The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel

On a grand scale, Ms. George conjures forth an intriguing tale of epic proportions into this well-crafted account of a time long-gone, but not forgotten. For those of you who are interested in this tumultuous, but extremely fascinating period of history, indulge yourself and read this book! Sip a glass of wine in your finest crystal goblet, light several fragrant candles and play some soothing music. Take that journey and let your imagination soar - you are in for a delightful experience!


It Makes You Pine for What Might Have Been   March 13, 2003
Stephanie Dray (Owings Mills, Maryland United States)
62 out of 68 found this review helpful

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.


A long and only slightly rewarding journey   September 7, 2000
Angela Richardson (Windsor, Ontario)
40 out of 58 found this review helpful

The Memoirs of Cleopatra is my third Margaret George novel. I love the way George lets the reader immerse him/herself in the world inhabited by her subjects. She makes it easy to imagine what that world looked like, and even what it smelled and tasted like. Several readers have objected to her descriptions of the many sumptuous banquets and elegant articles of clothing, but that's what makes the foreign become so tangible. But, while I whole-heartedly loved Mary, Queen of Scots and The Autobiography of Henry VIII, I don't feel I can recommend Cleo quite so highly.

While George successfully creates the sensual and exotic feel of Ancient Egypt, I didn't find the story truly compelling until about 50 pages from the end. (And I had to wade through 900 pages of less-than-compelling story to get there!) I knew little of Cleopatra's story other than that she liked her men Roman and soldierly, but her story wasn't really very interesting until Cleopatra's and Antony's last days in Egypt, waiting for the arrival of Octavian. The anxiety of waiting for their inevitable destruction made their previously rather dull relationship interesting at last. Their passionate and romantic deaths were beautifully rendered, and made the previous 900 pages somewhat worthwhile.

I look forward to reading George's future books (and I'm very curious to see who she tackles next), but wouldn't recommend this one unless you've a lot of time to kill.


Simply pure magic   January 2, 2000
20 out of 26 found this review helpful

When ABC did a movie about Cleopatra I read in my TV guide that the movie was based on this book. Although the movie was terrible the next day I was at the library I saw it and checked it out. During the two weeks I had checked it out I was rather busy so after not being able to finish the 900+ page book I bought it. It my second favorite novel and longest book I have ever read. I couldn't put it down and still reread it over and over. It is the most truthful historical fiction I have seen. You feel like you are a character in this lush bedazzaling world of passion and loyalty watching the story unfold like a lotus bloom. You have real feelings for all the characters. In the back of the book there is also some words by the author about which parts of the novel are real and which parts had to be made up( which Ms. George did beautifully). The reason this book is so well written with so many real facts is the author spent many years studying Cleopatra before she wrote a word. If you are up to traveling through a mystic realm of magic read this gem of a novel. It will spellbind you too. FINIS


A perfect example of the genre   July 3, 2000
James A. Johnson (Dallas, TX USA)
17 out of 17 found this review helpful

I enjoy historical fiction not only for the sheer pleasure of reading, but also for the acquisition of knowledge. I am happy to say that all of Margaret George's books succeed on both levels. Reading a book in this genre always spurs me to further reading on the period, and it's always disappointing to find that an author has played fast and loose with historical facts to write a good story. George stays well within acceptable guidelines when creating her story and still manages to write fascinating material.

'The Memoirs of Cleopatra' did read a little more like a romance novel than George's other books, although it's hard to blame her - Cleopatra is a bit more romantic a subject than Henry VIII. And while I did find that I began to be suspicious of the sympathetic treatment 'Memoirs' gave its subject, I don't believe that is a shortcoming, but rather an inevitability of a good biographer identifying with her subject.

I disagree with other reviewers that the book was too long; while Cleopatra's life was short, it was thick with events too important to leave out of her life story. On the whole I found the book entertaining and educational; what more can you ask for?