When I bought this book, it seemed really interesting. Only after I began reading it did I realize that 519 pages on Julius Caesar is probably about 419 pages more than I ever needed to know about him.Still, I stuck with it because the writing is good and was able to (just barely) keep my interest. I'd been reading it off and on for quite a while.
(If you've followed this blog, you may have realized while my reading taste is sometimes rather eclectic, I generally avoid history. So why did I pick this book in the first place? Who knows!)
As further evidence that I'm a philistine (as if you need proof that I am an uncultured boor), here's what made the biggest impression on my from this book: the phrase metrosexual is said to derive from Mark Simpson's writing in 1994. Consider instead that in 88 BCE the Roman dictator Sulla was associated with "the actor Metrobius, who specialized in playing female roles on stage..." Metrobius as the original metrosexual? Hmmmm.
So, do I recommend this book? If you're the sort who likes to read about history and historic figures, then absolutely. If you prefer light-hearted murder mysteries, and believe anything more complex than a Robert B. Parker plot is overly convoluted, then avoid this one like the plague.
