Rating: 
Summary: overabundant research overwhelms fascinating story
Review: At page 711 (only 246 to go) I put down and put away Margaret George's Memoirs of Cleopatra. We've just had another tour of another dark temple (The Temple of Diana at Ephesus, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, though given the perfunctory description, you'd never guess it) and Cleo is nagging Marc Antony yet again about Octavian and Rome. The Battle of Actium, one of the lynch pins of western history, is in the offing and the author is taking time out for a travelogue and a harridan's tirade. Ms. George did exhaustive research for this book and she doesn't waste one bit of it. It's fascinating stuff, at first, but she continues to pile it on at the expense of her story and characters. Every new city, new parade, new religious rite, new erotic tryst with Antony reads exactly like the last. This book is 300 pages longer than it should be. As it plods along, the actions--even the dialogue--of the characters become completely predictible. Cleopatra is smart ! and tough and likes kids. Antony is an indecisive lout. Only Caesar stays fascinating and charismatic. By conjuring up curiosities in place of insights into her characters, Ms. George has produded a book as heavy as an obelisk and a heroine as flat as an Egyptian painting.
Rating: 
Summary: My Old Friend Cleopatra
Review: What a book! I reluctantly finished the novel last night and miss Cleopatria, Mardian, and friends already. No one but Margaret George is able to so fully immerse the reader in the period and lives of her subjects. This is no romance novel, but historical reading. She is able to successfully, seamlessly tie historically accurate detail after detail together in a fascinating, can't-put-it-down tale.
Rating: 
Summary: An absorbing, well-researched novel
Review: If you're looking to learn something about Cleopatra in the most enjoyable way possible, this is your book. It's not a masterpiece, but it's competently written, a fascinating story, and impressingly well-researched. Don't be TOO put off by the length - it will beguile you for just that much longer!
Rating:
Summary: An absolutely captivating book !
Review: The size of the book should not deter anyone from reading it- believe me you will not be disappointed nor with any of Margaret George's other books. In this particular book, the reader is gently but completely uprooted and replanted in Ancient Egypt where all senses come alive with the sights,sounds, smells,tastes and even touch of a culture and time that has long been viewed with much interest and fascination. This book is a "keeper".
Rating:
Summary: A FANTASTIC SUMMER FIND!!!
Review: I am a 13 year old teen who would like to praise this book, so please take me seriously. The way Margaret George brings to life the characters and makes it seem all so real is something that I had never read in a book before. Such detail... such wonderful writing and such detail... blows me away. Even though I'm only 13, take my word for it: The Memoirs of Cleopatra is a fantastic surprising novel that is a great read for the summer. Thank you.
Rating:
Summary: An illuminating novel of the most famous Egyptian Queen
Review: Margret George does true homage to the legend of Cleopatra. She dispels the overdone, glitzy image of this very intelligent and sometimes ordinary woman. From Ceasar to Marc Antony, George keeps her characters true, staying away from the commercialized view of these historic people. A definite read for anyone intrested in Egypt, Rome or romance and intrigue.
Rating:
Summary: Don't let the size intimidate you.
Review: I have always been fascinated by the wonders of Ancient Egypt, and I eagerly attacked this book--I could not put it down! Margaret George vividly brings to life Egypt (and Rome, etc.) with plenty of detail. I could picture myself as Cleopatra, providing for and defending my country. And even though the book is long, the story is well worth the time it takes to read.
Rating:
Summary: Cleopatra was never so mystic
Review: George brings her characters to vivid life in ancient Egypt and ties together all of the myths and legends around queen Cleo. Wonderful imagery and rounded characters make this book a definite page turner. Romance and history together in one wonderful story!! A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Wow Wow Wow Wow!!!!!! Fantastic!
Review: George is a powerhouse of a writer! This is a truly captivating novel with outstanding depth of character and accurate historical detail. My all-time favorite book. Thanks a million Margaret! I will read and reread this one many times.
Rating:
Summary: Margaret George has done it again - but better!
Review: I was excited to find this book. However intimidating the number of pages, I took it on and found it to be a great story. I was impressed with the intense insight you have being inside Cleopatra's life. But Caesar and Marc Anthony are figured so prominately in the novel, it also provides a great picture of those historical figures as well. So many people I've talked to didn't even know Caesar and Cleopatra shared a child! Men, don't be shy about picking up this book. It's not a romance novel. It's a great crystal ball of history of an very active time.
| 
