Confronting The Classics (Book Review 7) in Book Challenge 2016 (52 books to be read in 52 weeks)

Confronting The Classics by Mary Beard (310 pages, including Further Reading, Acknowledgements, Sources, List of Figures, Index) is one of those books that “does what it says on the tin”. As the advert goes. It predominately covers Ancient Greece and Rome, but there are hints of Hadrian’s Wall, Cleopatra and Asterix thrown in. Each section has an overarching theme, and each chapter is basically a review of a book that deals with that theme.

Which basically means that Beard points out just how relevant the Classics and Classical history is to the current day researcher and arm chair enthusiast. Whether she is successful or not depends on the reader. I thought this wasn’t as good as her book Pompeii: The Life Of A Roman Town, simply because her style of narrative seems to work better on larger pieces of work. Basically, I’d get settled in to one chapter and then all of a sudden it’d end. On to the next subject matter. Having said that, this book was a learning experience for me. A definite keeper, and I will be rereading this at a late date due to the fact that I’m sure I’ve missed something during my first read. It doesn’t help that I’m feeling a little bit drained - which is never good for my concentration.

Books Read: 7/52. Total Pages Read: 2039