Now I know there are quite a few people who don't appreciate the historical liberties taken in some of Colleen McCullough's books, and I do not blame them for this. But one must at least admit that McCullough is a good writer. She has taken some of my favorite characters from history and built a personality for each of them. Cato is a Stoic nut, Cicero is well-meaning and brilliant, Pompey is basically a very lucky oaf with a great mind for the martial, Caesar himself is manic but a genius, etc. I am re-reading Caesar's Women b/c it seems to me to be the most politically engaging book in the series. The Grass Crown, October Horse, Caesar, First Man in Rome and Fortunes Favourites are all excellent reads but Caesar's Women is purely political where some of the others are dominated by military affairs. I am halfway through and find it just as engaging as I did the first time I read it.