Lustrum

Great book--BUT, this is the British title. It was later printed in the USA under the title of "Conspirata", which I already had read!! No mention in the Amazon ad of this-- same book, different titles.

I HATE that!

It wasn't until I was well into the book that I realized the reason it all seemed so familiar was that it was the British issue of a book I had already read under its American title of "Conspirata". Still it was a good read of an old friend.
The book was in good shape as described, and arrived on time. No problems there. It might have been nice to have had a note about the two issues to unconfuse the easily confused, like me.

A stunning trilogy. Robert Harris has accomplished what many historical authors may aspire to but few attain. He has created an ancient Rome alive with the sights, the sounds, the smells of a city towards the latter years of the republic. He has painted a picture in my mind of warring commanders: Pompey, Caesar. Crassus. He has allowed me to view both the beauty of Rome from the aristocratic Palatine to the stench of the inner-city streets. He shows Romans as a people obsessed with wealth, and from wealth flows power, influence, and the ultimate prize a position in the senate leading to first consul adoration.

Pompey the great commander, the chief general in the state….” A large chair was carried in for the Imperator, and he settled himself into it. An ivory pointer was placed in his hand. A carpet was unrolled at his feet into which was woven a map of the east, and as the senators gazed down he began gesticulating at it to illustrate his achievements”…. Caesar, the chief priest, adored by all the masses, fresh from military success, biding his time as he waits, panther like, moulding the men of influence to attend to his every whim. These two together with the wealthy Crassus form the triumvirate, a power base for them to dictate and manipulate. It is however a dangerous thing to allow so much “imperium” into the hands of the few.

Cicero’s year as 1st consul is drawing to a close, and some of his finest accomplishments are now just a distant memory. When he faces a direct threat on his life it is to his wealthy companions that he turns for help and support, but such friendship will always require payback. Robert Harris shoes not only the strong side of Cicero but his weaknesses. His aspirations to climb the social ladder, result in a questionable decision when he borrows money to purchase a grand property owned by Crassus in the exclusive Palatine hill. As the candle slowly fades on a glittering senatorial career, and as the influence of a few wealthy men starts to emerge, the scene is set for a bloody conflict. Rome should have learnt the lessons of the past that it is a grave mistake to leave so much power in the hands of a powerful minority.
A wonderful story, the subtle blending of fact and fiction makes Lustrum an essential read…the final chapter “The Dictator” now awaits me” Highly recommended.

Biased comment. I have read 6 books by R. Harris and enjoyed all. No change here.

Robert Harris is the world’s best history teacher because his fiction captures the essence of the real thing. The base theme here is how Caesar rose to power despite powerful enemies. His main adversary? The brilliant orator Cicero, whose golden tongue pervades this book.
There are legal trials, political crises, corruption, treachery and murder, all deftly narrated in a compelling pageturner. With lives and fortunes at stake, the arguments are fascinating, the trickery breath taking.

Excellent historical fiction; in the same league as Patrick O'Brien.

A great historical novel that follows actual events rather closely. It is a cliché to say it is a cautionary tale but recent actions during the current election are disturbingly similar.

Have not read very far into the book, but I like the author.

I was pleasantly surprised at how this book turned out. I'm not a huge bibliophile, but I am glad that I started out with this book. I'm unaware whether or not this book is part of a series or not, but it served well as a standalone in my opinion.

Tiro (Cicero's scribe) leads the story from his POV. I loved the choice of narrator because he usually has insights about certain scenarios that others at the time would have overlooked. Because of his years of experience of writing things down, he doesn't disappoint and provides impressive pieces of opinion and information after each conflict.

I left the book with so many pages noted down, because extracts from Cicero's speeches and Tiro's monologues were resoundingly inspiring, and I was encouraged to write down responses in my journal. I rarely do this for anything I read in a fictional novel.

In the end, I was left tearing up at Tiro's dedication to his master, especially towards the end. I found the ending, and would recommend this book for any kind of reader, as it has a story that draws you in, memorable and inspirational quotes to take away, and a novel narration.