This historical fiction book covers the entire life of the famous Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. The book starts when she is a young child, and ends.....well, I'll leave that up to the reader to find out for him/herself!

I'm embarrassed to admit that I started the book knowing next to nothing about Cleopatra. In this case, it was probably a plus that I didn't know much; the book is so huge and detailed that I think it would be easy to get bogged down in if you already knew her story. For me, though, everything came as a surprise, and it made it hard for me to put the book down. I thought the book was very well written, and it was fascinating to read about Cleopatra's time period, and ancient Rome and Egypt. I've added Helen of Troy by George to my TBR list; it sounds as fascinating as Memoirs of Cleopatra was! ( )

This is a long, but rewarding read. It is so interesting to look at Rome's transition from republic to empire (and of course to look at Cleopatra herself) through the eyes of Cleopatra, to think about what SHE must have experienced during those years.

One impression I got reading the book was sadness, a feeling of loss. That is, a feeling like Cleopatra could have been even more than she was (or, alternately, that she could have had a much longer, less troubled life as a successful ruler) if not for getting involved with Antony. We forget looking at it from the present that "Augustus'" rise to ultimate power was not inevitable, but as all history is, was very much contingent on numerous factors and personalities. You also feel like Antony should have been more than he was (though he didn't want to be--and as the book says at one point, you have to absolutely want to be the absolute ruler).

On a lighter side, it's a pleasure to come to feel you know the Queen's advisors (especially Mardian, who adds a touch of humor with his stoutness).

As with Colleen McCollough's books, I feel at the end like I have gotten to live a slice of ancient time--what more can you ask from historical fiction? Highly recommended. ( )

I've always been fascinated by Cleopatra...This was the first book of Margaret George's I'd ever read. And while there are many, many great things I could say about this novel, I will reduce it to the fact that I am now a bigger fan of both Cleopatra and George. ( )

My Summary and Thoughts. The Memoirs of Cleopatra takes us from the time the Egyptian queen was about twelve years old until her death at age thirty-nine. The story is told from Cleopatra's viewpoint, and we watch the young girl as she matures from a naive teenager to a politically savvy and manipulative world leader. It is a captivating story of the fall of the Roman republic and the complex politics of the Mediterranean in the late years before Christ.

Cleopatra comes across as a woman who puts her country before everything, sometimes even before her children. Because of Egypt's wealth and climate, it was a coveted ally and potential prize for Rome. When the young queen meets Julius Caesar, she is still learning about the wider world. Her alliance with Caesar and her trip to Rome taught her much about how to rule her people with a caring yet strong hand. She also learned of the dangers of power when Caesar was stabbed to death in the senate building.

We travel with Cleopatra as she visits her domain, learning through her words about the religions and cultures of Alexandria, greater Egypt, and her other possessions. She had a gift for languages and an ability to win over almost everyone with whom she had a face-to-face audience. She was blessed with capable, loyal, and trustworthy ministers, doctors, and personal servants. And she was determined to pass her throne on to her children.

By the time Marc Antony entered her life, Cleopatra had no illusions. She may have loved Antony, but she was also well aware of his faults and how she could use him to better herself and her people. The reader is left to question what Antony's fate would have been had he not been pressured to proclaim Cleopatra to be his wife or if Octavian had not befriended Agrippa. The queen's ambitions may have been the ultimate downfall of not only herself but also her Roman husband.

The book ends with an author's note about the historical basis of the story. George is clear about which plot lines and characters are factual and which are not. I did some quick research and am satisfied that George doesn't stray too far from what is known about the queen. I did find two glaring anachronisms. Cleopatra mentions paper several times. I don't believe paper reached Egypt until long after the queen was dead. Furthermore, she mentions having ships of the line, which I believe is a seventeenth-century term. There may have been other slips, but I either wasn't aware of them or I've forgotten them.

The story was engrossing throughout. I've long had an interest in the age of Julius Caesar and his nephew Octavian (later Augustus). It was interesting to see the events through Cleopatra's eyes. Her relationship with Octavian was hostile for a number of reasons, including the fact that she was mother to Caesar's son and insisted that Antony divorce Octavian's sister. Rome needed Egypt's treasury and its grain, and Octavian would stop at nothing to secure both.

I listened to the unabridged audiobook, which was brilliantly narrated by Donada Peters. The paperback is about 975 pages, and the audio comes in at 49 hours! The novel translated wonderfully to audio, and I have no doubt that it would be just as good or better in print. ( )

I loved this story. It was such a wonderful potential insight into the life of Cleopatra. Margaret George does no disappoint. Historical Fiction is a marvelous way to get into History and George knows how to keep us interested. ( )