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surrectey's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
schleviboy's review against another edition
3.0
A decent, up-to-date introduction to republican and early imperial Rome. It seemed to be based on lectures, and I feel like it would have worked well with a course packet of mostly primary source readings (which of course I didn't have the time for anyway).
emmabeckman's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a longgg time to read, but in the end I’m really glad that I did. I learned a lot about Ancient Rome that I didn’t know before, and I wish I had read this before visiting Rome a few years ago. I was mainly bogged down by the extensive discussion of politics and wars, and I particularly enjoyed the chapters that discussed people’s every day lives. I am learning that I prefer reading social histories than political histories. I will definitely pick up more of Mary Beard’s books in the future!
sk_206064's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
The chronology was a little confusing at the beginning with some dips in the pacing but the information was great and I feel so much smarter after reading this. The author gave a lot of good reference points and works that I’ll definitely have to look into.
katiescho741's review against another edition
4.0
This is such a fascinating book! The only reason it got 4 and not 5 was that the parts about politics got a little dry, but overall it's a great read.
Beard is so thorough and passionate and yet SPQR is very readable and engaging. She debunks various myths, talks through the historical evidence we have (and don't have), and she gives a new and refreshing view on a subject I'm sure many people think they know.
She takes us from the mysterious origins of Rome and tells a winding story about the rise of the empire and the various emperors who ruled it. There is so much to learn from this book, and I enjoyed reading it a lot! She's got a very detailed "further reading" section at the back too in case you want to explore any aspect of the book in more detail. I loved the references to the colour photos she makes and it really brings them into the reading experience as you go. And there are many black and white images throughout the book too, along with explanatory notes, so it really helps you become truly immersed in such an alien world as you read.
A must-read for fans of history or Rome in general!
Beard is so thorough and passionate and yet SPQR is very readable and engaging. She debunks various myths, talks through the historical evidence we have (and don't have), and she gives a new and refreshing view on a subject I'm sure many people think they know.
She takes us from the mysterious origins of Rome and tells a winding story about the rise of the empire and the various emperors who ruled it. There is so much to learn from this book, and I enjoyed reading it a lot! She's got a very detailed "further reading" section at the back too in case you want to explore any aspect of the book in more detail. I loved the references to the colour photos she makes and it really brings them into the reading experience as you go. And there are many black and white images throughout the book too, along with explanatory notes, so it really helps you become truly immersed in such an alien world as you read.
A must-read for fans of history or Rome in general!
alipickle's review against another edition
dark
informative
medium-paced
5.0
LOOOOOOVED this. An easy flowing account of Rome. Very enjoyable and informative