Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13398 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-10
• Binding: Paperback
• 1152 pages

Synopsis
The story of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. This saga of ambition, power and passion is told in the first person, from the queen's earliest memories of her father's tenuous rule to her own reign over one of the most glittering kingdoms in the world.

Customer Reviews

Vibrant, Detailed - Excellent!
Another of George's triumphs - the detail and description is of necessity sometimes hypothesis but you wouldn't know it! It brings to life Cleopatra in a way that absolutely thrums with life. Great - read it, you'll never know what you've missed unless you do. My favourite is still 'The Autobiography of Henry VIII' but this runs a very close second.

Wasn't really worth it
I have always wanted to read the actual memoirs of Cleopatra and since that is impossible, I decided that this would be the next best thing. The reviews were mainly positive and it appeared to give a thorough, at-times-fictional, account of her life.

To begin with the book was an easy read and Cleopatra was presented as a very likeable character, as were Ceaser and Antony. However, it was around the battle of Actium that it rapidly became tedious and very drawn out. Around half of the pages used to describe the battle and eventual defeat of the egyptian army at Actium, and also the events following back in Egypt, could have been heavily edited and removed to allow the book to continue to flow. Unfortunately that hasn't been done and I was seriously considering not finishing the book; I did however, just to make reading the bulk of it worthwhile.

The weakness of the closing chapters is what has influenced me to give it only three stars, and if anyone were to ask me to recommend a book on the subject of Cleopatra and her military exploits, I would advise them to look elsewhere rather than to read this particular book.

Cleopatra lives
This book is truly amazing. You feel as if you are actually inside the head of this amazing woman. It's no wonder the romans tried to poison us against her throughout history. She was clever, intelligent and loved those around her. Little wonder that men fell under her spell as soon as they met her.

As a work of fiction it's the kind of book you pick and just can't put down. Margaret George very carefully researches her material and it shows, mixing a blend of historical fact with perhaps a little bias. Strange though that her tomb which stood in the centre of Alexandria and contained both her and Mark Anthony has so completely vanished and no trace of it has ever been found. I also agree with her physician Olympus, had her eldest son been allowed to live, what wonderful things he may have done with parents like Cleopatra and Ceaser. This we shall never know or find out the fate of her other children by Marc Anthony.

If you plan to go off on holiday soon, take this book and become lost in an ancient world. If you stay at home, curl up on the sofa read this book and be transported.