Anonymous: The Ides of March

Cathryn Conroy: My overall impression of this classic novel by Thornton Wilder can be summed up in one word: Daring. It is a fictitious autobiography of Julius Caesar written entirely in letters.

The glue of the story, which takes place in ancient Rome and is filled with intrigue, murder, juicy gossip, lots of wicked secrets, and sex scandals, is held together with letters from more than two dozen people to each other—ranging from Julius Caesar himself to the lowliest maid, although the primary letter-writers are Caesar, the scheming Clodia, the poet Catullus, and Cicero. I kept imagining all the messengers zipping around the Roman streets delivering all these missives.

The plot laid out in these letters—and the book is slooooow to get going, so be patient—leads up to the murder of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March in 44 BCE. The novel is organized into four parts; each part begins earlier in time and ends later in time than the one before. While the characters are all real (although some had actually died before 45-44 BCE when the book takes place), many of the events are wholly imagined by Wilder and not grounded in history. Other events that Wilder notes as occurring...

United States on Mar 12, 2022

Ellen Stahr: I read this book years ago and wanted to revisit it some 55 years later. I am glad I did. Wilder's comments disguised as being about Rome are even more accurate to the USA of the 21st century than they were to the USA of his day.

United States on Jul 19, 2019

R. Briggs: This book takes a bit of effort, but once you get used to the format - it's made up of letters and messages to and from various historical characters, that lead up to its known eventual end to Julius Caesar, it does start to flow for the reader. I found a number of passages that are just as true today as they were during these B.C.E. dates. History, intrigue, conspiracy and even a little hint at oo-la-laaa. Add Cleopatra and mix well, and you do have a bit of a page-turner piece of historical fiction from 1948.

United States on Jul 25, 2018

Miguel Ángel Arnedo Orbañanos: He vielto a leer este libro, ahora en inglés, y he disfrutado tanto o más que cuando lo hice hace años en la traducción al castellano de Alianza Editorial. Y me ha vuelto a sorprender la modernidad del asunto y su tratamiento. La versión electrónica del ñibro, que es la que yo he manejado, viene acompañada de varios estudios que resultan de gran utilidad para situar la novela y conocer a su autor. De lectura obligada.

Spain on Dec 17, 2015

Nulligan: Excellent !

United Kingdom on Nov 11, 2015

Peter read: The book was just as I required and I was very pleased with order

United Kingdom on Jul 28, 2015

Michael E. Nader: "The Ides of March" by Thornton Wilder was first published in the 1950s to general admiration and acclaim. Since then, it has been eclipsed by other and newer works. But Wilder is a fine American author and his book on Julius Caesar, Caesar's accomplishments, and his last day is very well done. Wilder accomplishes this by letters to and from Caesar; his correspondents include Cleopatra, his wife, Cicero, Brutus (who could have been Caesar's son!), Catullus, and others, The letters give great insight into the lives and thoughts of the Romans during the time of Julius Caesar. A great, a multi-faceted book, and thoroughly enjoyable.

United States on Sep 29, 2012

Roman Clodia: Told in a series of letters and other documents, this retells the famous story of the run-up to Julius Caesar's death.

I love the way Wilder brings ancient Rome to life, especially in the letters from Clodia Metelli to Caesar. All the expected people are here - Cleopatra, who is visiting Rome, Cicero, Clodia herself (one of my favourite Roman women), Catullus - but the story isn't only one we know, but also opens up new areas of fictional exploration.

If you like your ancient Rome to be all gladiators, legions and bloody battles, this will disappoint - it's far more domestic than that.

Wilder is especially good at manoeuvering himself into a position which liberates his imagination yet which doesn't completely violate the historical record.

This is a small book, and yet offers a much deeper reading experience than we might expect for the number of pages. Highly recommended.

United Kingdom on Sep 18, 2011

Lara Simone: I think this wonderful epistolary novel deserves to better known. Even though it is critically acclaimed and by a famous American writer, I, a huge fan of quality historical fiction set in Rome, never heard of it for years.

Using letters, journals, and excerpts from other "documents," Wilder tells the story of Caesar in the days leading up to his assassination. We already know what will happen of course, and our attention is sustained by the subtle way Wilder sets the scene and coyly circles around as he approaches his climax. This is not linear narration; I think an author attempting just to "novelize" the historical account the old-fashioned, chronological way would end up writing the type of simplistic, melodramatic "reads like a made-for-TV movie" type of historical fiction that makes me so wary about the genre.

Some readers, perhaps accustomed to being entertained by everything these days, including their history and documentaries, etc., may find this book a little dry. In this, the work reminds me of Graves' "I, Claudius," and "Claudius, the God," which also purposefully uses a drier prose style to achieve a certain effect. I thought "The Ides of March" was...

United States on Apr 13, 2008