The Door in the Wall

Rating:
Summary: An engaging fictionalized account placed in Caesar's time
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. Benita Kane Jaro has an engaging style, combining vivid description of scenes, lifelike if somewhat fictionalized characterization of historical characters and events, and, in this novel, an intriguing literary device: Marcus Caelius Rufus's "final" report as a Roman Praetor, which he is trying to write. In this first-person account of an actual character, Caelius repeatedly turns to the draft of the report to ask himself on which side of the emerging conflict between Caesar and Pompey he stands. The cast of characters includes many of the great figures of Julius Caesar's reign, including the statesman and writer Cicero (who comes off as the most honorable character of the book), Caesar's sometime rival Pompey, the noted independent-minded Senator Cato (the Younger), and Crassus, the third member of the Caesar-Pompey-Crassus triumvirate, Mark Antony, Cassius (of the "lean and hungry look" -- one of Caesar's assassins),the influential poet Catullus and the seductive Clodia, among others. In this account, Caelius has personal relationships of one kind or another with many of these characters, including notably Caesar himself. The book incorporates in its plot the actual texts of some of Catullus's poems and letters of Cicero, contributing significantly to its verisimilitude.

Rating:
Summary: An engaging fictionalized account placed in Caesar's time
Review: I enjoyed reading this book. Benita Kane Jaro has an engaging style, combining vivid description of scenes, lifelike if somewhat fictionalized characterization of historical characters and events, and, in this novel, an intriguing literary device: Marcus Caelius Rufus's "final" report as a Roman Praetor, which he is trying to write. In this first-person account of an actual character, Caelius repeatedly turns to the draft of the report to ask himself on which side of the emerging conflict between Caesar and Pompey he stands. The cast of characters includes many of the great figures of Julius Caesar's reign, including the statesman and writer Cicero (who comes off as the most honorable character of the book), Caesar's sometime rival Pompey, the noted independent-minded Senator Cato (the Younger), and Crassus, the third member of the Caesar-Pompey-Crassus triumvirate, Mark Antony, Cassius (of the "lean and hungry look" -- one of Caesar's assassins),the influential poet Catullus and the seductive Clodia, among others. In this account, Caelius has personal relationships of one kind or another with many of these characters, including notably Caesar himself. The book incorporates in its plot the actual texts of some of Catullus's poems and letters of Cicero, contributing significantly to its verisimilitude.

Rating:
Summary: An extroardinary vision of Julius Caesar and Rome
Review: Julius Caesar is rather an avocation of mine, and I've tried to read all available fiction about him, as well as all available scholarly resources. I haven't been this impressed with a book about ancient Rome in a very long time. Jaro's writing style is effective and lyrical, her evocation of Rome hits all the right notes (and those are NOT easy to hit for many writers). Making Caelius her narrator is an effective, indeed fascinating, plot device; the man knew everyone, apparently, and Catullus, Antony, Curio, Cicero, and others are solidly grounded in her story. But of course, this is a novel about love and about Julius Caesar (not a phrase that automatically leaps to mind). The love of a young, ambitious, rebellious Roman for what appeared to be the most brilliant, charming political operator of his day, a reformer who, too, was disillusioned with the power establishment? Yes, that and much more. There is a tone of wistful "what-ifs" in this book I feel strikes a realistic note for those living through the turbulent, violent last years of the Roman Republic. Although I have minor qualms about the author's choices - her Cicero is a bit too noble, her Caesar's hinted bisexuality arguably too emphasized - in all the primary elements she finds an admirable balance in tale-telling between the history of the period (which she obviously knows intimately) and the projections we must all bring to it to make it come alive. Thoroughly recommended and fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: An extroardinary vision of Julius Caesar and Rome
Review: Julius Caesar is rather an avocation of mine, and I've tried to read all available fiction about him, as well as all available scholarly resources. I haven't been this impressed with a book about ancient Rome in a very long time. Jaro's writing style is effective and lyrical, her evocation of Rome hits all the right notes (and those are NOT easy to hit for many writers). Making Caelius her narrator is an effective, indeed fascinating, plot device; the man knew everyone, apparently, and Catullus, Antony, Curio, Cicero, and others are solidly grounded in her story. But of course, this is a novel about love and about Julius Caesar (not a phrase that automatically leaps to mind). The love of a young, ambitious, rebellious Roman for what appeared to be the most brilliant, charming political operator of his day, a reformer who, too, was disillusioned with the power establishment? Yes, that and much more. There is a tone of wistful "what-ifs" in this book I feel strikes a realistic note for those living through the turbulent, violent last years of the Roman Republic. Although I have minor qualms about the author's choices - her Cicero is a bit too noble, her Caesar's hinted bisexuality arguably too emphasized - in all the primary elements she finds an admirable balance in tale-telling between the history of the period (which she obviously knows intimately) and the projections we must all bring to it to make it come alive. Thoroughly recommended and fascinating.

Rating:
Summary: Reading The Door in The Wall
Review: Reading "The Door in the Wall" was a wonderful experience. Ms. Jaro's elegant prose transported me to ancient Rome. The characters came to life vividly, and I've never felt so connected to a main character in historical fiction. The book is beautifully researched; throughout it reads as a personal document by the main character, Marcus Caelius Rufus. My interest never flagged, and I'm on my second re-read.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliantly written and almost accurate
Review: This has turned out to be one of the more interesting books on Caesar I've ever read, although a fictional account (and little can match the history itself for fascination). But this writers did a very good job in tracking Caesar's career the last 20 years of both his life and the Republic's; her narrator is Marcus Caelius Rufus who was, of course, the infamous lover of Clodia, accused of attempted murder, defended by Cicero. And involved in multiple aspects of the Civil War. As narrator, we see Caesar, Cicero, and others through Caelius (Cicero was a good friend and teacher and Caelius wrote him many notable letters in 50 when Cicero was governing Cilicia and Rome was falling apart).

That said, Jaro's writing is elegaic and (I think) quite good - she picks up her story while Caelius, having turned against Caesar in the Civil War, is waiting fatalistically to be overwhelmed by one of his armies and reviewing his past life to see why he fell in with this extraordinary character. Occasionally the tone dips a bit too much into modern self-analysis, but I read it with pleasure. I'm not too sure if I agree with her portrayal of Caesar in some details - his alleged bisexuality being one of them - but I think her portrait of the man himself is pretty fascinating. He feels very authentic.

That said, most of the books I've read which try to delve into Caesar's fictional personality fail miserably because Caesar is such a chameleon in history - they try to come down on one side or the other (devil-Caesar, noble Caesar) and go splat. Or, like Allen Massie's book, it's just a hodgepodge of his own writings and the character of the man himself never peeks out of the book.

So I'd give it a slightly cautious recommendation if you want to try a fictional work on the great man. There are those who love Caesar who will take issue with some of her conclusions, but much of the picture she paints of Caesar rings true, which is an accomplishment in itself.