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    A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome
    A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome
    A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome
    Audiobook33 hours

    A Pillar of Iron: A Novel of Ancient Rome

    Written by Taylor Caldwell

    Narrated by Simon Mattacks and Cassandra Campbell

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    New York Times Bestseller: A magnificent novel of ancient Rome and the tragic life of Cicero, who tried in vain to save the republic he loved from tyranny.

    In this riveting tale, the Roman Empire in its final glory is seen through the eyes of philosopher, orator, and political theorist Marcus Tullius Cicero.

    From his birth in 106 BC in the hill town of Arpinum, Cicero, the educated son of a wealthy member of the equestrian order, is destined for greatness. At a young age, he discovers the legend of the Unknown God, the coming Messiah, and it propels the rising lawyer on a journey of spiritual conflict and self-discovery. From his tumultuous family life to his tenuous alliance with Julius Caesar to a fateful love affair with the Roman empress Livia and, finally, to the political role that will make him a target of powerful enemies, A Pillar of Iron is the story of Cicero's legacy as one the greatest influences on Western civilization.

    Based on hundreds of speeches, voluminous private correspondence, and ancient texts and manuscripts, this bestselling epic brings into focus Cicero's complicated relationships with his contemporaries, including Caesar, Mark Antony, and Crassus, and brilliantly captures the pageantry, turmoil, and intrigue of life in ancient Rome. According to legendary editor Maxwell Perkins, author "Taylor Caldwell is a storyteller first, last and foremost, and once you begin reading one of her books, you can't help finishing it."

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateJul 9, 2019
    ISBN9781978658462
    Author

    Taylor Caldwell

    Taylor Caldwell (1900–1985) was one of the most prolific and widely read authors of the twentieth century. Born Janet Miriam Holland Taylor Caldwell in Manchester, England, she moved with her family to Buffalo, New York, in 1907. She started writing stories when she was eight years old and completed her first novel when she was twelve. Married at age eighteen, Caldwell worked as a stenographer and court reporter to help support her family and took college courses at night, earning a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Buffalo in 1931. She adopted the pen name Taylor Caldwell because legendary editor Maxwell Perkins thought her debut novel, Dynasty of Death (1938), would be better received if readers assumed it were written by a man. In a career that spanned five decades, Caldwell published forty novels, many of which were New York Times bestsellers. Her best-known works include the historical sagas The Sound of Thunder (1957), Testimony of Two Men (1968), Captains and the Kings (1972), and Ceremony of the Innocent (1976), and the spiritually themed novels The Listener (1960) and No One Hears But Him (1966). Dear and Glorious Physician (1958), a portrayal of the life of St. Luke, and Great Lion of God (1970), about the life of St. Paul, are among the bestselling religious novels of all time. Caldwell’s last novel, Answer as a Man (1981), hit the New York Times bestseller list before its official publication date. She died at her home in Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1985.  

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    Reviews for A Pillar of Iron

    4/5

    74 ratings7 reviews

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    • 1/5
      So historically inaccurate as to be utterly laughable. Not worth the time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      A story that's going nowhere and has nothing to do with he actual cicero

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Dull, dreary, boring, slow, mediocre and a narrator inducing sleep
    • 5/5
      Very interesting. Enjoyed how the Author brought Religion and the early Jews into the book.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic book. This is a must for anyone wanting to not only learn about ancient Rome and the culture of the first century but to really walk in the shoes through one man's life in that era. Seriously. This was phenomenal.
    • 5/5
      It is a fantastic and realistic tale of the Ancient Rome with the historical personalities who shaped Rome and modern civilization.
      If one loves history, listening to this book is a must…
    • 4/5
      Pillar of Iron by the master author Caldwell is unquestionably a work of genius. She covers a huge lot in between, beginning with the time of Cicero's birth and ending with his murder. In 106 BC, Cicero was born on his family's estate not far from Arpinum. His mother, Helvia, was from an aristocratic family, while his father, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who is also known as Tullius in the novel, belonged to the equestrian class. Cicero was regarded as a "new man" and a plebeian in Rome.