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Rubicon
- The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic
- Narrated by: Mark Meadows, Tom Holland
- Length: 15 hrs and 9 mins
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Rubicon
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Summary
The Roman Republic was the most remarkable state in history. What began as a small community of peasants camped among marshes and hills ended up ruling the known world. Rubicon paints a vivid portrait of the Republic at the climax of its greatness - the same greatness which would herald the catastrophe of its fall.
It is a story of incomparable drama. This was the century of Julius Caesar, the gambler whose addiction to glory led him to the banks of the Rubicon, and beyond; of Cicero, whose defence of freedom would make him a byword for eloquence; of Spartacus, the slave who dared to challenge a superpower; of Cleopatra, the queen who did the same.
Tom Holland brings to life this strange and unsettling civilization, with its extremes of ambition and self-sacrifice, bloodshed and desire. Yet alien as it was, the Republic still holds up a mirror to us. Its citizens were obsessed by celebrity chefs, all-night dancing and exotic pets; they fought elections in law courts and were addicted to spin; they toppled foreign tyrants in the name of self-defence. Two thousand years may have passed, but we remain the Romans' heirs.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2004 SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2003 HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR AT THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS
Critic reviews
'The Book that really held me, in fact, obsessed me, was Rubicon . . . This is narrative history at its best. Bloody and labyrinthine political intrigue and struggle, brilliant oratory, amazing feats of conquest and cruelty' Ian McEwan, Books of the Year, Guardian
'Re-evaluating Rome for a new generation' Robert Harris, Sunday Times
'Marvellously readable' Niall Ferguson
What listeners say about Rubicon
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Emily C.
- 30-11-19
Really, really interesting
Whilst this is a mammoth tome, it was truly fascinating and the lives of Romans are surprisingly familiar. With, perhaps, a touch more murder than we have today.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Leslie Zephaniah
- 30-11-23
Wonderful history of the Roman Republic
This is great! For anyone with a hazy knowledge of the Roman Republic - Rubicon will fill in the blanks and paint a vivid picture of its history - as it changes and shifts and eventually folds in on itself. A very well-written chronological narrative.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-11-23
Roman history comes alive
This was a really good history book, well written, and reliving the exciting times of the late Roman republic. This book takes us all the way from Marius and Sulla to the death of Julius Caesar and the end of the Republic. Loved the story and the narration was very good as well.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr OJ Cousins
- 23-12-23
Excellent book
Really enjoyed listening to this, especially the second half, which reminded me of the Rome series I watched years ago.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ferdinand
- 23-11-23
History telling at it’s best
Loved it beginning till end. Writing was fantastic, constantly interesting and engaging (which helps with the length and massive amount of names, dates, events…) I also enjoyed the performance and it was great, but it wasn’t at the same level as writing (first book by Tom Holland but will be getting another one)
I‘d recommend it to any and everyone as most of Roman society seems strangely, sometimes worryingly familiar and contemporary…
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Charles Bertoia
- 30-09-19
Great Roman history book
Enjoyed this book. Very interesting style. The reading is a little monotone but otherwise very well done.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Steve
- 07-08-21
Love💘
I have read this book twice and have to say loved this gem on audible even more.Love love love😘😘
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Thrillers&morethrillers
- 20-06-21
Great listen if you like history!
I found this to be a very nice listening experience. I love history & I didn’t know enough details about Rome and the period of the death of the Republic, and Tom Holland and Mark Meadows make it come alive in a way I hadn’t thought possible in a book. If you are a history buff this is a great listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 08-08-21
Historiography at its best.
An amazingly well written epitaph to the Roman Republic. Well worth your time and very accessible for all readers.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Adrian J. Smith
- 26-06-21
Entertaining and comprehensive overview
A decent overview of the last centuries of the Roman Republic, although one can get lost in the details of the less significant parts of the book.
Aside from the early parts concerning the Punic Wars, the main strengths of the book lay in the latter parts concerning the Triumvirate, the Civil War, and the eventual rivalry between Octavian and Marc Antony.
Rubicon's strength is that it takes the latter years of the Roman Republic into a more readable and comprehensive volume, and therefore, is recommended for anyone who wants to either familiarize themselves or recap this crucial period of Western History.
The narration is decent, both the introduction by the author and the larger narration by Mark Meadows.
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