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plantbirdwoman 's review for:
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
by Margaret George
Thank God! I finally finished this neverending book! It took me more than a month, but I perservered.
It wasn't a bad book. At moments throughout it was quite good. But the moments were too few. Many times I considered giving up on the book, but I just don't like to do that unless the book is truly atrocious - and this one wasn't.
George has channeled Cleopatra to give a new perspective - the first person perspective - to her well-known story. But it is a daunting task. After all, that story has been known and written about for over two thousand years. Shakespeare has written it, for heaven's sake! How can any mortal writer compete with that?
And yet it is such a captivating story that it must be a strong temptation for a historical fiction writer to give it a try. I think George's effort would have been more effective if it had not been so damned looooong!!!
Why must she report every single conversation that Cleopatra ever had? And yes, it no doubt took a long time for events to percolate to their climax in the ancient world when travel was only overland on one's own feet or through the power of horses or camels or on sea under sails or oars. Still, could she not have sped up the TELLING of the action a bit? I think some judicious editing could have made this a much more readable, coherent and, yes, interesting story.
It's impossible to make the story of Cleopatra, Caesar, and Antony dull and George hasn't. But one is left with the feeling that it could have been so much better.
It wasn't a bad book. At moments throughout it was quite good. But the moments were too few. Many times I considered giving up on the book, but I just don't like to do that unless the book is truly atrocious - and this one wasn't.
George has channeled Cleopatra to give a new perspective - the first person perspective - to her well-known story. But it is a daunting task. After all, that story has been known and written about for over two thousand years. Shakespeare has written it, for heaven's sake! How can any mortal writer compete with that?
And yet it is such a captivating story that it must be a strong temptation for a historical fiction writer to give it a try. I think George's effort would have been more effective if it had not been so damned looooong!!!
Why must she report every single conversation that Cleopatra ever had? And yes, it no doubt took a long time for events to percolate to their climax in the ancient world when travel was only overland on one's own feet or through the power of horses or camels or on sea under sails or oars. Still, could she not have sped up the TELLING of the action a bit? I think some judicious editing could have made this a much more readable, coherent and, yes, interesting story.
It's impossible to make the story of Cleopatra, Caesar, and Antony dull and George hasn't. But one is left with the feeling that it could have been so much better.