The History Book Club discussion

Hello Everyone,

Welcome to the historical fiction discussion of THE GRASS CROWN
by Colleen McCullough.

This is the reading assignment for week nine - (April 4th - April 10th)

Week 9 - April 4-10: Chapter IX, pp. 645 – 724

This is the sixth historical fiction group selected book.

We will open up a thread for each week's reading. Please make sure to post in the particular thread dedicated to those specific chapters and page numbers to avoid spoilers if you are catching up.

This book was kicked off on February 7th.

This discussion is being led by assisting moderator for The Grass Crown - Vicki Cline.

We always enjoy the participation of all group members. Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other noted on line booksellers do have copies of the book and shipment can be expedited. The book can also be obtained easily at your local library, but this is not available on Kindle or audible.

This thread opens up Monday, April 4th or the weekend before. This is a non spoiler thread.

Welcome,

~Bentley


TO ALWAYS SEE ALL WEEKS' THREADS SELECT VIEW ALL

Please feel free to research the complete Table of Contents and Syllabus on this thread:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/4...

Colleen McCullough

The Italian War is all but over; only two Samnite cities are holding out, Nola and Aesernia. The Senate hears about the slaughter of Romans and Italians in Asia Minor from Publius Rutilius Rufus and appoints Sulla to go to war with Mithridates. Sulpicius, a Tribune of the Plebs, decides it’s the Senate which is to blame for the Italian war and the slaughter in Asia and passes laws to cripple the Senate, as well as a law taking the command away from Sulla and giving it to Marius. When two messengers are sent to Sulla’s camp to notify him of this law, they are killed by Sulla’s troops, and Sulla marches on Rome, along with his co-consul. There’s a skirmish between his legions and a large group of citizens (and slaves?) led by Marius, which the legions handily win. Under threat of more fighting, Sulla passes new laws taking away most of the power from the Tribunes and the Assembly. He makes all the Senators swear to uphold his laws while he’s at war. Cinna, one of the new consuls, holds a small stone while swearing; he thinks this makes his oath invalid in the eyes of the gods. Sulla gets Strabo to agree to watch his back while he’s at war and leaves for Greece.

I forgot to mention in the above summary that Marius, his son, Sulpicius, Marcus Junius Brutus and a few others who fought against Sulla when he marched on Rome were declare enemies of Rome, and could be killed on sight.

I guess we really don't know what made Publius Sulpicius Rufus decide to cripple the Senate. I was a little surprised that all of sudden we have Rufus excusing Senators; it felt like I was walking along and tripped: whoa, what is going on here?!

I have to share this quote:

"namely that he [Sulla] was able to find more satisfaction and release from inner torment by enacting laws to ruin people than ever in the days when he had had to resort to murder." (p. 697)

Yikes.

I was surprised by that, Bryan. It always seemed as though Sulla really enjoyed killing people. Maybe it's the scale of the thing, getting to multiple victims rather than one at a time.

Bryan wrote: "I have to share this quote:

"namely that he [Sulla] was able to find more satisfaction and release from inner torment by enacting laws to ruin people than ever in the days when he had had to resor..."

Rotten to the core as they always say.

Yeah, I think Sulla did like killing and ruining people. It was his release and now he can do it to more people.

It was like an impulse disorder or urge.

I blame Marius for all the upheaval and subsequent bloodbath. Even though it was Sulpicius who got the new laws passed, giving Sulla's command to Marius, he wouldn't have been able to without Marius' backing. If only there hadn't been that prophecy that Marius would be consul seven times, he might have been content to rest on his laurels.

Yes, you are correct Vicki..that prophecy was always in the back of his mind and influenced many of his decisions. But is that an excuse though for Sulla's reaction; I think in someways we may be blaming the victim a little although there is no doubt that Marius was paranoid about his place in history.

I agree, it became an obsession. It is part of a chain reaction in which Sulla took full advantage of. Troops in Rome! I think as a Roman living at that time and how pretty intimidating that would be. You can feel that bad times are upon them.

For sure; you can almost feel the shadow cast by the big black cloud overhead.

Bentley wrote: "For sure; you can almost feel the shadow cast by the big black cloud overhead."

lol, with thunder (Marius) and lightening (Sulla)

Very funny Bryan. By the way, I loved these two books and cannot wait until the next one.