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8th out of 41 books
—
79 voters
When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra
by
Colin Falconer (Goodreads Author)
"The most complete woman ever to have existed, the most womanly woman and the most queenly queen, a person to be wondered at . . . whom dreamers find always at the end of their dreams."
-- Theophile Gautier, 1845
Arrestingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a teenager when she inherited the richest empire in the world--one that...more
-- Theophile Gautier, 1845
Arrestingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a teenager when she inherited the richest empire in the world--one that...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
March 26th 2002
by Three Rivers Press
(first published 1999)
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When We Were Gods / 0-609-80889-3
Falconer shows his prowess yet again at bringing history to life, in a vivid landscape, dominated by a powerful (and yet deeply politically vulnerable woman) who is frighteningly compelling. Falconer seems to specialize in strong women who are fundamentally unreliable narrators and sometimes anti-heroes and yet we are drawn to their courage and we admire their drive and ambition, even when we do not agree with their motives.
You see this in "Feathered Serpent", a...more
Falconer shows his prowess yet again at bringing history to life, in a vivid landscape, dominated by a powerful (and yet deeply politically vulnerable woman) who is frighteningly compelling. Falconer seems to specialize in strong women who are fundamentally unreliable narrators and sometimes anti-heroes and yet we are drawn to their courage and we admire their drive and ambition, even when we do not agree with their motives.
You see this in "Feathered Serpent", a...more
Finished this monsterous historical romance while I was getting eight hour micro braids and must say I was completely content to read and lose myself in ancient Egypt again with my favorite woman ruler, Cleopatra..I am so intrigued by this beautiful ambitious woman that had not only men at her disposal but gods on earth reincarnated through Julius Caesar and Marc Antony..This book takes us from Cleopatra's childhood to her untimely demise highlighting her quest for power and security for herself...more
There were some editing problems, but this was a wonderful read. The contrasts between Julius Caesar and Marc Antony were brilliantly drawn. Of the great love stories throughout history, I have wondered why Antony, rather than Julius, is coupled with Cleopatra. Maybe Shakespeare deemed it so. Cleopatra proves that it is difficult to be a god, a ruler, a mother and a woman. She never realized the depth of Caesar's devotion. She understood Antony's devotion too late. He had to look upon her face o...more
I would give this 3 1/2 stars. This is not (as many have asked me) the new non-fiction book on Cleopatra. It's also not (as I had expected) a trashy romance novel about Cleopatra. Much to my delight, it's historical fiction a la Philippa Gregory and I actually got to learn some presumably real things about Cleopatra and her life. To be honest, I really only vaguely new the story of Cleopatra from grade-school stories, and it was interesting to read an account of her as a strong, savvy and strate...more
This was an OK book. It was interesting in that it covered Cleopatra's early life, as much as it could. What her life in the royal house was like with a mousy brother who was supposed to rule. We also got a quick tour of what it was like being with Celius Juser. Um. Sulius Jeezer. Oh, heck. Whatever his name is!
The best part is that we got an idea of what kind of queen she might have been, and why Egypt was so rich. And I do mean RICH. She knew something of national management, if anything in th...more
The best part is that we got an idea of what kind of queen she might have been, and why Egypt was so rich. And I do mean RICH. She knew something of national management, if anything in th...more
This was a great choice of book to read while travelling through Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Turkey - so many places mentioned in the course of Cleopatra's life that I found myself in, sometimes at just the right spot in the book - for instance ancient Antioch where we were the other day - where Marc Antony sent for Cleopatra. I had no idea exactly how much she travelled in the region. A completely fascinating woman who very nearly managed to combine the Roman Empire with her own as co-regent, firs...more
When We Were Gods tells the story of the queen of the Nile and her life. Chosen to rule by her father, Cleopatra watches and learns. When she ascends to the throne, she heeds her father's advice about the nest of vipers she rules. She navigates the pitfalls of family and Rome to secure her rule. Cleopatra dreams of creating an even bigger empire and forms a political and romantic alliance with Julius Caesar. Convinced he is her Orisis, she urges him to declare himself king of Rome and marry her....more
When We Were Gods / 0-609-80889-3
Falconer shows his prowess yet again at bringing history to life, in a vivid landscape, dominated by a powerful (and yet deeply politically vulnerable woman) who is frighteningly compelling. Falconer seems to specialize in strong women who are fundamentally unreliable narrators and sometimes anti-heroes and yet we are drawn to their courage and we admire their drive and ambition, even when we do not agree with their motives.
You see this in "Feathered Serpent", a...more
Falconer shows his prowess yet again at bringing history to life, in a vivid landscape, dominated by a powerful (and yet deeply politically vulnerable woman) who is frighteningly compelling. Falconer seems to specialize in strong women who are fundamentally unreliable narrators and sometimes anti-heroes and yet we are drawn to their courage and we admire their drive and ambition, even when we do not agree with their motives.
You see this in "Feathered Serpent", a...more
This is a great book to read about the real life and times of Cleopatra. The author does a great job describing what Rome and Alexandria must have looked like back then. This book was based on fact and research from scholars instead of the cruel propoganda Rome put out about Cleopatra. I was surprised at the amount of sex in the book, but you know what they say, "when in Rome...". I know I've read a good book when I miss the characters and I miss Cleopatra and Antony.
Oct 01, 2009
Tiffany
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
fans of historical epics
Recommended to Tiffany by:
found it at the library
If you want some historical Alexandrian romance and you like Cleopatra and Antony, then this is the story for you. I did like this book, I borrowed it from the library and read it fairly quickly. It was kind of an insight into day to day life in the tumultuous affairs of Cleopatra, and the actual "affairs" with Antony and Julius Caesar. Gave me a good backdrop on the era and this history of the times and the place, from Rome to Alexandria. Good book.
Okay, so you've got Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Marc Antony. Rich material, right? Should be an awesome story, right? Wrong. Way wrong. At least in this book, it's wrong.
None of the characters ever felt remotely real. It felt like the author had a Barbie doll in one hand and a Ken doll in the other hand, and he just moved them around and told a somewhat disjointed story.
Also, there were 127 chapters in a book that is 462 pages long. And within those short little chapters, there was generally...more
None of the characters ever felt remotely real. It felt like the author had a Barbie doll in one hand and a Ken doll in the other hand, and he just moved them around and told a somewhat disjointed story.
Also, there were 127 chapters in a book that is 462 pages long. And within those short little chapters, there was generally...more
Absolutely hated the way the author entered foreign words into the text, as if it were a foreign language lesson, which in my opinion, vastly detracted from the tale as a whole. I'm certain the author is a vastly erudite person but I felt so patronized by his style of writing that it irritated me to the extreme of not being able to continue the book.
This question has long plagued me about historical novels: why, pray tell, WHY are women always 'cursing their weak hearts' for craving love? In every book where the main character happens to be female (Cleo, Joan of Arc, Queen Elizabeth, JEZEBEL for heaven's sake) this line inevitably appears in some form or another. Can't there be one woman who is utterly ruthless, supremely disciplined and seeks nothing more than gratification and the odd opened jar from men? The stereotype of the eternally l...more
Marcus Antonius to Cleopatra in her bed chamber: "You are still as beautiful as you ever were." Cleopatra: "I can see that. You have built me my own obelisk." He replies, "I erected it in your honor." This is just one of many sex scenes in the novel. Apparently the author did a lot of research in order to write this historical fiction of Cleopatra. Since I remember virtually nothing about the woman since writing a report on her in 6th grade, I'm just going to take his word for it. It is very inf...more
Its a well known story; ceaser + cleopatra = ceaserion - ceaser + marc anthony = more kids - entire cast = tragic story.
Writer took a lot of liberties. Pretty well known that Cleopatra was not an attractive lady... writer gushes on and on about her beauty. It wasn't her looks that captivated men, it was her mind.
It was definitely just OK.
Writer took a lot of liberties. Pretty well known that Cleopatra was not an attractive lady... writer gushes on and on about her beauty. It wasn't her looks that captivated men, it was her mind.
It was definitely just OK.
I'm a little biased, since I really love historical fictions, but this one does not disappoint. Not done reading, yet, but so far, it's hooked me, and when a book hooks me, I usually love it.
DONE. Yup. I enjoyed the book. I had forgotten the historical facts concerning Cleopatra (aside from her dying via snake bite), so it kept me interested until the end.
DONE. Yup. I enjoyed the book. I had forgotten the historical facts concerning Cleopatra (aside from her dying via snake bite), so it kept me interested until the end.
Nov 16, 2012
Ratforce
added it
Similar to Philippa Gregory’s style is the book When We Were Gods by Colin Falconer. This historical fiction boldly paints the portrait of the life and loves of Cleopatra, a fascinating woman who ruled an empire.
I loved this book. He made her seem so human and not just a piece of history. I almost didn't want to finish reading it because I loved the character he made so much that I didn't want to read about her death.
A great insight into the life of Cleopatra. Colin Falconer's portrays the Egyptian Queen as a sensual enigmatic woman.The book is an easy relaxing read.
While the story itself is a great one, the writing is shaky and I found myself frequently bored with repetitive statements or thoughts from characters.
I offically really like historical fiction even more. I love learning more about history through these type of books that really tell a great story while weaving in all the historical facts. It makes me grasp and remember things.
I read this in prep for my trip, wanted to get some more insight and background on places and people before I head over there. And.. the story was a great account of Cleopatra and her relationships with Ceasar and Marc Antony (granted a lot of it is fiction) and how thes...more
I read this in prep for my trip, wanted to get some more insight and background on places and people before I head over there. And.. the story was a great account of Cleopatra and her relationships with Ceasar and Marc Antony (granted a lot of it is fiction) and how thes...more
A-MAZ-ING read! I missed those characters, and revisited them in my mind often, for a long time after putting this book down for the last time!
ok...not as good as margaret george's novel. with george you can feel the character. this one is just a good story.
I am learning a great deal about the relationship of Cleopatra to both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony and that has been interesting to me.
Ooooh, I love this book! I love historical fiction, particularly when it's political, sexual and detailed. This book is all of those things. Cleopatra is a passionate, ambitious, intelligent woman, and the story that Falconer tells about her is fascinating. Ancient Egypt has always been interesting to me, so I guess that's why I realy enjoyed it. But aside from the historical aspect, it's very well writen, fantastic character development and examination of the movitations of the characters. And...more
For lovers of historical fictions based on 'fact'. Sex, wine and war in equal measure; predominantly from the viewpoint of Cleopatra. An enjoyable read with effective imagery, transporting you to the time and place.
If you have an affinity for Egyptian history around the Roman empire like I do, you will love this book. It is a fictional book about the life of Cleopatra, but, it's set in historically accurate settings and events. It's basically the author's personal veiw on how Cleopatra came to be what she was. It's very adult like so, kiddies stay away, but, it's very real in it's aspect and hides nothing. A good read, but, you need to make time for it because its a big book and filled with so much detail...more
Love historical fiction and learning cleopatras perspective...wanted her to win in the end.
When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra is a very good book. I didn't know a whole lot about her before I read this book, and though most of it is indeed fiction, it seems to me that it is based in fact. We have never found the tomb of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, so we can't be sure of everything in their lives. This book tells a great story, from the first day of her reign until the last days of it. It is a long book, over 500 pages, but it doesn't seem to be while you are actually reading it. A...more
This book is about the life of Cleopatra. It spans from just before her father dies to the end of her life. I found it very well written and for me a page turner. I tend to read many books at once and was constantly picking this one up over some of the others. A very good telling of a story that most people have heard before. Very good read.
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