Caesar

Wow! Almost a years since my last book review! What happened there? Oh yeah... we had a baby. Reading for fun isn’t really a thing at the moment. But, I am slowly getting into it again. Took me months to get through this book, which is a bummer, but I’ll take it!

Anyway, Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy is one of the best collections of facts regarding Julius Caesar that I’ve come across. The author goes into great detail over every known aspect of Caesar’s life. The reading (or listening) is engaging and if you’re interested in the material, you won’t find yourself drifting off. That is a big “if” of course. If you aren’t interested in Ancient Rome (as I am) then this might be too much information for you.

Sure, you learn about the civil war, his love affair with Cleopatra and his assassination, but his life (and therefore the material) is deeper than that. The one complaint I have about this book is by no fault of the author at all. And that is – we don’t know what we don’t know. Meaning, we have plenty of accounts of what Caesar did, but rarely do we truly know why he did what he did. Caesar himself did not behind detailed thoughts on the decisions he made. So, when it comes to how to feel about his accolades, the reader is truly left up to complete interpretation. Was he really a man of the people or was he just trying to further his career and take power for himself? (I think my answer is Yes to that question, haha). 

If you’re a fan of Ancient Rome and are interested in Julius Caesar, then by all means, give this book a try. If you’re looking for just the highlights (civil war, Cleopatra, etc.) then I would skip this one and find a book more focused on what you’re looking for. I was so satisfied with this book that I moved onto the next logical book by the same author, Augustus.

Stay tuned for more! Hopefully much quicker than a year from now…

C. L.