Review: The Roman Trilogy by Robert Harris
The Roman Trilogy, also known as the Cicero Trilogy, is a series of historical novels about the life and political career of Marcus Tullius Cicero, a famous politician from the ancient Rome. The in-universe writer is his former slave and scribe, Tiro, who accompanied Cicero for most of his life. It's an interesting fact that there the real Tiro wrote a book about Cicero, but it was lost to the ages and that's what inspired Robert Harris to write his own version of that book.
The main character, Cicero, is a Politician with a capital P. His greatest talent is his quick wit and the gift of giving very persuasive speeches. He can talk himself out of anything and it was very thrilling to read how he manages to snatch a victory out of jaws of defeat. He's an excellent schemer. The story is fast-paced, following the many unexpected twists and turns in his career as well as the tumultous times in the Roman history.
Cicero is a nuanced, flawed character that isn't easy to judge. The book doesn't try to - Tiro's perspective on Cicero is friendly and favourable, which makes the senator's wrongdoings even more noticeable to the reader. Perhaps it's because Tiro is writing it after many years, so he's reminiscing about his youth by Cicero's side and remembers mostly the good things. I think Tiro preferred to believe the best of Cicero and his intentions. And when you compare Cicero with Ceasar or Octavian, they were the true unfeeling, heartless monsters, not him.
Just as Cicero is torn between morality and necessity, his own ambition and the needs of others, Tiro is also torn between his own dreams of a peaceful life and the loyalty to his master. Their relationship is complicated because of the imbalance of power, especially in the first two books, but when Tiro is called "Cicero's true wife", it is kind of accurate. No one spent as much time with him and knew him as closely as Tiro did while getting very little in return. On the other hand, I believe when Tiro made a choice to stay with Cicero until the end, it wasn't for anyone but himself and fulfilling his own role as a witness of history. I also really enjoyed the end of Tiro's own story, it was bittersweet.
Another character I really loved in this trilogy was Terentia, Cicero's legal wife. She was so down-to-earth, grounded and strong-headed. It was entertaining to witness her rocky relationship with Cicero and how she influenced him. It was a political marriage, so they weren't in love, but at times they made a very good team.
The historical and political aspect of the books makes them very enjoyable, especially Cicero's various schemes. I'm not an expert on Roman history, so getting into the details, how the system worked or how people constantly took advantage of the system until it broke down, was fascinating to me. Every action, alliance, election, new law, nomination and compromise had consequences, some very long-term, but they always caught up with Cicero.
The first and second book were more exciting and hopeful than the last one. My favourite was Cicero's political battle against Julius Ceasar in the second book. Third book is when Cicero's story becomes more tragic and the tone reflects it. It's time for endings and Cicero has to face mortality of himself and others, turning to philosophy. The bittersweet, melancholic ending of the story leaves the reader with a lot to think about. I wish it was happier, but this is the charm and limitation of historical fiction - it can't change facts to please the readership.
I recommend the trilogy. It was a great read that I breezed through. I give it 9/10.
