Memoirs of Cleopatra

From Library Journal
Cleopatra has captivated generations, and this huge novel will ensure additional adulation. Beginning with a memory at age three of witnessing her mother's death and ending with her own suicide, Cleopatra tells her story. Both the telling and the tale are exceptional. George (Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles, St. Martin's, 1992) combines history and legend with her own imagination to produce a fascinating portrait. Strangely, some of the more implausible events, such as Cleopatra's being hidden in a rug and taken to Caesar, are fact, not fiction. The graceful use of the language and the intense action make for compelling reading. Success is guaranteed: book club rights have been sold to the Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club, and miniseries rights have been sold to Hallmark Productions. For most libraries.?Dorothy S. Golden, Georgia Southern Univ., StatesboroCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From AudioFile
Passionate, mysterious Cleopatra VII of Egypt tells the story of her life and the history of Egypt during the lives of Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Egyptian court intrigue, Roman politics and military campaigns are accurately recounted through the lively narration of Chelsea Adams. The lack of vocal characterizations is perfect for a first-person tale, particularly with all the changes in locale. Cleopatra's famous marriage to Julius Caesar and her love of Marc Antony are described by Cleopatra through George's imagination and Adams's sweet voice. George and Adams combine efforts to bring Cleopatra's famous story to life for the listener. M.B.K. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


From Booklist
Once again, George's years of research result in an extremely detailed historical novel; following The Autobiography of Henry VIII (1986) and Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles (1992), the author now moves from sixteenth-century Europe to ancient North Africa to bring another legendary historical figure to contemporary understanding. Nimble despite its girth, the novel follows in first-person narrative every triumph and failure the famous queen of Egypt enjoyed and endured during her tumultuous life. This was, of course, a time when Egypt was at the mercy of more powerful neighbors; Cleopatra states the obvious when she says that "it seemed our fate was inextricably entwined with that of Rome." The other two major players on her stage were, as most readers know, Julius Caesar and Marc Antony; and those two figures spring to life along with the queen herself in these many but fast-flowing pages. For historical fiction readers who want to totally lose themselves, this accurate re-creation of a vastly interesting time and place will not disappoint. (The publicity push is considerable and miniseries rights already have been sold.) Brad Hooper


Review
Fans of the author who loved her biographies of Henry VIII and Mary Queen of Scots will find this story of Egypt's ancient queen equally engrossing. The author's impeccable research brings a long ago civilization thoroughly to life, and her portraits of Cleopatra, Ceasar and Antony are wonderful. A spellbinding book." --Barbara Taylor Bradford

"A thrilling story...[Cleopatra's] 'memoirs' are vivid and enthralling. Read them."
--Washington Post

"A 976 page time machine...It's as if you lived there, walked the streets and counseled the Queen throughout her turbulent life."

"Awash in sensuous, jewl-like detail... As if ancient frescoes had sprung alive." --Entertainment Weekly

"George is such a skilled writer the book seems built no the intimate details of the five senses" --Memphis Commercial Appeal

"Readers looking to be transported to another place and time will find their magic carpet here." --Publishers Weekly



Book Description
Bestselling novelist Margaret George brings to life the glittering kingdom of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, in this luch, sweeping, and richly detailed saga. Told in Cleopatra's own voice, this is a mesmerizing tale of ambition, passion, and betrayl, which begins when the twenty-year-old queen seeks out the most powerful man in the world, Julius Caesar, and does not end until, having survived the assassination of Caesar and the defeat of the second man she loves, Marc Antony, she plots her own death rather than be paraded in triumph through the streets of Rome.

Most of all, in its richness and authenticity, it is an irresistible story that reveals why Margaret George's work has been widely acclaimed as "the best kind of historical novel, one the reader can't wait to get lost in." (San Francisco Chronicle).



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The world-renowned author of The Autobiography of Henry VIII and Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles turns from Renaissance Britain to ancient Egypt and the story of Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile. Told in the first person - from the young queen's earliest memories of her father's tenuous rule to her own reign over one of the most glittering kingdoms in the world - this is a mesmerizing saga of ambition and power. But it is also a tale of passion that begins when the twenty-one-year-old Cleopatra, desperate to return from exile, seeks out the one man who can help her, the Roman general Julius Caesar - and does not end until, having survived the assassination of Caesar and the defeat of the second man she loves, Marc Antony, she plots her own death rather than allow herself to be paraded in triumph through the streets of Rome.


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