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Product Description
Product Description
The dramatic story of the provincial outsider who came to found Europe.
About the Author
Richard Holland was a journalist for twenty-five years, with eleven years on The Times, His first book on Nero, was published by Sutton in 2000. He lives on the Isle of Man.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whether you like this book or not probably depends a lot on why you're reading it: if you want a rattling good narrative of the rise of Augustus without worrying too much about historical accuracy then go ahead. If, however, you're looking for an objective, critical analysis of both the man, his impact and the period then forget it.
As an ex-journalist, Holland fills out the gaps in history and makes a real person out of not just Augustus himself, but also Antony and, to a lesser extent, Cicero. The problematic question, though, is how accurate is his guess? And what about all the historical sources, material as well as literary, that he avoids completely, not to mention the huge raft of academic scholarship on all aspects of this period?
My main quibble is that Holland takes an innocently accepting view of the few sources he does use (Plutarch, even though he never wrote a life of Augustus, Suetonius, Appian etc) and never questions their agenda. He equally takes Augustus' Res Gestae at face value (Augustus' own 'biography' that was engraved on his mausoleum) without subjecting it to any kind of reality or propaganda check.
Having said all that, I really enjoyed reading the book but it should definitely come with a 'historical reality' warning.
As an ex-journalist, Holland fills out the gaps in history and makes a real person out of not just Augustus himself, but also Antony and, to a lesser extent, Cicero. The problematic question, though, is how accurate is his guess? And what about all the historical sources, material as well as literary, that he avoids completely, not to mention the huge raft of academic scholarship on all aspects of this period?
My main quibble is that Holland takes an innocently accepting view of the few sources he does use (Plutarch, even though he never wrote a life of Augustus, Suetonius, Appian etc) and never questions their agenda. He equally takes Augustus' Res Gestae at face value (Augustus' own 'biography' that was engraved on his mausoleum) without subjecting it to any kind of reality or propaganda check.
Having said all that, I really enjoyed reading the book but it should definitely come with a 'historical reality' warning.
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
when i first read this, i was intrigued and enthralled by it.
times change.
on that first read, there was a vague uneasiness about what felt like an overtly christian moral. nothing wrong with that in itself, but christianity wasn't around (in force) in this period, and thus has no place.
nevertheless, i could forgive it. as narrative, it was gripping and entertaining.
now though, must say im no longer a fan.
it's gripping and entertaining, but that's because its oversimplistic; style over substance.
anyone who saw the atrocious kingdom of heaven, or those "factual" mini-biographies of the princeps/caesars bbc2 had on a while ago will know what i mean.
the flipside of this is that 'tgoe' makes for some decent soundbites:
"The overriding problem for Rome, as he (Octavian) saw it, was rapacious, inconsistent and corrupt control from the centre by a limited number of interbred families, whose 460-year-old system of rule by constant reshuffling of annually elected magistrates - designed for running a small city state - was hopelessly inadequate for governing a sprawling empire of tens of millions of people of many races, creeds, and levels of development"
"the freedom they (Brutus, Cassius, etc) sought was for their traditional right to subjugate and exploit all other classes and races"
and that's what the extra star's for.
holland is guilty of the greatest crime a historian can commit (barring just making it up). he attributes his own society's ethics and morality concepts onto the roman one. hence why he can criticise Ronald Syme's portrayal of Brutus:
"`He did not believe in violence.' So why did Brutus stab Caesar, lead a huge army against his fellow-Romans, and crucify a slave for being disrespectful to his master and mistress?".
indeed, syme's 'the roman revolution' takes a battering in 'the godfather of europe', but this only serves to bring 'tgoe' into a comparison with a proper work on the period. holland's complaints take the form of a stroppy teenager throwing a tantrum at their teacher who's patiently trying to explain a concept they don't have the capacity, experience, or intelligence for.
and this permeates the rest of his work. its less of an investigation into what happened as a 'this is how i'd like it to be'.
in other words, fiction.
times change.
on that first read, there was a vague uneasiness about what felt like an overtly christian moral. nothing wrong with that in itself, but christianity wasn't around (in force) in this period, and thus has no place.
nevertheless, i could forgive it. as narrative, it was gripping and entertaining.
now though, must say im no longer a fan.
it's gripping and entertaining, but that's because its oversimplistic; style over substance.
anyone who saw the atrocious kingdom of heaven, or those "factual" mini-biographies of the princeps/caesars bbc2 had on a while ago will know what i mean.
the flipside of this is that 'tgoe' makes for some decent soundbites:
"The overriding problem for Rome, as he (Octavian) saw it, was rapacious, inconsistent and corrupt control from the centre by a limited number of interbred families, whose 460-year-old system of rule by constant reshuffling of annually elected magistrates - designed for running a small city state - was hopelessly inadequate for governing a sprawling empire of tens of millions of people of many races, creeds, and levels of development"
"the freedom they (Brutus, Cassius, etc) sought was for their traditional right to subjugate and exploit all other classes and races"
and that's what the extra star's for.
holland is guilty of the greatest crime a historian can commit (barring just making it up). he attributes his own society's ethics and morality concepts onto the roman one. hence why he can criticise Ronald Syme's portrayal of Brutus:
"`He did not believe in violence.' So why did Brutus stab Caesar, lead a huge army against his fellow-Romans, and crucify a slave for being disrespectful to his master and mistress?".
indeed, syme's 'the roman revolution' takes a battering in 'the godfather of europe', but this only serves to bring 'tgoe' into a comparison with a proper work on the period. holland's complaints take the form of a stroppy teenager throwing a tantrum at their teacher who's patiently trying to explain a concept they don't have the capacity, experience, or intelligence for.
and this permeates the rest of his work. its less of an investigation into what happened as a 'this is how i'd like it to be'.
in other words, fiction.
12 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have always been interested in the young man who through luck rather than judgement managed to rule the known world 2000 years ago. The heir to Caesar, who was famously stabbed by his own kind on the Ides of March, comes accross as a fairly reasonable character (in roman terms) who seems to have had a passion to avenge his benefactor.
At only 18, and with Caesar still warm, he was thrust onto the political stage with little chance of survival. Mark Antony, older, richer and more powerfull could have taken control and no one could have stood in his way. He had the power and an army at his control and he was expected to do it. But he didn't and Augustus was able, over time, to establish a powerbase and in time amass enough friends in the Senate to reach for the top spot.
This is a teriffic book, chock a block with big name stars such as Cleopatra, Brutus of "et tu Brutus" fame, Cicero, Mark Antony, Crassus, and of course Caesar himself. This book reads like a thriller without losing its academic credentials. It is a ratteling good read and deserves a wide readership.
The descriptions of the main protagonists, their motivations and conections to each other, and the events unfolding are never less than satisfying. The writer also does not forget he is writing for, in the main, history enthusiasts and not academics or professionals. As a result the narrative does not dry up or get stuck in minute detail, which would slow the pace. The writer knows that history well written is exiting, but style and presentation are also important.
The descriptions of political, military and social life in ancient Rome are very interesting. His observations on the cost of office and the effort and sheer ruthlessness of candidates his illuminating. The behind the scenes affect of wives and mothers was also unexpected.
If you want a general history of a 50 odd year period when rome was full of some of its most famous individuals, you could do a lot worse than this very readable book.
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