The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel

by Margaret George

Book Overview

Bestselling novelist Margaret George brings to life the glittering kingdom of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, in this lush, sweeping, and richly detailed saga, the basis for the Cleopatra TV... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312187459
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
• Length: 976 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.2" x 1.6" x 6.2"

Customer Reviews

Great Book

As with all of Margaret George’s books, Memoirs of f Cleopatra is excellently researched and written loved every bit in f the book, beautiful character development. This was my first book by this author but definitely not my last. I only need to purchase two more books to complete the set. I wanted to own them all so I can enjoy them time and again.

Magnificent!!

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.

It Makes You Pine for What Might Have Been

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.

Re: Memoirs of Cleopatra

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.

This book shined brighter than the Pharos Lighthouse!!!

Many readers may now be discouraged from reading this book, thanks to the totally inaccurate ABC re-telling in its recent production of CLEOPATRA. Don't be discouraged! George's account was based on HISTORICAL DIGGING and NOT Hollywood fantasy! Having read several accounts of Cleopatra VII's life, I found George's to be especially refreshing. Her accounting of the Battle of Actium shed important, new historical accounts/theories on what probably happened. History has always been so HARD on both Cleopatra and Antony. Though they both made their share of mistakes (who hasn't?!), George's book strips away the cold marble facades of their museum busts, and places flesh and beating hearts into their characters. And for those who are loath to believe that Octavian (Caesar Augustus) was beyond flaw, remember that the way one acts in victory says MUCH about one's character. The tragedy revealed at the end of the book (the murders of two sons of Cleopatra and Antony, and the destruction of their statues and the smearing of their names) should be evidence enough that sometimes history can be extrememly wrong. Thanks Margaret George for finally telling the OTHER side of the story. It was illuminating, and I cried when Antony died. Readers, get your Kleenex OUT!