About this title: McCullough's critically acclaimed Roman series--begun with The First Man in Rome and continued in The Grass Crown--approaches its shattering climax in this third volume, as Gaius Julius Caesar's star begins to shine more brightly. McCullough is also renowned for her major bestseller The Thorn Birds.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Very Good. 0380710838 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Avon Books
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780380710836ISBN:0380710838
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover is very worn with creases, corners curl, pages clean, binding tight. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1072 p. Audience: General/trade. Cover is very worn with creases, corners curl, pages clean, binding tight. paperback-McCullough, Colleen, Avon Books, 1994 first printing. The third installment in McCullough's magnum opus (after The First Man in Rome, LJ 9/15/90, and The Grass Crown, Morrow, 1991) continues her chronicle of the decline of the ... read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon, Dresden, Tennessee, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780380710836ISBN:0380710838
Description: Very Good. 0380710838 Mass market paperback, previously read used book in very good condition, may have slight worn corners and varying degre..._ read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Avon Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780380710836ISBN:0380710838
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. VG++ Lightly read, normal wear. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 1072 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: William Morrow & Co
Date Published: 1993
ISBN-13:9780688093709ISBN:0688093701
Description: Good in Good jacket. Type: USED The third volume of a saga set in ancient Rome focuses on the political fortunes of Julius Caesar, a soldier destined for greatness; Sulla the dictator; and the ambitious Pompey, as well as Spartacus's slave revolt. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Avon
Date Published: 1994
ISBN-13:9780380710836ISBN:0380710838
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Acceptable. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Good. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Shipped to over one million happy customers. Your purchase benefits world literacy! read more
Description: Very good. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Very good. Dust Cover Missing. Book has appearance of light use with no easily noticeable wear. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
"At more than 800 pages (not counting the 200 in the glossary), Fortune's Favorites is another massive and thorough volume in McCullough's recreation of the dissolution of the Roman Republic. Unlike the first two volumes, FF opens with action and moves more quickly. Sulla, away in Asia Minor challenging King Mithridates, has to cut short his efforts to subdue the ambitious eastern potentate (I apologize, but I had to use that word at least once in my life). Leaving Mithridates far from finished, Sulla rushes home to take care of Marius' supporters.
McCullough had a tough job with Sulla. Complex and in many ways not admirable, he returns to Italy disfigured by a horrible skin condition and the effects of diabetes mellitus (those wily Greek physicians knew enough to ban honey, ripe fruit, bread, and sweet wine to save his life). He's lost all his hair and teeth. Still, Sulla is driven by his Roman pride in his dignitas, his belief in his favor by the goddess Fortuna, and his determination to right everything that's gone wrong in the Republic.
One of the main reasons FF is so much more compelling, although not a page-turner, is that now across Rome's political stage waltz, swagger, smirk, and command, a whole host of Fortuna's favorites: Pompey, self-identified as 'Magnus' (Great); Cicero; Crassus, and, most importantly, Julius Caesar.
Unlike Sulla, whom McCullough went to some effort to paint sympathetically rather than as the psychopath that he must have been, Caesar comes across as someone to admire. Perhaps McCullough liked Caesar better or perhaps the fact that more is written about this time than the period covered in the first two books. Either way, the reader comes away wanting to know about Caesar, admiring his intellect and confidence, his sense of himself and his role, and his moral rectitude. Unlike his rivals for this age, Caesar's ambition isn't narcissistic and self-serving. That's not to say he doesn't think highly of himself, only that his self appraisal is honest and more deserving.
There are also a few villains, including Antoninus Hybrida and Gaius Verres. The first finds pleasure in mutilating people, Greeks and slaves. He believes his skills are artistic and perfects them to the degree that his victims live. Verres steals art from temples and private homes, not to destroy for its precious materials but because he loves it. (Cicero successfully prosecutes him.)"
"I love this series! This book covers Sulla's decline. It wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the previous one (The Grass Crown) but still amazing. The beginnings of Pompey and Caesar are also well represented in this book."
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