Rating: 
Summary: loved it...
Review: This book is great. It grabs your attention right from the very first page. Cleopatra's dedication to Egypt was very touching. The book is like Cleopatra herself telling the story, sharing all her feelings and personal experiences. There are so many great things about this book. I highly recommend it and would never let anyone borrow this copy! Prepare to spend a lot of time reading this big but beautifully-written book.
Rating: 
Summary: Ancient Egyptian
Review: This book was a great find. I love reading fiction set in ancient Egypt, and Ms. George does a very admirable job. Everything is well researched, and documented in the back of the book. Over 900 pages might seem a lot, but it isn't. I loved the daily life details that were gone into, it COULD have been shorter by deleting them, but the book was so much richer for them. Memoirs political manuvering, intrigue, romance, war, everthing anyone could want in a novel. I didn't enjoy all the politics and war details, but that is just a personal opinion and they were easy enough to skip over. I highly reccommend this book to anyone, even if they have no idea of the history of the times or characters. Memoirs works as a stand alone work of fiction as well as a historical novel with real people and events.
Rating:
Summary: A thorough immersion into Cleopatra's life
Review: The book is intelligently written and obviously well-researched. The characters seemed like real humans instead of lifeless historical people. Whether or not you enjoy this book will probably depend on just how interested you are in Cleopatra, and your tolerance for really long books that sometimes seem to go on and on. One thing I really appreciated was the section at the end in which the author explains which characters and incidents are historical, and which are fiction.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Piece of Work by Margaret George
Review: Margaret George's talent really shines through this book. I was a first time reader about Cleopatra, and I was not disappointed with my selection of this book. Cleopatra's story is so beautifully written by George that the reader can almost see Cleopatra and the time, and culture that she lived in. In addition to this, the book is well researched. George even informs the reader about what parts of the story are actually true, and what parts are not true. She also explains how the unfavorable myths about Cleopatra came to be. George even explains what happened to Cleopatra's children after her death. Do not pay any attention to any of those movies that are out. They are wrong and are nothing compared to George's research and wonderful writing. I got up and moved around during those movies, but I couldn't tear my self away from this book!
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Summary: Quintessential Historical Novel
Review: Like George's Henry VIII, this novel is superb. I'm not sure that I have much to add to earlier positive reviews. However, there was one review that I read prior to reading this book, which almost made me pick up another book. Shelley de Lange (1 January 2003) noted that George had characterized Cleopatra as "a great beauty". As most scholars would argue that she was not a conventional beauty, this comment made me wonder how accurate the research had been and whether it was worth my while to devote so much time to this book. I am glad that I did decide to read the book and found that Ms. de Lange's criticism is incorrect. George, on the other hand, seems to have gotten everything, including Cleopatra's physical appearance, quite correct.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I have read all of Margaret George's books & this is the only one I haven't been crazy about. I don't know why but it was hard for me to get into it.
Rating:
Summary: Xcellent!!!
Review: This fantastic book provides a missing link between Colleen McCulough's "October Horse" and Robert Graves' "I, Claudius".
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Summary: must have taken a longggggg time to research!
Review: The Memoirs of Cleopatra is the first book that I have ever read by Margaret George. The Memoirs of Cleopatra is a novel written like an autobiography. Again, as I say in the title, this book must have taken a long time to research. It is one of the only historical novels I have read that is also historically correct. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is one of my favorite's as well, but it is historically incorrect. A great book if you like historical novels, if you don't, I still recommend reading it.
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Summary: It Makes You Pine for What Might Have Been
Review: It's really a stunning work, and having now done most of the research myself, I can see that Margaret George has made very historically correct, or at least acceptable choices. Sometimes all you can do is choose when there is conflicting evidence. Margaret George is writing for Cleopatra's side, so if there's a dispute or an interpretation of propaganda, she resolves it in Cleopatra's favor. (Such as the death of her youngest brother Ptolemy.) On the one hand, writing a story about this period of history is a no-brainer. It's one of the most compelling love-stories of all time. You really can't screw it up. On the other hand, she does a beautiful portrayal of the major characters in the book. Caesar sweeps the reader off their feet--as if he were one of those heroes in a romance novel, flawed only insofar as his imperfections will make the reader love him. When he dies, one does feel the momentary blotting out of the sun. Cleopatra herself, tireless, shrewd and inspiring. We wonder if we could have gone on in similar circumstances the way she did, time and time again. In truth, but for one very talented admiral Agrippa, our lives could all be very different today. Antony might have been the perfection that died with Caesar. But with the war having gone the other way, it's Antony that had to be the greatest challenge to Margaret George as a writer. Lets face it. He's history's biggest loser. And all the propaganda of the time paints him as unmanly, foolish, drunken, and weak. Margaret George uses his letters to revive a different kind of Antony. One who is manly and warm-hearted, and dreadfully, tragically, honorable. Margaret George makes Antony lovable in a way that even Richard Burton's massive acting talent, Elizabeth Taylor's passion, and all the money in Hollywood could not. And for that alone, she must be honored. Fantastic work.
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: I find it hard to believe that this book has the same author as Mary Queen of Scots! Two completely different books. The topic of Cleopatra is one of the most intersting topics of all times, but this book is so amazingly boring, I had to skip pages because I couldnt follow endless emotionless dialogs and empty, almost non-existing characters...Very very disappointing (would be a good textbook though since it seems to be historically correct).
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