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Summary: "The first man of Rome"
Review: This is an excellent biography of Marcus Tullius Cicero, orator, politician, statesman, and staunch guardian of the Roman Republic in the time of Julius Caesar. The author has used Cicero's own letters, plus the many ancient sources still remaining, to tell a gripping tale of his subject's life, and the interesting and perilous times in which he lived. We get great dollops of Roman history, and mini biographies of many other important personages. Through the work, we come to admire Cicero for his uprightness, even if we criticise him for his indecision at times, and his loose talk which caused him much trouble throughout his life. This is a fascinating period of Roman history, and it's expounded well by the author. I understand that he is now working on a biography of Augustus, and I look forward to its publication.
Rating: 
Summary: Hard to stay with
Review: Cicero was an extremely bright lawyer and great politician. Knowing that our government is founded on much of the wisdom that Cicero left us in his writings, I thought a biography about this man would be interesting. This book is interesting, but doesn't compel you to read on. It is a difficult book to stay with.
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Summary: You won't see this in the movies
Review: Well I was pleasantly surprised by this book about Cicero. I thought it was going to be a rehashing of what you have seen in the movies from Spartacus to Cleopatra. This was a completely different view. First it explained how the Roman Republic really worked from the time just before Sulla. You had to work through several levels before you could become a counsel in Rome. There was also an age requirement. Second I assumed that no one but the Patrician class could move up in power, while Cicero did not come from that class and used his acumen to became first Counsel of Rome. It was truly a republic and not a feudal system. I enjoyed learning about the young lives and trials of people like Julius Ceasar, Pompey and Cicero. Each of them took a different course to reach the pinnacle of their system of government. An interesting tidbit was that lawyers like Cicero were not paid but did receive gifts from people or were left in their wills. They had ex post facto laws where the Republic could charge the first counsels with all sorts of crimes after they had been counsel. Not just at the end of their term but 5 years after as in Cicero's case. Being first counsel did ot seem like the best job. I would have rather been a governor of a provience for an extended period of time like Ceasar did with Gaul, that was how he got all his wealth. I enjoyed the story of Marcus Lincinnus Crasas, it did not say where he got all his wealth but it did say how he died which I always wondered about after seeing Spartacus. It seemed that the whole time that Cicero was alive that they were going through some Civil War. The alliances made for convenience and broken for polical gain were the most interesting. It was hard to keep track of all the characters because they were always switching sides and doing what was best for themselves like a regular Bill Clinton. (I'm sure that will rub some people the wrong way.) There is a large emphasis on law and how it was determined throughout the book. Most of the decree and laws were changed back and forth several times to favor the party in power. A lot of the book is about Julius Ceasar and even though he was murdered bought about the end of the republic. I was surprised how much Cicero seem to hate Antony. The story about Antony is much different than I had expected. In the movies he always goes after Cassias and Brutus right after Ceasar's murder but in the book it shows the true and completely different story. The final alliance between Antony and Octavian shows how self centered these two power hungry Generals had become by compromising by putting all the wealthly people on a proscription list. Well I guess if you got to rich in ancient Rome you got killed for your wealth. Then Antony and Octavian go out after Cassais and Brutus to solidify their power with Octavian winning out overall in the end because he lasted the longest and had no one to challenge him. I throughly enjoyed this book because it was different than I had expected.
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Summary: Faith in the Greatness of the Res Publicae
Review: In his Cicero, Anthony Everitt is very good at popularizing the lawyer, statesman, public servant and philosopher of outstanding abilities to the chagrin of some specialists of Roman history. Everitt regularly quotes Cicero's correspondence to his friend Atticus and other works to give more relief to his troublesome hero without boring his audience. Cicero's writ, writing and oratory skills and boastfulness made him many enemies by defending his clients in the Forum and by serving the Republic against the repetitive assaults of tyrants like Caesar, Catalina and Clodius. Until his assassination in his sixties, Cicero made several successful comebacks from total irrelevance. Unlike men like Caesar and Octavian, Cicero sincerely believed almost to the end of his life that the Republic could be saved without reforming it thoroughly within the limits of the Constitution. To his credit, Cicero was not only a brilliant orator and political operator, but also a man of letters. Cicero's speeches and philosophical writings have gained him a deserved place in the Pantheon of human civilization. Persecuted people around the world can still find in Cicero a source of inspiration to oppose tyrannical forces, which are doomed to be overthrown sooner or later.
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Summary: Readable, excellent biography
Review: I adored Everitt's biography of Marcus Tullius Cicero. As a student of stoicism and of the Greco-Roman period, I have long enjoyed Cicero's writing and regarded him as the prototype for the modern politician. Unlike most Roman or even those political figures in the Greek democracies, Cicero did not combine being either a successful general or being a well-bred aristocrat with the traits of a great politician (or all three, as Gaius Julius Caesar did). Instead, he rose to prominence in a time rich with prominent characters solely on the basis of his skills as an orator, lawyer and administrator. This is commonplace today, but was a true rarity in the ancient world. I believe Cicero to have been the first modern politician. His biography should be of interest to a wide audience. Everitt's strengths in this work are many. First, he is able to use Cicero's career to great effect in navigating the tumult of Roman politics leading up to, through, and beyond the second civil war (Caesar v. Pompey). He also uses Cicero's intimate circle to good effect in describing the lifestyle of a wealthy and important Roman. These two facets of the biography will be of great importance to the those not familiar with Roman history. He also does a magnificent job of putting a very human face on many of the numerous prominent characters from the drama of what was the last generation of the Roman Republic. Publius Clodius, Pompey and Cato come vividly to life through his prose. However, in this respect he was inconsistent. Given how Cicero's place as a constant opponent of Caesar and Caesar's populares revolutionary intentions, I was surprised that Caesar himself did not come out with the same color. Treating Crassus with such inattention would be excusable, but not Gaius Julius Caesar. Everitt concludes his narrative by taking what is certainly a minority opinion in classical history (but one that I share): that Cicero came very close to winning the third civil war (eventually boiling down to Octavian v. Anthony). His failure was a result of simple, dreadful bad luck. Overall, this is an excellent bit of popular history, and even being well read in classical sources, I enjoyed it immensely. If you are thinking of buying this book, then by all means do so!
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Summary: Great detail of mechanics of Roman politics
Review: It's amazing that no matter how much you read about Rome there's always more you can learn about. This book could almost be a manual for someone wanting to get ahead in ancient Rome. It is a good read, and doesn't bog down. I have to agree with "bensmomma" that Cicero almost takes a back seat in relation to the amount of background information presented, but I didn't mind. Two things that I would like clarified from the author is 1)He states that there were no political parties in Roman politics, but I have always understood that the gambling factions, i.e., the "reds," "greens," etc., functioned as parties in nearly every facet of Roman life. But maybe this aspect of gambling factions developed later in the empire? 2) He says that Crassus made his fortune in land development, but I thought that he made most of his wealth in extortion through his "volunteer fire department." But that's what a good book does, make you ask questions!
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Summary: Excerpts from letters, but not enough from his orations...
Review: After finishing this book just today, on reflection I felt it was a rather balanced portrayal of a conflicted and complex man, complete with his foibles and his certain strengths. In this way, the book, as a biography, generally succeeds in this, my first real introduction to the man. It's worthy of those interested in knowing more about what the book sets out to do--describe the life and times of major figure of classical antiquity. Some of the other criticisms offered by other readers I second; there are some aspects to Roman life that are glossed over too quickly, but I submit this as a minor quibble. Even so, I still came away not truly appreciative of his greatness over time; the reason, I think, is that the book lacks, either in the form of a separate appendix or perhaps as examples sprinkled judiciously throughout the book (or even to start chapters...), lightly edited portions of his major writings or speeches which clearly demonstrate his (oratorical) capabilities. I wanted a better sense of why John Adams made such a point of "treasuring his Cicero," or words to that effect, and it is this aspect which I sense is missing. It was evident that he was an exceptionally learned, interested and knowledgeable observer of, and commentator on, his own times...but aside from the letters to Atticus, I would have liked to have seen more of this in his own words .
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Summary: Good, but ...
Review: This is an excellent work. Very detailed. Sometimes too detailed. However, the author does not explain certain things, so it is difficult to understand and follow the plot. For example, regarding legislation, Ceasar is somehow able to bypass the Senate by going directly to the people. How is that and why was Ceasar able to do this when no one else could? This was not fully explained.
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Summary: GOOD BOOK FOR THE VETERAN
Review: ...but not so good for the rookie student of Roman history. Anthony Everitt clearly knows and loves his subject but gives short shift to creating the world in which Cicero walked. The seasoned reader will have some background on Roman politics and will at least have heard of the other players such as Julius Caesar and Pompey. However, the rookie reader/student/enthusiast might find themselves stumbling through the pages wondering just how all of it fits together. Bottom line: if you have at least a working knowledge of the period, go for it.
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Summary: History and Cicero - come alive
Review: As a 56 year old physician and non-historian, I would otherwise have remained dimly informed of the complex history of the last days of the Roman Republic ....but for this remarkable book. With clear prose, and finely nuanced style, Everitt brings to life both the times of Rome during the last days of its Republic, and the multifaceted personality of Cicero. Moreover, his index of names is outstanding. His detailed description of comon elements of Roman life, its overextended and patchwork government (laden with unbelievable corruption), and his fine description of the physical area of the Forum and its multiple functions - are fascinating and gripping. This is an epic tale brilliantly told - a tragic but unavoidable outcome, enlivened with excellent primary source quotes which bring breath and life to the story. You will be well versed of this critical period of history, and deeply appreciative of the cultural debt which Western Civiliazation owes Cicero after reading this book.
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