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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
I tried to finish this book and made it half-way through the book to about page 500 and just could not push through the remaining 500 pages. Once Casear died and Cleapatra is mourning his death I just could not take her moping around for 'what should she do?' what about her son?'
If you are brave enough to pick up this book, have plenty of time and patience to make it through the stagnant story. Feeling pretty generous giving this a 2-star rating.
If you are brave enough to pick up this book, have plenty of time and patience to make it through the stagnant story. Feeling pretty generous giving this a 2-star rating.
Just incredible! It really impressed upon me how little I really knew about her - and how much I wanted to know.
4 ½ stars
There have been numerous books on this iconic figure in history and what made this one stand out was that it tried, and in my opinion succeeded, in making the story truly feel like the personal memoirs of Cleopatra.
The author brings history alive and creates a connection between the reader and the characters. Yes this book was VERY long but worth the effort.
My experience with [b:When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra|242353|When We Were Gods A Novel of Cleopatra|Colin Falconer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348940344s/242353.jpg|234782] left me with minimal recollection of Cleopatra and her connection to Rome as it was not a very good read. This time round I was fascinated by all I learned....... The Egyptian gods and their place in this nation’s belief system, Rome’s love for bloodsport and parties and Cleopatra’s love for two such different men.
For someone who does not enjoy stories of war it surprised me that I didn’t mind all the war tactics and strategy scenes - well up to a point. The last battle between Anthony and Octavian completely depleted my patience for this subject matter and I almost almost started skimming sections.
The only real criticism I have is that due to the length of this novel a lot of people I know who would have loved it will shy away from reading it. Had it been divided into 3 books, the size would not have been as daunting and more people would have given it a go and fallen under its spell.
Highly recommended!
There have been numerous books on this iconic figure in history and what made this one stand out was that it tried, and in my opinion succeeded, in making the story truly feel like the personal memoirs of Cleopatra.
The author brings history alive and creates a connection between the reader and the characters. Yes this book was VERY long but worth the effort.
My experience with [b:When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra|242353|When We Were Gods A Novel of Cleopatra|Colin Falconer|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348940344s/242353.jpg|234782] left me with minimal recollection of Cleopatra and her connection to Rome as it was not a very good read. This time round I was fascinated by all I learned....... The Egyptian gods and their place in this nation’s belief system, Rome’s love for bloodsport and parties and Cleopatra’s love for two such different men.
For someone who does not enjoy stories of war it surprised me that I didn’t mind all the war tactics and strategy scenes - well up to a point. The last battle between Anthony and Octavian completely depleted my patience for this subject matter and I almost almost started skimming sections.
The only real criticism I have is that due to the length of this novel a lot of people I know who would have loved it will shy away from reading it. Had it been divided into 3 books, the size would not have been as daunting and more people would have given it a go and fallen under its spell.
Highly recommended!
Two and a half months later and I'm finally done with this book! Essentially cried myself to sleep last night after finishing, which goes to show how emotionally involved I was by the end. Beautifully written and engaging, I loved learning more about Cleopatra!
It's no secret that I adore history. Particularly ancient history, Greece, Rome, Egypt and so on and so forth. I've been eyeing this book for ages, so I'm glad I've finally managed to get through it. At nearly a 1,000 pages, it is quite the feat. Cleopatra has always been a subject of fascination, and getting the chance to get inside her head was a marvelous experiance. Admittedly I think I enjoyed the first part of the book the most, after Caesar's assassination the mood does change drastically and though perhaps this is due to knowing exactly that will happen, it does become a bit hard to get through some of the last few hundred pages. The end does pick up though as Octavian closes in on Cleopatra and she works to outwit him. Overall a very wonderful read, though not for the faint of heart as it's definitely intimidating!
Marvellously researched in-depth fictionalization of Cleoptra. An impressive amount of time and effort went into this book. For me the story dragged at times and I wished it was shorter.
This book is LONG. 1000 dense pages, 17 hours of reading long. But I wasn't sick of it at the end! That says something. George did her research, and Cleopatra's life was fascinating.
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Could have been a little shorter, but I feel like I lived this period of history reading the book -- as if cleopatra is my misunderstood friend whose personal story the rest of the history books got wrong.
This book reminded me that we consciously choose (or not) to be great ourselves and of the unmeasurable power of having the Gods our side.
This book reminded me that we consciously choose (or not) to be great ourselves and of the unmeasurable power of having the Gods our side.