Book Post: McCullough, Bringley, Bujold and DiCamillo
The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough, 781pp [Masters of Rome 1].
About 20 years ago, one of my friends from grad school was heading back to her home country and left me four of the books in the Masters of Rome series to me as a gift. In the note inside, she wrote that she hoped these books will make me like teaching Roman history more since she knew that at the time, teaching it wasn't my favorite part of teaching European and World history. (we were both medievalists). Sometime after she gave me those books, I watched the HBO series "Rome" which made me enjoy Roman history more. But the books sat on the shelves at my parents' house still unread since they were big and heavy and I wasn't ready for them. A few years after I got these books I read the "Thorn Birds" since I was familiar with that mini-series and I did enjoy McCullough's writing and these books were in the background of "things to read eventually".
Well, this summer I decided to pick the first book in the series up and read it in August on my ferry commute to work. It is a hefty volume to bring back and forth but the library didn't have an ebook. My friend was right - I am enjoying Roman history more upon reading it since McCullough does a great job in making me understand Roman politics around 110-100BC and the motivations of the players. I knew of Marius and Sulla, of course, but historical fiction makes them come alive, makes them real people with motivations and goals.
The first book in the Master of Rome series (I will probably do one a year from this point), is about the rise of Gaius Marius after his marriage to Ceasar's daughter (this was Julius Ceasar's grandfather), and his leading the war against Jugurtha in Africa and later the Germans and gaining the unprecedented number of consulship. I think the book made me understand the role of the consul better as well. The second main character in the book is Sulla, who started his rise as well. Unlike Marius, Sulla had the aristocratic roots but not money, while Marius had all the money but less noble roots. There is a lot in intrigue of how Sulla comes into his money and in this book Marius takes him under his wing as well. McCullough does a great job tracking all the people in the story, including many with the same names, and all the tangles of family relationships - and there is a lot of tangles.
I liked Marius in the beginning but less at the end and I couldn't stand Sulla for the most people but in a good way - I still wanted to read his parts of the story. I also really enjoyed the Aurelia Caesar's part (Julia Caesar's mother) and her running an apartment building. It was a very written book and it was juggling a lot of components. I'm looking forward to reading and learning more about the end of Roman Republic through these historical fiction books.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me by Patrick Bringley, 178pp
This will probably end up as one of my favorite books this year. Just a lovely lovely book and really well written, prose wise. Patrick Bringley was in his mid-20s when his older brother died of cancer. In his grief, he just wanted a job that would not require things from him that he couldn't give and he applied to be a guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He was a guard for 10 years and in this book he recounts his time as a guard, the people he met in all their diversity and backgrounds and stories and also all the art that he had many, many hours to contemplate. All of it was a beautiful narrative.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Met, is my favorite museum in the world and I know it really well. When I was in high school, I had a free pass to go there (even though it is pay what you want for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents and used to be pay what you want for everyone). I used to go a lot. I know where all the sections are so I know most of the areas the Bringley describes. But he, of course, goes into the history of many paintings and object and many details that even I didn't know and notice. He also mentions new collections that I didn't see. Since I had children, I only managed to go once. I really hope to go again soon especially as Bringley reminded me of so many wonderful things to see. (Including a painting of Marius' triumph over Jugurtha right there as you go up the staircase, and now that I read MuCullough's book, I will get the context better).
It was also interesting to read about the job as a museum guard and all it entails. One never thinks about the guards and their lives as you go to a museum so that was a great perspective.
Bringley is also a very good as a writer. His prose reads easily and but also poetically. He pulls you in. I highly recommend this book.
A Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold, 419pp [World of Five Gods]
The third book in the World of Five Gods series. It is not related to the first two books other than worldbuiding. The book takes place in a different kingdom and I believe earlier timewise as well.
I loved the first book in the series and really liked the second. This one dragged for me. In this book, in addition to the Gods, many characters also deal with animal souls within them and all that it will do to them. A prince has been murdered and Ingrey has to bring his body back for burial and arrest the woman who killed him, Ijada. When he meets her his body tries to kill her and he doesn't know why. I think adding animal spirits was just not interesting to me, nor did I care that much about the characters until the very end, so that is why this book was just ok. The part in the Woods in the end I did find compelling and very moving, so the book picked up for me in the last fifth maybe, which is not that promising. This is rare with Bujold for me as I usually enjoyed all of the books. It is not a bad book, the writing is good and the plot is twisty as usual, and you wonder how will it all get resolved and then it does resolve in the best possible way which is really a great strength in the writing, but I just didn't care that much for what was going on. There was also a lot of exposition at some point to deal with history all the characters sort of knew but the reader didn't and it felt weird for them to go over that in detail. It is not a bad book, but I was not in a best mood to read it. So only ok for me.
I am looking forward to more in this universe and will start on the novellas next year. Can't like them all.
Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, 233pp
I bought this in the library for a $1 because