Read this for the snappy writing style as well as a great overview of ancient Greek and Roman life.Writing teachers encourage students to create a "voice", and Haynes is a great example of feeling like you are having a clever chat over coffee with a friend, discussing the Arts or other contemporary subjects. She teaches enough about ancient history so even if the reader is only passingly familiar with the subject, the author's opinions still make sense.

The author, a British classics scholar and comedian, wrote an overview of history, philosophy, mythology of the ancient world in a readable manner. Topics I had not considered since college days were presented in a lively, sometimes humorous style. Now I wish that I could read Greek and Latin. The chapter on the ancient and modern complaints about the banking system is certainly timely.

Easy and fun to read, it's still really informative on the subject of ancient life and how it relates to the world today. Having studied latin in my school years, I knew a bit of the content, but I still learned from it and it helped remind me of some forgotten aspects. Good perspective and a nice voice from the author.

An interesting book for someone coming to ancient philosophy and history for the first time. It was a pleasant read--Haynes' sense of humor made it more readable, though the material was mostly not new to me.

Excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed this. The parallels from the ancient world to modern issues are striking and the writing is sharp and amusing.

Fun read if light. And by 'light' if you know the prime sources already it's a fun tub-read. Breezy style. Droll at times. I liked it.

Loved this book. I have absolutely no background in the Classics at all, so it was nice to have this book as an introduction. It's full of humour and insight (and the occasional bad pun, which I loved, being a shocking punslinger myself). I particularly enjoyed the connections that Haynes drew between the Ancient world and our modern world, showing that human nature hasn't really changed all that much, and that there is still a lot to learn from voices that have been dead for a couple of thousan...

* Rated 4.5 stars!

If you are reading, or thinking of reading, this book it is fair to assume you already have some interest in the ancient world and Haynes' enthusiasm will be more than enough to make this work worth considering. It is a short read and I would have liked a bit more length, but for the casual classist there is more than enough to enjoy. The book itself (I was reading the hardcover) is beautifully bound with high quality paper. I know this may sound trite but I think in an age of e-readers and down...

The Ancient Guide is one book that I did not expect to like in its subject matter, and nevertheless I thoroughly enjoyed Natalie Haynes's comparisons of the ancient world to the new one we have made for ourselves. The parallels she draws are striking and delivered in a humorous manner, whereas the old forgotten methods of approaching problems are suggested for us in a very plausible way. This book would make an enjoyable and thought-provoking read for anyone, whether they are a classicist or not...

Impulse buy in downtown Seattle, either Borders or Barnes and Noble. (I can't tell them apart.)I was a little surprised that the lead singer for the Dixie Chicks wrote a book comparing life in ancient Greece and Rome with our present day culture, but I found this book to be much more subtle and thoughtful than her pronouncements about President Bush and the video where the guy from NYPD Blue is killed.Ms. Haynes effortlessly combines deep knowledge of Greek and Roman history, which she has been

Verdict: 3 ludwigsNatalie Haynes takes a closer look at the parallels between the ancient Greek and Roman worlds and our own. Often she draws striking comparisons and tells amusing anecdotes.Why should you read it?The Guide is not so much a book, as time spent with a funny historian at the local pub chatting about her passion... but on paper. Haynes is witty, interesting and easily readable in short bursts.Why should you not read it?If you're not interested in stories about original Grumpy Old M...

This book entertained me on a long haul flight (not something easily done I can assure you), and I really enjoyed it. Haynes is never dry or dusty and I do like a book that makes me think. Didn't always agree with what she was saying (especially the chapter on voting) but always interesting and very well written.

I've read two of the author's historical novels, and I greatly applaud her desire to make ancient Greece and Rome more accessible to the average reader. She read classics at Cambridge, and she apparently is a presenter on TV in the UK. She has also been a standup comedian. It shows, with her chapter on women in the ancient world titled "Frankly, Medea, I don't give a damn." Well, it got a laugh out of me. And so did the first sentence of her Epilogue: "In the words of Lieutenant Columbo, just on...

There’s no place like Rome — unless it’s Athens. A witty, droll, and informative look at ancient life in (mostly) Athens and Rome, but also Carthage and Sparta. Although Haynes’s point is to draw parallels, or illuminate differences, between the ancients and ourselves, the book is most interesting for its treatment of BCE life and Haynes’s debunking of popular myths and misconceptions. Haynes provides a good deal of support for the notion that ancient life and literature, as well as history, phi...

This book would be fine for a causal reader wanting to connect the ancient world to the modern world. But for someone who took classic electives all through university, it was basic. I wanted to gain some new insight but only learned where the word "Money" comes from. It is written essentially like college essays, with each chapter a new topic (politics, art, women, etc.) The ties into modernity were also cynical, basic and tired (sure, non-fat lattes and big macs are the pinnacle of all things