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Summary: Rushing to Power, Roman Style
Review: "The Grass Crown" follows up on the themes first played out in "The First Man In Rome"--political pre-eminence, alliances and betrayals, the worsening relationship between Rome and her Italian allies, and, of course, love, marriage and infidelity.As Gaius Marius ages and loses influence with the Senate, Lucius Cornelius Sulla rises and attains power simply by being in the right places at the right time. McCullough paints Sulla as, paradoxically, the invisible man--his peers support him for his high birth while knowing next to nothing about the man or his motives. And Sulla keeps his secrets well, in spite of his attempts--and failures--to keep his darker impulses in check. McCullough does an excellent job of portraying Sulla as a sociopath who manages to camouflage himself so well in civilized society. Gaius Marius starts out strong in the beginning but swiftly goes downhill after suffering his second stroke during the War of the Allies, his mind and his ethics succumbing to his desire to fulfill the prophecy of his own greatness. Caught in this desire are the fates of his son, his wife, and his nephew, a young boy named Gaius Julius Caesar. The characters are better drawn here than in "First Man"; there is greater depth to people like Marcus Livius Drusus the reformer, Servilius Caepio, and Pompeius Strabo, but at least one, Marcus Aemilius Scaurus, suffers a softening (which is really too bad for fans of the feisty old man). McCullough does a good job with the children as well--Servilia, Livia Drusa's neglected daughter, is a thoroughly unlikeable, but not completely unsympathetic character, and Young Sulla and his sister Cornelia are wonderful, spirited young people. The end of this book is bloody, gruesome, and gives a sense of how horrific this period was for Rome, patrician and pleb alike. The changes of fortune are swift and well-told, but McCullough can't resist long pages of barely-broken paragraphs and anachronistic language, even though she throws in a few more Latin phrases and expressions to make her dialogue more authentic. Still, it's a faster and more exciting book than "First Man," which is all to the good.
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Summary: A top-notch effort from the author of the best book series
Review: "The Grass Crown" is a wonderful novel. It describes the events after Gaius Marius' sixth consulship in 100 BC: his political eclipse and the hunt for the seventh consulship promised to him by the prophetess Martha. Standing in his way are his failing health, disturbed mental state, and, of course, Sulla. "The First Man in Rome" and "Caesar's Women" are slightly better novels that "The Grass Crown", but "The Grass Crown" is better than "Caesar". In order to get a complete picture of what Sulla is like and how he came to be what he is, I think it is vital to read "The First Man in Rome" first. "The Grass Crown" does not have spectacular character development. For example, more needs to be said about Cornelia Scipionis and Mamercus, especially the latter because he becomes important later on. Pompey Starbo and Young Marius require more attention because they are too one-dimensional. The most engaging story involves Marcus Livius Drusus, who had gone through a transformation in "The First Man in Rome". In "The First Man in Rome", I did not sympathize with Drusus but in "The Grass Crown" I grew to like him and care about what happens to him. Livia Drusa's story is also quite compelling, but I wish that the author would provide a better characterization for Cato Salonianus. His presence is not at all memorable and his love for Livia Drusa is hard to believe and appreciate because there seems to be no source for it. I thoroughly enjoyed Servilia and Caepio. While in "The First Man in Rome" Caepio was pitiful; he becomes completely loathsome in "The Grass Crown". Servilia is an interesting character and the book provides a great background for her behavior in later books, especially "Caesar's Women". Other characters that I enjoyed are Aurelia (fascinating as always), Cicero (his military career is described with gritty realism and hilarity), Publius Rutilius Rufus (his letters are one of the best written sections in the novel), and Gaius Marius (he is not perfect and at times deranged but it is hard not to root for him). The best part of the book involves Sulla and his son, Young Sulla. The story of their journey East and Young Sulla subsequent death and its devastating effects on Sulla is the most poignant of the four books of "Masters of Rome" series that I have read: "The First Man in Rome", "The Grass Crown", "Caesar's Women" and "Caesar". My biggest grievance about this novel is that the last hundred pages, which are the most interesting, are not enough to provide adequate attention to the subject of Marius' and Sulla's power struggle. Everything led up to this moment but instead of savoring it, the author quickly blows over the events. Marius' madness has been hinted at in "The First Man in Rome" but in "The Grass Crown" he just goes mad without any elaboration or focus on the process of his going mad. It would only be fair if the last hundred pages can be spread over 200 pages, at least. Final note on errors: In "Caesar's Women" and "Caesar", they are prevalent throughout these novels and are extremely annoying. They are present in "The Grass Crown" but not to such an alarming extent. I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great book, be it historical or otherwise. But PLEASE READ "THE FIRST MAN IN ROME" FIRST.
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Summary: RELATING THE RIVARY OF MARIUS AND SULLA TO MODERN TIMES.
Review: ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT COLLEEN MCCUL- LOUGH'S MASTERS OF ROME SERIES IS THE WAY IT HELPED ME TO RELATE EVENTS AND BEHAVIOR IN ANCIENT ROME TO MODERN TIMES. THIS HAS ENABLED ME TO PARALLEL TO OTHERS EVENTS AS DISTANT IN TIME AS THE RIVALRY BETWEEN GAIUS MARIUS AND L. CORNELIUS SULLA. IMAGINE, IF YOU WILL, GENERAL COLIN POWELL, A FLASHY, CEREBRAL, HANDSOME AND ARISTOCRATIC SOLDIER IN A DEADLY POLITICAL RIVALRY WITH GENERAL NORMAN SCHWARTZKOPF, A BEAR-LIKE MAN OF THE PEOPLE. IF THESE TWO WERE ABLE TO DIVIDE THE LOYALTIES OF THE U.S. ARMY, WITH ALL ITS POWER AND MIGHT, BETWEEN THEM, THE PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC DAMAGE HEAPED UPON THE UNITED STATES WOULD BE NEARLY INCOMPREHENSIBLE. IF YOU CAN IMAGINE A CALAMITY LIKE THAT, PERHAPS YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT ROME SUFFERED DURING MARIUS AND SULLA'S STRUGGLE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER FOR POWER.
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Summary: I love it !
Review: A definite must read for anyone even remotely interested in roman history. Colleen McCullough is a great storyteller!
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Summary: High Caliber Historical Fiction
Review: After finishing 'The First Man in Rome,' I knew that I would continue to read this series. So I picked up TGC and read it. I must say that Colleen is a fantastic imagist. She throws you right into Rome with all its brutality and glory, with no holds barred, teeth bared and mystical significance combined into one. I just know that Sulla is going to play a HUGE role when he comes back from the war in Africa. I must say that the death of Gauis Marius should have taken on a deeper meaning, especially for all the Romans that must have still loved him, even after he'd gone completely mad. But still, his life was only a snapshot of what is to come. If you liked reading 'The First Man in Rome' you won't be disappointed here. She continues on in the same manner, right where she left off. All in all, WELL DONE. Bravio!
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Summary: Clash of the Titans
Review: Better than the First Man in Rome, this book relates the power struggle betwween Roman legends Sulla and Marius. Betrayel, Greed, War, Love etc. the Grass Crown has everything. Again McCulough recreates Rome to the finest detail in this fast paced epic. The characters are so real you feel you know them, and they evoke such strong emotions you wish you knew them. Few sequals surpass the origfinal, but the Grass Crown succeeds. If only our own times where this exciting.
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Summary: History sparked and set alight
Review: Colleen McCullough shames the dull, turgid writings of many of our historians with a novel whose very breadth and depth teach far more of the life and times of one of the greatest empires known to man than almost any textbook. Her canvas is the mighty empire of Rome and the portraits that she paints with a precision and flair are of some of it's most fascinating characters. Sulla and Marius, Mithridates and a young Cesaer to mention but four, all combine to leave the reader breathless for more. She writes with a flourish and tackles history with a daring certainty. The interweaving of huge capaigns against foreign foes and internal battles within Rome itself lead to a myriad of sub-plots. McCullough takes this rich period of history and carefully considers every small detail. The daily life of the Roman citizen is juxtaposed against the rigours of being a military man. This is more than a novel. It is an epic work that can entertain, teach and at its best, inspire
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Summary: The Grass Crown
Review: Continuing the saga of the Roman Empire begun with The First Man in Rome , McCullough spins a stupendous tale of love, lust and murderous ambition. This title was cited in PW 's ``red and black'' feature as having failed significantly in hardcover to live up to publishers' sales expectations.
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Summary: How fame corrupts!
Review: Great follow up to 'The first man in Rome'. Details the clash of one time allies Marius and Sulla and the fall out for the Roman Republic. Also introduces the young Julius Caesar who is the basis of the remainder of this mostly well written series on Rome.
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Summary: A Crowning Achievment
Review: I had previously said that The First Man in Rome is the best in McCullough's Masters of Rome series, but I may have to retract that. The Grass Crown, second in the series, stands up to repeat readings better than The First Man in Rome does, and contains some truly wonderful conceits that bring the fall of the Roman Republic to life in a way no other writer has done. The Grass Crown takes us from shortly after the end of the German wars to the death of Gaius Marius, a period of about twelve years. We see Marius' descent into madness (and repeat readings show that Marius' fall is, in fact, very well plotted), and Sulla's rise to power and cold-blooded tyranny. We also meet the "next generation" - Cicero, Cato, Pompey, and Julius Caesar himself, who is too prodigious to be accepted. Cicero and Pompey, however, are fully fleshed out youths; McCullough's Cicero (here and in succeeding books) is extremely convincing. The hero of The Grass Crown, however, and the most compelling character, is Marcus Livius Drusus (Cato's uncle and great-uncle of Brutus), who evolved nicely from the stuck-up arrogant snob we met at the beginning of The First Man in Rome. His efforts to prevent the Social War are moving and well-depicted. As for McCullough's conceits, the best is the idea that Marius made Caesar flamen dialis, a priest, to *punish* him, to prevent Caesar from eclipsing him. Most historians cite Caesar's flaminate as a mark of honor and prestige; McCullough skilfully turns that notion on its head. The Grass Crown is not, alas, perfect. It suffers from McCullough's often clunky prose, for one thing. For another, the whole series desperately needs a character guide to help the reader keep track of who is whom, and who is to become the parent or relative of which famous Roman. The huge cast of characters may be daunting for those with no knowledge of Roman history, but for the rest of us The Grass Crown is very much worth multiple reads.
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