The Memoirs of Cleopatra

Rating:
Summary: Cleopatra's life from beginning to end
Review: I was excited to read about Cleopatra from the author of such a wonderful historical novel as "Autobiography of Henry VIII". I was also glad that she reverted to using the first person narrative after the less successful re-telling of the story of Mary, Queen of Scotts. I have to say that I enjoyed "The Memoirs of Cleopatra", but it still fell short of my expectations.

The biggest problem I had when reading this book is to tune out "Masters of Rome" series of books by Colleen McCullough. After reading the series, I could only look at the history of Ancient Rome through McCullough's eyes and any departure from her story-telling did not sit well with me, even though Margaret George could have been more accurate with her description.

The first disparity was the identity of Cleopatra's mother. In "Memoirs of Cleopatra", she is described as Ptolemy VII's half-sister. In "Fortune's Favorites" and "Caesar's Women" by Colleen McCullough, she is described as a daughter of King Mithradates of Pontus. This little detail is probably insignificant but McCullough's version makes Cleopatra's connection to Rome's enemies poignant. Also, McCullough describes an affair between Caesar and Mithradates Nysa, who is in her version Cleopatra's mother's sister or Cleopatra's aunt. It would have been an interesting connection to explore if Margaret George decided to follow this version of Cleopatra's story as well. Although she did not explore any of these possibilities, I kept thinking about all of these connections and that hindered my enjoyment of the novel.

The most interesting paradox between the two treatments of Cleopatra's story is the character of Caesar. McCullough devotes all of her books in the series so far to him and he comes out to be a completely different person than Margaret George makes him out to be in "The Memoirs of Cleopatra". I have to agree with George's depiction of Caesar. He is shown as an almost unfalliable person that he undoubtly was (almost being the imperitive word here since McCullough makes him god on earth). However, by this time, I have already bought into McCullough's legend of Caesar so it was a bit disappointing to read about this human version.

Other characters that appear in both places confused me. I liked Marc Antony in George's version better because he appeared as more complex individual than in McCullough's version. In her books, he is just a beast in human clothing. Octavian is shown with more potential for later brilliance in McCullough's version, so that is why I like him better in her novles. George makes his emergence unexpected although she writes from Cleopatra's point of view and that might be how she perceived him. Fulvia is too one-dementional in George's version -- she's just some shameless hussy who can't live without a man by her side. I think Fulvia was too unique and interesting (after all she captured the imaginations of Claudius, Curio, and Antony -- very different and strong individuals) for her time to have so little said about her. But again Cleopatra's perception of her might have been different.

The characters that appear only in George's version are extremely well realized. Olympus and Mardian were fascinating and the author really let us get to know them. Ptolemy Caesar appears as such a wonderful and brilliant boy that his fate is truly tragic. The Kandake was also an unusual strong femal role-model that is hardly, if ever, heard of in the story of Cleopatra.

Cleopatra herself is a wonderful character. George did a wonderful job getting inside her psyche. She was certainly brilliant and a good politian who, alas, followed her heart more often than her reason. I like the way George makes a distinction between Cleopatra's love for Caesar and her love for Antony. The best scene in the whole book is the plan and description of Cleopatra's death. It is amazing that the author can make the readers feel triumphant that this woman is killing herself.

The biggest problems with this novel is that it is too long and there are inconsistancies in the description. Cleopatra's stay in Rome is hard to reconcile with history because of so many inconsistancies. For example, how could she cross the pomerium into the city of Rome if no annoited ruler can do that? The length is really felt here because some key moments in time are summarized while superfluous details are elaborated to the point of boredom.

All in all, this is a great epic on Cleopatra's life.

Rating:
Summary: Re: Memoirs of Cleopatra
Review: I've done slight research on Cleopatra in the past so I'm easiy disappointed when she seems wrongly or sloppily portrayed in books or movies. If there's any author out there who is perfect for writing Cleopatra's biography (voiced as an autobiography) it's Margaret George. The story is beautifully and gracefully woven together from the first page and once I started I did not want to put it down. Of course I had to, many times, since the book is over 900 pages long, but that just made it better because there was more too read - I didn't want it to end. George pays immense attention to detail to give the reader a real view not only of who Cleopatra was, but what the culture and time period and location she lived in were really like. George also does an brilliant job of portraying Cleopatra as a real, albeit incredible, person that the reader attaches to throughout the book. I enjoyed the book all the way through and I recommend it to anyone, whether they know the story of Cleopatra or not, whether they like histories or romances or instructional pamphlets, they will love this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read...lol...I have yet to finish =)
Review: I bought this book at a bookstore. I was, at first very skeptical. I knew very little about Cleopatra, except tidbits here and there. Plus the book was huge and I thought it would be drawn out and too long. But to be honest...

It was Great! I couldn't put it down. The pages really took you to the place. You could visualize how life was like there. You can understand why Cleopatra made certain decisions. How they benefited her and at the same time hindered her.

It was exciting to see how she was able to secure the throne. How she had to fight for it as soon as she had it. And the ally (Caesar) she had to make to seal the deal. But also the unexpected turn of things as she found out; what was a plan turned into love.

During the part that Anthony entered into the picture. It was great! Until after the initial meeting, only then did the book seem to be drawn out. It almost was like the first half but couldn't actually match the greatness of it.

The first part I flew into and now near the end I have slowed into a steady pace. I could honestly stop reading for awhile and pick it up later.

Either way I would recommend it. I am glad I bought it. It was very interesting and taught me a lot of what was then. Honestly...I would read it again...lol...at least the first half.

Rating:
Summary: The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel
Review: Since age 8, I was enchanted by the story of Cleopatra. I would get my hands on any book about her. Being the history freak that I am, I purchased this novel about 2 years ago. The book started out pretty slow, but eventually, it quickened its pace. With a whopping number of 964 pages, I was pretty intimidated when I found the book at the store. Other than those faults, this was a really great novel. It's one of the most detailed historical fictions I have ever read. You will probably get lazy like me and read a page (or two, or a chapter) a day. Hehe. Around the part where Cleopatra travelled to Rome is where things got interesting for me. With all of the extensive research, I salute Margaret George. I'm sure it took a lot of time and dedication (same with reading the book :P).

I'm happy with how the characters came out. George really portrayed all of them well. I loved the bitter rivalry between Cleopatra and Arsinoë, which grew by the day even as young adults. George made Cleopatra like how she's known to be: seductive, shrewd, strong, and an outstanding individual. Antony is somewhat a comical character in some parts. Olympos was made the loyal friend and intelligent physician that he was. There are even lesser known characters like the Kandake of Meroe.

All in all, this is a good novel.

Rating:
Summary: Worth all 900+ pages
Review: I have always been fascinated with Cleopatra, and when I was 13, I picked up this book and thought, I don't think I can get through this. Once I started reading, however, I began to think differently. This book keeps you on the egde, and puts you right there in ancient Alexandria. The book is written from the viewpoint of Cleopatra, whose voice is so rarely heard. She is one of the most discriminated women in history. Many think of her as a seductress that stole away married men from their true wives. This book shows a more human side to Cleopatra- a real person, with feelings and emotions. We go through her famous life, and on to her tragic death. People who think they know all about Cleopatra should read this book. They will find out so much more about her and her life. After reading this book, I searched for others, but none measured up. The writing quality Ms. George displays is amazing. When reading the detailed descriptions, you feel like you are right there. I loved this book, and you will too. If you love stories with strong female characters this book is for you. Cleopatra Ptolemy VII is my idol, and this book is a fitting tribute.

Rating:
Summary: Memoirs of Cleopatra, An instant teleporatation through time
Review: George really does a wonderful job inticing the reader down the rabbit hole into the time of Caeser, Antony and of course Cleopatra.

Rating:
Summary: Magnificent!!
Review: I am a prolific reader, at about 50 or so books a year and accurate historical fiction is my biggest passion. This book is one of the best researched, best written novels I have ever had the pleasure to read. I hated for it to end, especially knowing how it had to end.
I laughed with Cleopatra, I cried with her, I fell in love with Marc Antony, and I hated Octavian. Ms George is a writer of exquisite talent. She brings to life an epic time period, major historical events, and bigger than life characters realistically, beliveably and seamlessly.
I would recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading her other works.

Rating:
Summary: Breath of fresh air
Review: i can't believe no has reviewed this book yet! I loved this book. It was so refreshing to read a book about Cleopatra that didn't protray her as a scheming, power hungry tyrant. This books follows her life from when she was very young through to her death. The story is told through Cleopatra's own eyes and we see the struggles she faced and the motivation behind her most famous deeds. In this novel she is a adventurous young girl obsessed with Alexander the Great who grows into a Powerful and caring mother and wife. We share her thoughts and feelings as she faced the spiteful roman populace who saw her as nothing more than Caesars whore. We feel her pain at Caesars passing. We are witness to her plight to have her son recognized as Caesars true heir. We are swept away in the love she develops for Antony. We grieve with her and understand her in the final moments of her life.
This novel is a true treasure. I highly recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: One-part incredible, two parts dull
Review: The Memoirs of Cleopatra is a very good book. Alas, you don't discover that until after you've slogged through 700 pages of really dull, often eye-rolling, bland prose. The last 250 pages, however, are powerful, gripping, and moving.

Is it worth the 700 pages of tedium to get to the last 250? In the end, yes. Margaret George has given us an amazing depiction of Marc Antony - multi-faceted, both strong and weak, confident and cowardly. Fans of both Roman history and literature in general will find much to admire about George's ability to bring Antony to life. The Octavian seen here is intriguing, if one-dimensional; Octavian as he probably must have been to have gained absolute power, but a far cry from the benevolent Augustus we tend to picture. As events race to conclusion at Actium and afterwords, George will leave you gasping for breath, trying to keep up.

The tedium until that point, however, is painful. The book is simply far too long for a first-person narrative. A periodic change in perspective is critical to avoid burn-out (see Shogun or War in Peace, which change viewpoints often). It does not help that Cleopatra's voice is not a strong one, lacking the charm of Robert Graves' Claudius or the strength of Mary Stewart's Merlin, and failing to arouse any strong feelings of either like or hate. George's Caesar seems flat, as does Cleopatra's instant infatuation with him. So many times I found myself longing to give up on the book. I'm glad I did not, but it was a tough struggle.

An earlier reviewer suggested reading the end of the book first. Since we all know how the story ends anyway, that might not be such a bad idea.

Rating:
Summary: Emotional
Review: I loved this book, it is packed with information, and tells a great love story. I was emotionally attached to this book it was heart wrenching.