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Three's Company (Paperback)

by Alfred Duggan (Author) "Never before had Rome seen such a funeral ..." (more)
3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Phoenix; New edition edition (2 Sep 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0753818906
  • ISBN-13: 978-0753818909
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 300,664 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Product Description
It was the Rome of Cicero, Rome at the zenith of her power. When Caesar was murdered by some of his enemies, Marcus Antonius was the first to seize power, and then appeared the young Octavius who bore the name of Caesar. Who was the mediator between these two, when a second Triumvirate was formed and recognized? It was Lepidus, whom no one took much account of, and whose name few now remember; a patrician, with no idea of how to command an army in the field. In this novel the history of the years 49 to 36 BC is seen from the point of view of Lepidus. It is the cruelly fascinating, sometimes funny, and, in the end, curiously moving story of a figurehead who tasted power and began to believe in himself.

About the Author
Alfred Duggan was born in Argentina in 1903. He was educated at Eton College and Oxford. He worked for the British Natural History Museum collecting specimens and travelled extensively pursuing his job for the museum. From 1938-1941, when he was discharged as medically unfit, he served in the London Irish Rifles and saw active service in Norway. His first book was published in 1950.
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3 Reviews
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3.7 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Literate and entertaining history, 29 Mar 2006
By Iain S. Palin (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
It is a joy to see Alfred Duggan's witty, literate, and entertaining historical novels coming back into print. The style is not as racy as that of more modern writers, and the ability of his characters to come up with a lucid well-reasoned discourse when they are supposed to be in ordinary discussion is not always realistic even if it is impressive, but the books are a joy to read.

Duggan takes a by-way of history and brings it to light through the eyes, and values of his characters: we may not appreciate the values, and sometimes they are quite shocking, but this is an excellent way to convey the spirit of the times he is dealing with.

This book is about Lepidus, the third and ultimately minor member of the Second Triumvirate that seized power in Rome after the assassination of Julius Caesar. He is a wealthy aristocrat from a family with a long tradition of public service, and takes himself very seriously. Unfortunately, and the reader realises this long before he does, his talents are not up to his estimation of himself. He develops the vision of himself as saviour of Rome, perhaps of being its ruler, even as he is being used and out-manoeuvred by his colleagues, the swaggering general Mark Anthony and the coldly ambitious Octavian. The effect is engrossing as one's interest in Lepidus gradually turns to exasperation at his lack of insight and ultimately pity at his fall.

Duggan is not a "quick canter through the book" sort of writer, the somewhat dense style calls for careful reading but is itself a way of getting into the heads of the characters. He amply repays the reader's efforts. Take your time over the book and you will enjoy it and quite probably be hooked. It is a good job we have an increasing number of his works becoming available.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow burning brilliance, 3 May 2007
By Cheeky Monkey (NW England) - See all my reviews
Having read the magnificent Conscience Of The King by the same author I was keen to explore another part of Alfred Duggan's considerable list of novels and being a fan of Roman yarns I opted for Three's Company. The novel tells the fictionalised biography of Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the least known of the second triumvirate who played a very distant third fiddle to the swaggering Mark Antony and the upstart Octavian.

History seems to have largely forgotten poor Lepidus but Duggan breathes fresh life into this ridiculous man so often consigned to a footnote in history books. Duggan paints a portrait of a self-centred, conceited buffoon promoted way beyond his level of ability who seems to snatch unlikely defeat from the jaws of certain victory at every opportunity. Let's be honest we all know somebody like that and most of us work for one! Look around carefully and you'll see a Lepidus everywhere you look.

This book is not as approachable as Conscience Of The King but the slow start is worth the effort for the beautiful character study that unfolds with his laugh-out-loud failings and genuinely touching finale. How the world of historical fiction could do with another Alfred Duggan.
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0 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Irritating in parts, 27 Jan 2007
By Roman Clodia (London) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This is an interesting take on the collapse of the republic and rise of Octavia/Augustus, but it is also very irritating in parts. Duggan hovers between 'Romanising' the novel and keeping it modern, so that he has jarring instances of butlers opening doors, valets and servants rather than slaves and all the old cliches of decadent Romans eating roast peacock.

He knows all the stories and faithfully trots them out with predictable method, so that if you know anything about the sources you'll be on instantly familiar ground.

But there's something crucial lacking in his story-telling. Perhaps it's his reliance on the well-worn plot points rather than character that makes the book ultimately lack life? Or the fact that he jumps from time to time so that there are huge gaps in the narrative where an enormous amount is happening 'offstage' that we never get to see? This is a book that was written in the 1950s and I think it shows. But all the same it's still a better read than the Massie books on Rome or the slightly awful detective fiction set in this period.
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