I don’t often reread fiction but historical fiction,
especially the really good thick ones, provide occasional exceptions. For
example Coleen McCullough’s Caesar. It
had been 26 years since I’d read the first in her series Masters of Rome, the epic story of the last years of the Roman
Republic
It was while at Yale that she wrote her first two books. One
of these, The Thorn Birds, became an international best seller that in 1983 was
turned into one of the most watched television mini-series of all time. It was
that TV series that eventually turned me to her novels of Rome.
1. The First Man in Rome
(1990)
2. The Grass Crown (1991)
3. Fortune's Favorites (1993)
4. Caesar's Women (1996)
5. Caesar (1997)
6. The October Horse (2002)
7. Antony and Cleopatra (2007
Historical fiction at its very best. This goes for the whole
series. McCullough brings it all to life: the characters, the politics, the
battle scenes, the cultural dynamics...She does this by weaving in an amazing
array of characters, major and minor, who ground every storyline. It is enough
of a feat that she makes historical characters bristle with life and ancient
events burst with excitement. It is even more impressive that she pulls this
off while giving us a pretty serious history lesson. She often deviates from
the main storyline to offer an anecdote or explanation concerning some arcane
item such as the Bona Dea cult, or the function of the crossroads colleges.
These sidebars are woven in seamlessly and the pacing doesn't suffer at all.
Instead the whole story is enriched along with our appreciation of various
facets of the historical context. I just
finished Caesar. Ok now I’m going to go back and read them all….:
8 comments:
I remember The Thorn Birds. It was brilliant. Perhaps I should venture further afield and read some of her other work.
I read all on a good author
Nice review, TB. Your description of the author's work reminds me of how I read history, getting off on sidetracks. Unlike her I don't make it back. Story of my life.
On the other hand, this morning I wanted to reply to a couple of comments you lift on my blog and ended up here and it looks like I'm going to get out of doing the dishes.
Shamed to admit that I was unaware of all she had written after Thorn Birds. For some reason I went on a reading hiatus for several years during the nineties. Thanks for the reminder. Looks like I have some catching up to do.
Reading well written historical fiction is the best and often fastest way to come to understand a period. Last winter I read all 20+ of Patrick O'Brien's series about the Napoleonic Wars beginning with 'master and Commander'.
This one sounds like a fascinating series.
I was not crazy about the Thorn birds, though I did read the whole book. It was hard to put down, yet left me with a vague sense of ...what? Later I realised it was the deadly seriousness that bothered me. Too much soap opera. For that reason I never picked up her Roman books. However, your recommendation will lead me to the library! And on this topic, have you ever heard Dan Carlin's audio book on the end of the Roman Republic? Do you know Dan Carlin? If not, I think you will love him!
I read and enjoyed The Thorn Birds as a teenager, but I hadn't realized that the author wrote more serious historical books. They must be good for you to reread one.
I loved The Thorn Birds. I can't take on another long historical fiction book. You have me reading The Plantagenet series now! See how seriously I take your recommendations.
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