I stopped reading just beyond 50% as the creepy sexualization of Cleopatra became too much.

Scenes where the author imagines what Cleopatra looked like, had sex with Caesar for the first time, and even got in the bath tub were over the top and included unnecessary speculation.

For the first half of the book (the only part I finished) portrayed Cleopatra as a femme fatale father and a powerful leader.

This book fluctuated between trying to be a history and a bad romance.
informative slow-paced

"In our mind's eye, we immediately see the face of a stunning-looking, intelligent, and elegant woman with a deep gaze and oozing sensuality. We're immediately enveloped by the charm of Ancient Egypt and Rome."
There is so much to learn from this book. I saw this in Barnes & Nobel a while back and immediately picked it up, no questions asked and knowing I had to read it. This may seem a bit cliche, but the following moments really stood out to me: Cleopatra finding out about the deaths of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, and her own suicide. (I was half tempted to use the spoiler feature, but this isn't really a spoiler.) I think this is such an important book because of its central focus. Many of the written accounts surrounding Cleopatra are of her overwhelming sexuality, her relationships with Caesar and Antony, and her suicide. However, Cleopatra: The Woman Who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity emphasizes her life as a queen, and places that role ahead of what pop culture has decided to focus on.

This was a different read, one that takes you back as though it is happening as you read. Cleopatra was an interesting figure, but I am not sure I loved the take on this book.
Having been an ancient Egyptian enthusiast for years, I was a tad disappointed with this take.

Decent, just not the dynamite I was hoping for!

While I appreciate the author's attempt to make history accessible through a storytelling approach, it's wildly overwritten (for my tastes, at least). I got to page 2 of the main text after having read the introduction and couldn't go on. Maybe it just isn't for me.
adventurous dark informative slow-paced

DNF'd

When I went to search for a book on cleopatra, specially searching that name, was i looking for a book more about Julius Cesar and Marc Antony? 

No, no I wasn’t. 

The first third of this book has little to no mention of cleopatra aside from her “seductive curves”, or as a small aside about how Cesar loved her and nobody in Rome liked that. So the first 33% of the book is focused on Cesar and his death. 

I figured I’d give it a shot after that, that maybe the author was just setting the stage for our girl’s grand entrance, right? Like, the author wants to heighten the drama after the love of Cleopatra’s life dies, she does some serious bad b*tch stuff right?

Wrong. 

Very wrong. 

We get a lot of focus on what Egypt was like at this time (which is interesting, yes, and would be forgivable, and dare I say it: enjoyable, had the rest of the book actually been about what the title says it’s supposed to be about: CLEOPATRA), and Marc Antony, and the other Greek powerful men of the time. 

And then we’re back on to cleopatra’s seductive hips as she enters her bath water, and how cleopatra must hide her vulnerability and wear a mask, but don’t worry, this is just the tiniest of pit stops before talking about how much sex she’s having on her “honeymoon” down the Nile.

And then we’re back with Marc Antony and fighting a battle and being oh so smart, and that’s where I quit. 

This book would be interesting if it wasn’t named so terribly - there’s little mention of the person this book is SUPPOSED to be about, most of that is the thirsty author focusing on her seductive qualities while occasionally mentioning how smart she was. If I was a person interested in the broader story of the end of the Ptolemaic era, wanting to know more about Egypt/Greece/cleopatra/cesar’s death/ Marc Antony, and also had a hard time with your typical non-fiction book, I might hav enjoyed this book. 

But as a story that’s marketed to be primarily about cleopatra, it’s terrible and I couldn’t finish it.

DNF'd

I was expecting nonfiction, but this comes across as borderline fiction. It's told as if the author is there observing things while also giving an overview of books. Not my nonfiction style.