disclaimr: I only read the first 70 pages…
Pretty much Mr. Faulks read “The Red and the Black” by Stendahl, and decided to copy the entire plot of the book, nix all the social, moral and political commentary that made Stendahl’s book great, and replace it with trashy romance scenes that only a male who has no idea what women are thinking could create, such as when he tells us that the female lead orgasms by having her breasts groped. (This being just one detail that was so rediculous I couldn’t beleive he wrote it. There are other more explicit details that are equally rediculous such as the novel’s heroine getting off on feeling cum run down her legs hours after having an affair with a man 10 years her junior.) Right Mr. Faulks, you wish. If you’re in the mood for something good, just read the Red and the Black. If you’re in the mood for some trashy romance, then opt for chick lit, as the sex scenes are at least believable and not imbarrasingly ignorant on the part of the author

this is great if you want a nice coffe-table book with lots of pretty pictures, but if you want to learn anything about the art of Rome, find another book. The text has no direction or explination, nd jumps from describing and listing one piece of art after another. The photographs, however, are beautiful.