Ambitious attempt to explain the ways of the Romans to modern readers. Caesar belongs to one of the oldest patrician families in Rome, the Julians, who are directly descended from the goddess Venus, and this curtails a certain dignitas that he must live up to as he aspires to become the greatest Roman of them all. Even though the Roman gods have the last word, humans can bargain with Jupiter and the lesser gods. That's the broad outline, but the details get bogged down by the political opponents of Caesar who see things in a different light than he does. Cicero believes himself to be the savior of Rome in foiling Catalline's dictatorship (ala Marius and Sulla), but he fails to give the accused a trial before having him and his conspirators killed, and thus becomes merely a murderer in Caesar's eyes. Clodius dresses up in feminine attire and disrupts a festival of Bona Dea, the good goddess, but Caesar has to ignore such a brazen act because he knows that the goddess herself will exact a punishment worse than he can dole out to such a warped individual. He decides to use Clodius for his own purposes in the Assembly of the Plebs, for which Clodius is forced to give up his patrician status to become a Pleb. Cato is the skillful filibuster who works against everything that Caesar hopes to accomplish during his one year consulship, but suffers at the hands of the gang formed by Clodius to get retribution from the stoic. Bilibus, the flea according to Caesar, is the head of the opposing boni and the junior consul, who displays a public hatred for Caesar. forcing him to form a triumvarte (alliances) with both Pompey and Crassus to offset the boni, and he also uses the Assembly of the Plebs to get what he wants politically, including a generalship to Further Spain after his consul ends where he hopes to make his fortune to seal his fame upon his later return to Rome. This is where the story ends for this volume. As far as the women go in the book, the title could have been better worded as Coddled and Curmudgeoned to Death in Rome instead of Caesar's Women. Women have very little power to directly affect the affairs of gods or men, and Caesar belongs to no one. He simply uses women as one would use for his personal satisfactions. He softens up at the end and allows his daughter Julia to marry the older Pompey whom she truly loves rather than allow the forthcoming pre-arranged marriage to Brutus to occur for which she has no feelings. The author's note at the end clears up a lot of the historical miasma of Cicero's own idealized account of the Catalline wars. Light reading indeed. This one was interesting in parts, and all seems to come together by the end, but it lacked the high tone of purpose of the previous books as more of a comment on Rome's religious-politico and economic climate that seems to steer towards stalemate. Caesar's own animus or soul (dignitas) is the instrument that turns the tide, but is matched by his hubris (pride). The more challenges he faces, the greater he becomes. He thrives under pressure. Hopefully, the next book in the series will return to the level of previous books, even though the material is better known by historians than of this period.The author has succeeded in getting Caesar to the next phase, but I'm not so sure that we totally understand this era any better than we did before reading this account of it. It is up to the reader to decide if they have learned anything of value in understanding Rome's relationship to their gods and heroes, on and off the battle fields. There is no way that Caesar could have had these insights in advance that he uses to foil the deepening plots around him. Only in hindsight is this possible, and that's the shortcoming of this effort. Many spots have sections that read like history rather than fiction. Having the characters mouth all this history probably would have been tedious but it makes the book overlong in that much is repeated again, as the characters review the history. I suppose this to be a necessary condition of the longer novel to avoid the need to turn back pages, but it could have been made much shorter with more action rather than what amounts to a historical study. If you prefer historical writings, then it's certainly not a problem, but it does seem somewhat out of place in a novel to me, at least in the large portions that were doled out by the authoress. A novel that is not a novel is not a novel!
I liked this one a bit less than the earlier books in the series. This is actually the fourth book in the Master of Rome series. Earlier ones focused on key predecessors to Caesar in the late Roman Republic--Marius and Sulla. This is the first book then where Julius Caesar dominates the narrative.I don't think McCullough's books shine because of her prose. Some complain the books are ponderous, the prose pedestrian, and I think there's justice in that. She's not a strong stylist such as Robert Graves or Mary Renault. But what I did love in the Master of Rome series is how well she conjures up the late Roman Republic, from the at times alien mindset to things where it's easy to to see modern parallels such as in the Roman Senate, to the surprisingly cosmopolitan insula (tenement). My main problem in the later books is, like with Renault and Alexander the Great, McCullough obviously hero worships Caesar. It's not just his depiction alone. I have a friend who is a classicist, and her take on Caesar is that "he's awesome." As written by McCullough Caesar is extremely gifted and a charmer. I think my problem is that every other character is put through the Caesar prism. McCullough's Cicero, for instance, is far from admirable. (Although again, my classicist friend would actually agree on that.) But it seems as if everyone opposed to Caesar in this story is a tool or an envious fool.As for Caesar's women, I don't know that I feel they're all that front and central here in a way that justifies the title. Certainly Caesar's mother, Aurelia, is among the most modern in feel, the strongest female character, and the most admirable. Servilia, one of Caesar's mistresses, is abominable, but fun to read. One of those characters you almost love to hate, and when I think of this book, among the scenes I find absolutely the most memorable is her crucifixion of a slave. So, very much still worth the read, but for me Caesar is beginning to wear out his welcome.
What do You think about Caesar's Women (1997)?
The fourth in the 'Masters of Rome' series, covering 10 years from 68-58 BC, chronicling the rise of Gaius Julius Caesar, with most of the narrative set in Rome itself. Despite being part of the book's name, the first half of the book does not really focus on Caesar himself. Much of it is spent on building up the rest of the cast who would play an important role in Caesar's life during this period - from his allies like Pompey the Great and Marcus Crassus to enemies like Cato and Bibulus, and even those who, in modern terminology could be called frenemies like Cicero and Clodius. However, the author remains true to the title by delving into the minds and lives of the various women who essay a key role in Caesar's life - his mother Aurelia, his lover Servilia, his daughter Julia and even the non-influencer - his wife Pompeia, whom he later divorces - though to a minimal extent. Cicero, in this book, is shown in poor light, and the author does say in her notes that his peers didn't think too much of him, as per the documentation available from that era. The other important character who makes an extended appearance is Brutus, originally betrothed to Caesar's daughter Julia. It then follows Caesar's political career covering his curule aedileship, his election as Pontifex Maximus, governorship of Further Spain and his first consulship. The book also highlights possibly the only chink in Caesar's otherwise impenetrable armour - an indifference towards money - though he manages to learn his lessons in that respect towards the end of the book. The book not only chronicles how Caesar uses various tools, even marriage (his own as well as his daughter's), to out-manoeuver his enemies and further his rise to prominence, but also manages to give a good idea of how Roman society functioned, in terms of culture, belief systems and hierarchy. It minimally shows Caesar's military genius but quite elaborately showcases his political and legal brilliance, aided in no small measure by his mother Aurelia, and which culminates in the formation of the triumvirate with Marcus Licinius Crassus and Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus.The book sets quite a lively pace though it does require concentration to follow the various alliances that are made and broken at regular intervals. As in the previous books, and probably more so because of the new characters, the large secondary cast is not easy to follow. The final pages of the book point to a change in Caesar after his year as consul and sets the stage for the next book.
—Manu Prasad
Caesar's Women is not, as the cover and title might suggest, a romance novel disguised as historical fiction, but an accurate and meticulously researched portrayal of Ancient Rome. Filled with plenty of political upheaval, such as the witnessing of Caesar emasculating his enemies, the Optimates and Cicero being reduced to a whimpering fool. This novelization of history is more factual than most, as it presents historical events in its entirety. Caesar and his political strategies are brutal and heartless, but that is so often the truth when it comes to all-powerful men.The novel also presents voice to the women behind Caesar. Feminists might find the role women play in the novel misogynistic, as they are often thrust around as political weapons rather than human beings. Again, women being treated as mere objects was often the sad reality of being a woman in Ancient Rome. Women were divorced and re-married for the sake of familial alliances and advancing the family name.I thoroughly enjoyed the book, albeit some parts being a little long-winded and overly detailed. I suppose describing every minute event and political battle that took place in Ancient Rome can have its merits and its pitfalls. However, it remains an interesting piece of historical fiction that I will probably re-read in the near future.
—Daphne
This book became a bit of a chore in the middle, hence why it is getting a lower rating. It's also mis-titled. Caesar's "women" actually only account for about a quarter of the book, the other three quarter's relate to the political rumblings and petty little battles. Interesting little reminders scattered about various places demonstrating just how advanced the Romans actually were. Indoor bathing, cisterns, under-floor heating all mentioned. Conversely it's also apparent that not much advancement has been made particularly in council / political dealings, still over-run with petty name calling and game playing even today. With regards to the aforementioned women, interesting speculation. His mother and daughter being the main women in his life and his ongoing affair with Servillia who he craved with passion but regularly admitted that he didn't really like her very much ..... we've all been there !
—Joanne Nock
