In our continuation of Colleen McCullough’s Masters of Rome series, we have now arrived at The Grass Crown.
The novel covers the time from Sulla’s failed attempt to reach the praetorship in 98 BC through the death of Gaius Marius in 86 … wide coverage of the events leading up to and of Social War … the sad trials of the Livius and Cato Salonianus families … beginnings of the first Civil War … introducing King Mithradates in a big way … the tax farmer issue.
We also meet Marcus Tullius Cicero for the first time, the young Gnaeus Pompeius, and the precocious Gaius Julius Caesar.
We will probably split the readings as follows:
April 4: Books I through III (or IV?)
April 18: Books (IV?), V and VI
May 2: Book VII to the end
Background reading (more to come)
Reading List for 2007
