Questo è il volume della decadenza: del corpo di Mario, dell'anima di Silla. Con un giovanissimo Cesare che osserva sullo sfondo, pronto a brillare sulle loro ceneri.
Non c'è dubbio che la McCullough, con questa saga, abbia costruito un capolavoro, il romanzo storico ideale, che riesce a coniugare il fatto storico con un'avvincente caratterizzazione dei personaggi, che non si dimenticano.
L'unico appunto che mi sento di fare, che però è soggettivo e relativo, è che nell'abbondanza di dettagli, pagine e personaggi, se si aggiunge al valore storico dei libri, in parte si toglie al loro scopo ludico: non perché annoino, giammai! Non c'è mai da annoiarsi, ma allo stesso tempo risultano una lettura impegnativa, quasi quanto un saggio storico, proprio perché più o meno di questo si tratta, in forma romanzata. E questo ovviamente ha i suoi molti pro e quest'unico contro.
È ovvio che continuerò, anche perché resta la parte finale della storia di Silla e soprattutto, mi sto già appassionando alla storia di Cesare. E poi ci sono gli altri personaggi. Quanto è adorabile Iulia? Quanto è interessante Aurelia? Chissà cosa ha il futuro in serbo per loro.

I first read this work 29 years ago and found my second reading of it to be just as riveting and enjoyable . McCullough is a master at bringing history to life .

Final update 11/6/12: It only took a year and two months but I FINALLY finished this behemoth. The delay wasn't because it wasn't good - quite the contrary, it's an incredibly entertaining history lesson disguised as a novel - but because I had so much going on personally that I just didn't have time to sit and immerse myself in this world. Even if I'd had the time, it wouldn't have been a quick or easy read. It's an old-school historical fiction epic, written in archaic, old-fashioned language, which forces you to slow down and really focus on what you're reading. It doesn't help that the cast of characters is huge and they all have long, multi-layered names, and they all overlap because, of course, all Roman patricians were related in some way. I had a hard time keeping a lot of the secondary characters straight in my head, especially after I took my six-month break in reading - I ended up forgetting who was who! But it's a fascinating book in much the same way Jack Whyte's Camulod Chronicles is fascinating because you see the genesis of these legendary figures. Julius Caesar makes his first appearance in The Grass Crown, as does Pompey Magnus and Marcus Tullius Cicero. Seeing them in their childhood incarnations and reading about the events that shaped them into such remarkable men will give you goosebumps. It's not easy but it's definitely worth the effort.

Update 9/14/12: Desperately need to immerse myself in ancient Rome again, so I'm going back to this one and hoping that I can remember the threads of the story.

Update 4/21/12: HA! Trying to read an epic thousand-page novel while buying and moving into a new house is not advisable. I haven't picked it up in months, but I ought to go back to it soon, or else I might need to start at the beginning.

Update 9/20/11: I already know all the main players from "First Man in Rome", so I'm getting through the sequel a lot quicker. And it's riveting!

I am, quite frankly, in awe of the amount of research and detail that went into this book. This is how historical fiction should be: respecting the uniqueness of cultures far removed from ours, but unflinching in the face of the alienness and brutality that were inherent to these periods - unlike the pretty costume fests that historical fiction is usually. Quite frankly, after studying Greek and Roman history for a semester I vowed I'd never spent a single minute on it again (less due to the subject itself and more thanks to inept and unfriendly teachers), but I devoured and loved every single word in this book. I do wish McCullough had spent more time discussing what a monumental turn in history Sulla's decision to lead his army on Rome was - she did, of course, but the last 300 pages of the book felt rushed to me. I'd have liked to see more of Marius' decent into madness instead reading about characters telling other characters about this madness, but these are minor nitpicks in light of this fantastic series of books.

This book still feels quite slow and too detailed, similar to the previous one. However, something strange happened to me while reading it. When the main character of the first two books, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, won over the Italians and received the Grass Crown in what was the greatest day of his life, something strange happened to me. I felt a huge sympathy for this man, something outrageous, because Sulla is an evil man without any doubt. However, it became obvious in his biggest triumph how very unhappy Sulla really is, and a part of me understood his cruelty. I could not believe that such thoughts were going through my mind. Sometimes you read through 2000 pages and you don't know that your feelings toward a key character can still change.

Toujours très bon. La course au pouvoir, à la gloire militaire et aux commabdement entre Marius et Sylla, les jeunes Cicéron, Pompée et César ainsi que tout un tas de personnages "secondaires" attachants rendent ce tome palpitant. La tension monte jusqu'à l'explosion des guerres italiques puis monte encore jusqu'à la guerre civile et les affrontements dans Rome.
Beaucoup de morts, mention spéciale à Drusus, sublime jusqu'au bout et le personnage avec la meilleure évolution. Un rôle bien plus important pour les femmes, bien que dans l'ombre avec des personnages forts et marquants aussi.

Absolutely Brilliant.
The scheming, the intrigue, the hatred and the killing, all wrapped up in togas of respectability as though the Senate is some private club. Colleen McCollough continues the story from where she left off in "First Man in Rome" but it isn't necessary to have read that to enjoy this fascinating book. The controlled animosity between Marius and Sulla fills the pages, whilst Rome endures crisis on its own lands.
Often I felt I was there, an eavesdropper, sometimes a participant, walking the streets, sat in the Senate, listing in during a dinner...
Brilliant.

The Grass Crown,book 2 in the Masters of Rome Series by Colleen McCullough tells the story of the Rome through the eyes of the major historical figures of the period.

Running from the end of the German invasion through the Italian War, Colleen McCollough masterfully blends the historical facts with a blending of fiction to give her readers a amazing journey that not only tells about the major events of the period but also blends in a picture of everyday life in late republic Rome.

Additionally, this book introduces Gaius Julius Caesar for the first time as a young man. The later books in the series increasingly focus on Caesar during his rise to fame.

While not as colorful as book one in the Series (The Grass Crown) this installment in the series is exciting and gripping for anyone that is either interested in Republican Rome or in getting perspective on modern democracy and life through the eyes of history.

It took me the first 100+ pages to get into this one, which surprised me after the first but equated to my first try at these novels at the time of publication. After that shaky beginning I was hooked, thoroughly enjoying watching the development of known future characters of this historical epic. You really couldn't make it up (though, of course, McCullough did exactly that; it is fiction!) I haven't yet received the next installment to my chagrin.

You can’t beat this series in terms of character development, historical accuracy, and sheer amount of material and plot lines covered. From the “Italian problem” and ensuing war, to the drama of the Eastern kings, to the rivalry between Gaius Marius and Sulla and how each of them responds to the threat of losing power, there is just so much to explore and absorb.
While the amount of names (and their relations) and the meticulous detail of the military strategy sometimes had my eyes crossing ( à la Pompeius Strabo), it’s impossible to ignore that McCullough created a masterpiece here and left no stone unturned (even the one hidden in Cinna’s hand during his “oath”). I will be reaching for the third installment, Fortune’s Favorites, very soon, and while the characters are still fresh in my mind. Looks like my unhealthy obsession with Ancient Rome is here to stay.

A mí, personalmente, me ha gustado más que El primer hombre de Roma. Me parece un libro más dinámico y con más acción. Agradezco que no tenga tantos momentos densos rellenos de datos históricos que, si bien ayudan a comprender mejor el contexto histórico, a veces resultan demasiado tediosos y entorpecen la lectura de la trama principal (véase la totalidad de detalles de la sublevación esclava de Sicilia en el primer libro).
Aquí ya tienes un Mario completamente desarrollado pero que sigue dando guerra, mientras que el peso de la obra recae sobre todo en Sila, que demuestra ser un personaje impresionante, misterioso e implacable.
Además, deja con muchísimas ganas de leer más. A mi parecer estos el primer libro y la primera mitad de éste son la introducción a todo lo que está por venir. Ahora empieza lo bueno

This second volume in Colleen McCullogh's Masters of Rome series covers a lot of crucial moments in Roman history, from the assassination of Marcus Livius Drusus to Sulla’s first march on Rome. The author continues her mix of political intrigue, epic battles and domestic dramas, mixing history with speculation and pure fiction. The result is an entertaining way to learn about the Italian peninsula and West Asia in the first century BCE. Plus some characters more familiar to fans of the Julio-Claudian era have put in an appearance, albeit as children at this point. Overall this is a fun read for anyone with an interest in the subject and the patience for a 1000+ page book.