete
I have read about 100 pages so far and i don't really like it. He kind of tell us that Cicero is a good man, and all that nonsens. He does state what happens during his life and what kind of effect Rome's civil wars had on the man. I don't know why i even bought it. It isn't that good and right now i feel like burning the damn thing in honor of Athena or Minerva and to ask her to put a stop to these kind of books. Just joking here ofcourse, maybe not on the burning stuff.
vale
Romulus

[Horatius Piscinus]

Salve Coruncani

Your point is well taken. Everett's book I find light reading. Good for a summer afternoon while your attention is engaged elsewhere. I cringe when people begin citing Michael Grant, but I recognize he has been a prolific writer of popular history. Some here also enjoy Saylor and a number of other fiction writers. That too builds interest in Roma antiqua. For my own reading habits I would place Everett and Grant right along with Saylor, and I am no fan of fiction.

.
Consul, Romulus, this is a well-read group. Rather than discuss the failings or merits of this book, perhaps we could start some discussions about more advanced books that we have read or are reading?

That would interest me. the reason I have not gotten far in Everett's book is that around the same time I received it as a gift I had picked up Taylor's "Party Politics in the Age of Caesar," old material but I need to go back over it, and then Syme's "The Roman Revolution" and Gruen's "The Last Generation of the Roman Republic." Since then I have been distracted by trying to reply to some inquiries and working on other projects. So I have not gotten to finish Syme's or Gruen's yet. Another interesting book I recently did get to read through was Roberta Stewart, "Public Office in Early Rome," 1998 ISBN 0-472-10785-2. Any of those sound familiar to you?

Vale optime
Moravius Piscinus