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Cleopatra: A Life

by Stacy Schiff (Goodreads Author)

3.57 of 5 stars 3.57 · rating details · 30,128 ratings · 3,183 reviews

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.

Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.

Though her life spanned fewer than forty years,...more

ebook, 371 pages

Published November 1st 2010 by Hachette Book Group, Little, Brown and Company

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Dec 19, 2012 Elizabeth Sulzby rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historicalfiction

So far, I am very disappointed in this book--by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. She uses very long paragraphs that should have been divided. She puts her points embedded so that it's hard for a reader to see what she intends to be significant. There are "clever" pieces that are not at all clever.

The author says she will not create material but may create context from other sources, but she does not give the reader cues. For example, in Chapter II she goes on and on about Cleopatra's education,...more So far, I am very disappointed in this book--by a Pulitzer Prize winning author. She uses very long paragraphs that should have been divided. She puts her points embedded so that it's hard for a reader to see what she intends to be significant. There are "clever" pieces that are not at all clever.

The author says she will not create material but may create context from other sources, but she does not give the reader cues. For example, in Chapter II she goes on and on about Cleopatra's education, including details about her oral reading, her rhetorical skills, etc., for at least 6 pages then, finally, she cites Plutarch for her end-point educational achievements (most of which have been given over and over in other work about Cleopatra).

I appreciated the author's judgments about the difficulties of a Greek speaker learning Egyptian of that era, demotic and formal, compared with the difficulties of an Egyptian speaker learning Greek. But I did not find her showing evidence whether or not these were generalizations or actually the case with Cleopatra.

I also found boring the detailed accounts of the Ptolemies' intermarriages, of the ruthless executions of family members in line of succession, and of the conflict brought on by the Macedonia ancestry of the Ptolemies, including Cleopatra, simply because there are other sources for this. (I see I have written one of those sentences that I have blamed Schiff for. Blush.)

This book may be useful for readers who haven't studied Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, etc., before. I also consider it useful for the broader discussion of the many women of educational achievement of this era. I also found her description of the Alexandrian library and the tutor/scholars making use of it during her education.

I'm going to give the author another chapter and if it doesn't improve, I'll put it aside for other sources.

Addition August 2011: I have read more parts of the book now and still have the same reactions. I am hoping some other Goodreads reviews will point me to unique, useful, and artistic aspects of this prizewinning historical fiction.
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Sep 12, 2011 Julia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, feministy

I labelled this one as "feministy," because I don't think that Stacy Schiff could deny her "let's re-examine Cleopatra's ACTUAL awesomeness as opposed to this hyper-sexualized harpy-witch-seductress-harlot nonsense" angle. Pulitzer Prize-winning past or no, Schiff delivers fluff here. Good fluff, feminist as opposed to misogynistic fluff, but fluff nonetheless. Grad school is starting to ruin me for reading things that aren't in academic journals; after Schiff would state a presumed fact, my int...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Kim Berkshire rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio-autobio, dab-o-history

Disappointed in this. Was really looking forward to it after it made so many Top 10 of 2010 lists, but I was sufficiently underwhelmed. Subject matter really interested me, so I would have been very forgiving, but this book jumped all over the place. One criticism I had read was that the author takes a lot of liberties based on her exhaustive research, some of which are just silly. Concur.
February and March are insanely busy and I usually find little time to read during these months, but even b...more

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Aug 14, 2011 RandomAnthony rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life biography off the library's new releases shelf because 1) I recently realized that I hadn't read a biography since Plutarch's Greek Lives, maybe a decade ago and 2) the latest National Geographic had a cool article on the subject. Cleopatra: A Life was strong, full of detail and suspense, but evidenced some of what keeps me away from biographies in the first place.

I get the sense biography, like all writing, I suppose, is about choices. How will the biog...more I picked Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life biography off the library's new releases shelf because 1) I recently realized that I hadn't read a biography since Plutarch's Greek Lives, maybe a decade ago and 2) the latest National Geographic had a cool article on the subject. Cleopatra: A Life was strong, full of detail and suspense, but evidenced some of what keeps me away from biographies in the first place.

I get the sense biography, like all writing, I suppose, is about choices. How will the biographer pick and choose between sources and details? What spin will the biographer put on both the known and speculative? Stacy Schiff proves herself, early on, able to balance these questions well. An analysis of Cleopatra's life requires a great deal of contextualization in part because of the misinformation through which today's perceptions of the subject are likely to be filtered. I never saw the Elizabeth Taylor film but I know, for example, that Cleopatra was supposed to be gorgeous and seductive. Schiff runs into a few problems around the queen's image; for example, she gently mocks Plutarch for letting Cleopatra run away with his biography of Mark Antony, but Schiff could be accused of the same as far as Julius Ceasar, Mark Antony, and Octavian are concerned. The figures' stories are intertwined to the point that separating them out would lead to a storyline full of holes. Schiff seems like she also would like to assign the seductive, intelligent qualities to Cleopatra without bowing to the stereotypes. She wants to portray Cleopatra as powerful, a great queen, but confusion emerges when Cleopatra stumbles and her biographer empasizes her powerlessness within the male-dominated Roman culture. And rarely does Schiff, until the very end, acknowledge that Cleopatra's haughty, royal side may have led to her demise. Schiff's much more comfortable lampooning the queen's male counterparts than casting a negative glance toward Cleopatra. Again, these are the choices a biographer has to make, and Schiff, from what I can tell, provides a counterweight to what she sees as her mostly male predecessors' framing of Cleopatra as an evil, serpentine seductress. Cleopatra: A Life is probably not the definitive Cleopatra biography but instead embodies what appears to be an alternative perspective.

That said, Schiff tells a great story. The last hundred pages, leading up to Octavian's march on Alexandria and Cleopatra's barricading herself in a tomb, kept me up much later than I wanted last week on the front porch. Schiff admirably balances keeping the action moving with discussion of historical accuracy. I liked Cleopatra: A Life and feel better for reading the book. Maybe I'll read Keith Richards's autobiography next.

edit: I was just thinking that I've read some musical biographies lately, like the eels one and the Bob Mould book I'm reading now.(less)

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Sep 17, 2010 Kelly A. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-non-fiction, pre-1500s, since-may-2010, arcs

http://freshofftheshelf.blogspot.com/...

The number one thing that I learned from Cleopatra: A Life was this: I had deceived myself in thinking I knew anything about her before reading this book. Stacy Schiff digs deep into the life of one of the most well-known, yet misunderstood women in history. Most of us know her as the Egyptian queen who had affairs/children with both Caesar and Mark Antony, the two most powerful men of their age. She herself was much, much more than that.

Cleopatra was a fa...more http://freshofftheshelf.blogspot.com/...

The number one thing that I learned from Cleopatra: A Life was this: I had deceived myself in thinking I knew anything about her before reading this book. Stacy Schiff digs deep into the life of one of the most well-known, yet misunderstood women in history. Most of us know her as the Egyptian queen who had affairs/children with both Caesar and Mark Antony, the two most powerful men of their age. She herself was much, much more than that.

Cleopatra was a fabulously rich woman. In contemporary terms, her net worth would be around $95.8 billion dollars. She was worth more than three Queen Elizabeth IIs. Amazingly, she also lived in a culture were women were greatly empowered. A woman in first century B.C. could choose her own husband, own property, grant their own divorces, operate businesses, and serve as priests. As much as one third of Egypt was controlled by female hands.

There are many other things that stick out to me about Cleopatra's life. The biggest was her incestuous family ties. Her grandparents were uncle and niece, her parents were brother and sister, and Cleopatra herself was married to both of her brothers. I question how there were no physical or mental deformations! Another interesting point pertains to her beauty. Third century A.D. records call her "strikingly exquisite" in appearance, while those of the Middle Ages say she was "famous for nothing but her beauty." Shakespeare raves about her looks. However, her contemporaries, those who actually knew and saw her, say nothing about her beauty. In fact, her appearance was called "not remarkable." Quite different from what most of us have heard about her!

Stacy Schiff wrote an extremely entertaining book full of fun, interesting facts. I loved her sarcastic voice and the humor she injected into the characters. I will say that it seems to drag on forever at the end. The story began to focus too much on Mark Antony and the military, which quickly lost my interest. I skimmed the last 100 pages. That being said, I'd rate it 3.5 stars; the plethora of amazing facts was overshadowed by the fact that I felt I had to force myself to even finish it.(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Mag rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, biography, africa, history, non-fiction, paper-copy

It’s a very interesting book. I would say that Schiff's approach to Cleopatra was not only feminist, but also, and possibly foremost, critical. She did not take historians' accounts on their face value; she vigilantly evaluated everything they said, and provided her own commentary. Her images of Cleopatra, Cesar and Mark Anthony are fascinating, and the portrayal of Egyptian, Roman and Middle Eastern society quite eye opening.
4.5/5

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Feb 28, 2011 Michelle/ The True Book Addict rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-tour-books, read-in-2011, non-fiction

I have been too long away from non-fiction so this book was a slow and difficult read for me. However, it was definitely worth the read. We all know the story of Cleopatra, a story we've probably been told from novels and/or movies. Cleopatra was a beautiful seductress who loved and manipulated two great men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. But she was so much more. She was a Ptolemy...from a family who was well known for murdering each other to gain power...yet she was rare in this family in tha...more I have been too long away from non-fiction so this book was a slow and difficult read for me. However, it was definitely worth the read. We all know the story of Cleopatra, a story we've probably been told from novels and/or movies. Cleopatra was a beautiful seductress who loved and manipulated two great men, Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. But she was so much more. She was a Ptolemy...from a family who was well known for murdering each other to gain power...yet she was rare in this family in that she actually loved her father. Her love for her father led to her passionate love of her country and this was most important to her above anything else. So yes, she did use some feminine wiles to protect and secure her position, but she did so shrewdly and without compromising her honor, at least in her own eyes and the eyes of her subjects. The Romans' opinion of her was entirely different and not favorable. Schiff really brings to the fore just how skillful Cleopatra was, whether we know the whole truth or not. So much of the accounts of Cleopatra's life were written by Roman (and other) philosophers who often did not have good opinions of her either.

I learned things in this book that I previously did not know. I did not know that Cleopatra had four children. I knew of Caesarion, her son with Julius Caesar, but did not know that she had three children with Mark Antony, two boys and a girl. I also did not know that the daughter, Cleopatra Selene, would go on to be a queen in Africa...pretty much following in her mother's footsteps in her rule there.

This is an excellent book for people who enjoy non-fiction and for people who would like to learn more truth behind the legend. There are rumors that a movie is being made based on this book and that Angelina Jolie may play Cleopatra. I am rather disappointed by this news, as it is clear from the book that Cleopatra was not a true 'beauty', her seductive ability aside. Someone less attractive, but capable of sultry gestures and manipulations would be more appropriate, in my opinion. Like Hollywood cares what I think, right?!

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Feb 01, 2011 Donna rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: best-bitten

First and foremost this is a history book. The plot is taken from real time 2,000 years ago. It hasn't been bloated with fantastical elements or intense drama. In fact, if you were reading this book as you would a work of fiction, you'll find yourself sadly lacking that same kind of connection to Cleopatra as you would to a main character in a novel. Why? Because Cleopatra is nearly unknowable. And she's not a fictional character. She's spoken of from a distance, seen more through the eyes of me...more First and foremost this is a history book. The plot is taken from real time 2,000 years ago. It hasn't been bloated with fantastical elements or intense drama. In fact, if you were reading this book as you would a work of fiction, you'll find yourself sadly lacking that same kind of connection to Cleopatra as you would to a main character in a novel. Why? Because Cleopatra is nearly unknowable. And she's not a fictional character. She's spoken of from a distance, seen more through the eyes of men around her than through her own lenses. If you're not interested in Caesarian Roman or Ptolemaic Egyptian history, you might not get much out of this book. But if you are, and you want to know more about the elusive Cleopatra, not the Elizabeth Taylor or Shakespeare version but the real person garnered from first hand accounts and a few words out of her own mouth, you'll guzzle this book up as if it were your life force.

The person of Cleopatra is the center of this book's universe with which all other events orbit. Unfortunately, the only way we can truly get to know Cleopatra now is by analyzing the events happening around her through the eyes of the people she's come in contact with. As I said above, this creates a sort of distance from her but it allows for a more objective look into her life. With these elements Schiff allows you to dissect her life and get a better hint of who Cleopatra was as a person, what her personality really was like and whether something of those scandalizing rumors really were true. Augustus Caesar did a good job of striking her from the history books. But not good enough. Here she remains to this day and Schiff did an excellent job of digging up the truth behind this woman we know next to nothing about. We barely even know what she looks like save for some sanctioned Ptolemaic coinage with her bust stamped onto it.

Despite the rampant incest (holy god, we're talking about a family stump here, ew) and homicidal tendencies, Cleopatra's ability to rule a kingdom was astonishing compared to any ruler, let alone a woman living, quite literally, in a man's world. That's not to say her reign was full of smooth sailing, but she knew how to talk, walk and act in order to get what she needed for her country. She put her country first above all else (except maybe her children). Just like the accounts of this book orbit around Cleopatra, every piece of minutiae of Cleopatra's life orbited around the success of her kingdom. It's hard to determine if she did something genuinely out of love or if it was show, but it was all for Egypt, ultimately. Even when she tried negotiating with the immovable Augustus after she swindled Antony into his own suicide, it was all political. It was Antony's only way to die on his terms and Cleopatra's last hope of saving her country.

Despite the distance I say this book creates between the reader and Cleopatra, it does an excellent job of forming a more accurate image of her in your mind's eye. That Elizabeth Taylor hussy image gets pushed aside as all of these missing pieces replace it, forming this real live person that feels more a part of history itself than just Hollywood. While the puzzle isn't complete, and probably never will be, Schiff does an fantastic job of digging up absolutely everything she can on this amazing woman and giving it to us as straight as can be. She doesn't hide what Cleopatra is, or what she potentially was. No secret is safe, nor even skewed. I felt like I was back during her reign, sitting on a cloud with the gods and watching all of these events unfold. Some of the images were blurry but they were clear enough to determine just what was going on.

While it took a little while for me to get through, this book is an excellent historical read. A must read for anyone interested in the life and times of Cleopatra without the fabrications of storytelling and millennia of innuendo. It's raw, it's unforgiving and you will come away from it being more knowledgeable about such a shadowy figure in history. And then you'll want to read it again to be sure you picked up all of the historical tidbits you may have missed.

If you want a good piece of fiction to follow this book with, you should pick up Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran. It picks up almost right where Cleopatra ends and Moran sticks pretty closely to the facts Schiff writes about. Honestly, I don't think you'll be able to stop at the end of Cleopatra. She's just far too interesting of a person.(less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Jason Koivu rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra: A Life is speculative, board-line revisionist history. It is unabashedly pro-Cleopatra. Schiff looks at all the historical accounts - many of which did not paint the Egyptian queen in a kindly light - and attempts to distort the image so that the portrait favors her subject much more than history has. For all that, Schiff offers sound speculation. Her what-ifs and perhapses chime with the ring of truth. After all, history is written by the victors and in the end Cleopat...more

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Jan 26, 2011 David Jacobs rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Stacy Schiff has crafted, somehow, a new angle on one of the world's oldest great stories. By focusing on the first degree sources we have from the period (mostly from Roman scholars & historians, since Alexandria was destroyed by earthquakes), Schiff at once claims expertise but only in a context that is also accessible to the reader. At times Schiff's explanation of the sources and the perceived motivations of their authors feels plodding, but the framing of these sources is essential to S...more Stacy Schiff has crafted, somehow, a new angle on one of the world's oldest great stories. By focusing on the first degree sources we have from the period (mostly from Roman scholars & historians, since Alexandria was destroyed by earthquakes), Schiff at once claims expertise but only in a context that is also accessible to the reader. At times Schiff's explanation of the sources and the perceived motivations of their authors feels plodding, but the framing of these sources is essential to Schiff's project. Some classicists (most significantly Mary Beard in the New York Review of Books) have been catty about the book, passing it off as lightweight or finding nits in the text. This makes me only want to love it more.

Even with thin sourcing and scrubbed of the orientalism and oversexualized mythologies, Cleopatra's life story is incredible. The last quarter of the book dedicated to Rome's war on Egypt and Cleopatra's eventual suicide is taut storytelling, not just "classicism for amateurs."

Here's one of my favorite passages from the book, about a fishing trip that Cleopatra and Antony took during a time of relative peace and prosperity in their lives.

Appian has Antony exclusively in the company of Cleopatra, “to whom his sojourn in Alexandria was wholly devoted.” He sees in her a poor influence. Antony “was often disarmed by Cleopatra, subdued by her spells, and persuaded to drop from his hands great undertakings and necessary campaigns, only to roam about and play with her on the sea-shores.” More likely the opposite was true. And while Cleopatra focused exclusively and intently on her guest, she did so without sacrificing her competitive spirit, her sense of humor, or her agenda. Here are the two on an Alexandrian afternoon, relaxing on the river or on Lake Mareotis in a fishing boat, surrounded by attendants. Mark Antony is frustrated. He commands whole armies but on this occasion somehow cannot coax a single fish from the teeming, famously fertile Egyptian waters. He is all the more mortified as Cleopatra stands beside him. Romance or no, to prove so incompetent in her presence is a torture. Antony does what any self-respecting angler would: Secretly he orders his servants to dive into the water and fasten a series of precaught fish to his hook. One after another he reels these catches in, a little too triumphantly, a little too regularly; he is an impulsive man with something to prove, never particularly good at limits. Cleopatra rarely misses a trick and does not miss this one. She feigns admiration. Her lover is a most dexterous man! Later that afternoon she sings his praises to her friends, whom she invites to witness his prowess for themselves.

A great fleet accordingly heads out the following day. At its outset Cleopatra issues a few furtive orders of her own. Antony puts out his line, to instantaneous results. He senses a great weight and reels in his catch, to peals of laughter: From the Nile he extracts a salted, imported Black Sea herring. She is no scold, having instead mastered that formula for which every parent, coach, and chief executive searches: She has ambition, and no trouble encouraging the same in others. “Leave the fishing rod, General, to us,” Cleopatra admonishes, before the assembled company. “Your prey,” she reminds Antony, “are cities, kingdoms, and continents.”

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May 12, 2011 Marilyn Nulty added it · review of another edition

Cleopatra: A Life, has given me a greater insight on B.C. Eygptian life. Cleopatra's ways of ruling her country are very different to the way that the United States today is ruled. Although, there are still a few similarites. The obvious differentiation is that Cleopatra ruled as a monarch while the United States is ruled democratically by a president. Cleopatra's duties and handlings of various problems are different to the precendes of today's republic.

Cleopatra controlled almost every aspect...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Dana Stabenow rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: book-club

So my book club read Stacy Schiff's Cleopatra last month.

Every single one of the extant sources who wrote about Cleopatra's life had an agenda, specifically to demonize Cleopatra and make hers a name to live in infamy

...her story is constructed as much of male fear as fantasy.

Cicero, Plutarch, Dio, Lucan, Schiff quotes them all extensively and compensates for their obvious bias by attempting to put the reader in that place and time. In this case the "devil" truly is in the details, right down to...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Mo Shah rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

This one was one of the most highly rated books of the last year, so I added it to my reading list. I'm glad I did, although I'm not entire sure it lived up to its billing.

The author is erudite, and not afraid to show it. What she does successfully is to really give the reader an idea of the context of what the Roman world was like in those days, and the complex political world that was the mediterranean. Understanding that goes a long way to understanding the machinations in Rome and how how mu...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Renee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you enjoy history, mixed with greed, politics, scandal and palace intrigue, you will love the historical account of Cleopatra and her exploits, as detailed by author Stacy Schiff. Schiff carefully, and as accurately as possible, fleshes out the back story leading up to the rise and glory of Cleopatra as ruler of Egypt, one of the most modern of all historical civilizations. As most students of history are aware, she was one of the most prolific and influential rulers in the ancient world, bec...more If you enjoy history, mixed with greed, politics, scandal and palace intrigue, you will love the historical account of Cleopatra and her exploits, as detailed by author Stacy Schiff. Schiff carefully, and as accurately as possible, fleshes out the back story leading up to the rise and glory of Cleopatra as ruler of Egypt, one of the most modern of all historical civilizations. As most students of history are aware, she was one of the most prolific and influential rulers in the ancient world, because she managed to extend the authority of her empire all the way to Rome.

Using accounts from ancient political commentators and historians as far back as Cicero, Plutarch and Dio, Schiff pieces together the puzzle that tells us how Cleopatra grew up in a royal family famous for murderous sibling rivalry. Children or potential heirs to the throne of Egypt fought (often to the death) for domination, and found many creative ways to eliminate other candidates vying for power. Cleopatra was born into the privileged Ptolemy family, and because her father Auletes had amassed great wealth, she achieved a stellar education from some of the greatest Alexandrian scholars of her day. She grew up associating with the higher echelons of Egyptian and Greek society, and practiced the art of social charms, all while polishing her finesse, and mastering her ability with languages. These talents, along with her conversational wit, would eventually mold her into the politician and god-incarnate presence of Isis she was to become.

As many readers know, Cleopatra was also famous for seducing Julius Caesar, with whom she had one child, as well as Mark Antony, his predecessor, with whom she had 4 children, two of which were born during his marriage festival to Octavia back in Rome. This dynamic created fear and discomfort for the people of Rome, who knew that Cleopatra's political influence could extend far past her borders and into the Mediterranean, via her liaisons with their leaders.

Reading about daily life, politics and governmental affairs of the post-Alexandrian period, I was able to see many of the far-reaching effects the Egyptian and Greek cultures has had on our modern, commerce-based world. Schiff's account also details the grandiose, opulent and lavish lifestyles that political leaders of this day lived on a daily basis, not unlike our popular celebrities. Cleopatra managed to sustain one of the most socialized and civilized societies and became a worldwide celebrity in her day, assuming all the rights and privileges of a god on earth. If nothing less, she created a legend of herself that no one could possibly live up to today.

This was a great read, although a lot to take in at once. If you are a history buff, you will appreciate Schiff's detailed and thorough research on Cleopatra as a historical figure. (less)

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Jul 02, 2011 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Billed as a biography of Cleopatra, this well researched book (the works of Lucan, Plutarch, Cicero, Dio, Suetonius and others are examined to buttress the conclusions) also shines a spotlight on several other important personages of the queen’s time. The lives of Julius Caesar, Marc Antony and Octavian are highlighted as well as those of some minor characters such as Herod. In addition, the cities of Rome and Alexandria are compared – with Rome found wanting in a majority of departments.

Cleopat...more

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Feb 09, 2011 Stephanie Dray rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-about-cleopatra, books-set-in-ancient-rome

I couldn't be more pleased about the resurgence of interest in Cleopatra VII of Egypt. Given that I've spent the past few years of my life working on a trilogy about Cleopatra's daughter starting with Lily of the Nile, I admit a ready bias in favor of Stacy Schiff's new biography. However, I believe that this book would appeal even to those who don't have an obsession with Egypt's most famous monarch.

Schiff's tone is easy and breezy--injecting humor and modern comparisons into this survey of the...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Mis rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Mis by: bookclub

I keep falling asleep on this book...way too clinical & dry:( I'm going to keep trying though, as some books get better after 1st couple chapters?
Update:
It did not get better. The writer seemed to have to keep reminding us that nothing of real fact is known of Cleopatra. Wasn't that kind of the point of her book to give a different perspective (that of a woman writing about a powerful & influential woman)? Which she sort of did...but I would imagine a much more lush, exciting, literary r...more

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May 15, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There's a lot to like here. Schiff is a lively, engrossing writer who chose her subject wisely. Is it possible NOT to find Cleopatra fascinating? What kept me from falling in love, though, was that I never felt Schiff allowed herself to reveal the Cleopatra she imagined. Biographers have to come up with a take on their subjects; it's simply inevitable when you've immersed yourself in someone's life for years. An agenda is usually bad, but a take is important. Schiff is rightly aware of the fact...more

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Aug 08, 2011 Charlotte added it · review of another edition

One of those books that’s kind of disappointing, after all the hype, but you feel virtuous for having read it. The obvious problem is that so little is actually known about Cleopatra from firsthand or sympathetic sources that a real biography is impossible. Schiff has done a commendable job of presenting and assessing the available information but Cleopatra’s emotional presence is elusive; she probably raises more questions than she answers. I think I was hoping for a cleaner narrative along the...more

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May 15, 2013 Anton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s a cliche to say someone “makes history come alive” with their writing, but it’s also the best way to describe what Stacy Schiff does in “Cleopatra: A Life.” It’s a compelling, accessible book that explores the life of the most famous woman you probably know next to nothing about.

Cleopatra’s story was initially told by people who hated her, so it’s no surprise her portrayal historically has been that of a sex-crazed temptress bent on world domination. This book takes what little we actually...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Don Weidinger rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

what not to believe, gain and lost, born 69bc died at 39, 9 languages, most improbable, Caesar all men work harder against enemies than with friends, no Greek word for incest, rights of divorcees reasonable, right-left south-north women stand men sit, direct communication with people, French, Egypt and Nile bear more offspring, Cicero a great writer-self absorbed, women scheme men strategize, greatest wars on account of women, men to slaves of riches, tickling of senses breaks them down, Antony...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Gerry Germond rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ancient-history

From reading this book, I've learned 1) it was dangerous having siblings in ptolemaic royalty; 2) she arrived at Caesar's presence in a sack, not a rug; 3) Alexandria was the cultural center of the Mediterranean world while Rome was still quite rustic; 4) King Herod of Biblical infamy was quite the snake (my words); 5) Octavian conducted a masterful campaign of calumny against the queen; 6) many of her people admired and respected her--she competently courted their favor; and 7) she likely didn'...more

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Mar 11, 2013 Daisy*•.♥.•* rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, memoir-biography

UGH... I am dissapointed in myself because I really had very high expectations for this book. I really wanted to LOVE it but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

Cleopatra's story is a very intriguing one because it is so mysterious. Many of the things known about her can't be proven as facts. This book goes into what is "believed" to have happened in her life. I couldn't help but ask myself, why is this book as long as it is if what is being said might not be true? & to be honest I never rea...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Ursula rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography-autobiography, egypt, nonfiction

At the very beginning of this book, I found out that I actually don't know much about Cleopatra. And as it turns out, a lot of what we think we know about her may or may not be true. The relationships with Caesar and Mark Antony are true, although history's depiction of Cleopatra as a seductress are questionable. It's not as if sleeping with foreign queens was really out of character for either of those men. It seems that the imagery of Cleopatra the wanton woman comes mostly from Roman sources...more At the very beginning of this book, I found out that I actually don't know much about Cleopatra. And as it turns out, a lot of what we think we know about her may or may not be true. The relationships with Caesar and Mark Antony are true, although history's depiction of Cleopatra as a seductress are questionable. It's not as if sleeping with foreign queens was really out of character for either of those men. It seems that the imagery of Cleopatra the wanton woman comes mostly from Roman sources who were hostile toward her and also had reason to want to explain away Roman unrest and civil war as caused by the influence of a foreigner. Her famous asp? Unlikely, at best.

Because there is a dearth of information on Cleopatra, much of the book is more about what was going on around her, what her Egypt was like, and what she would have been most likely to have done in any given situation. The things we do know, which have been subsumed by legend: she was well-educated, powerful, pragmatic, multi-lingual, a skilled conversationalist, and ruled Egypt effectively. I came out of it thinking that Cleopatra would go on my list of historic personages I'd like to have at a dinner party (although as my husband pointed out, it would probably be better if she were the host; those Alexandrians really knew how to throw a party). I also ended up thinking that Mark Antony was maybe not the sharpest crayon in Rome, and Cleopatra was certainly not to blame for that.

The book was occasionally a little hard to follow if you're rusty or unfamiliar with Roman and Ptolemaic Egyptian history (which I was), thanks to the unfamiliar names and the fact that Schiff jumps around through time a bit. If you stick with it, though, you'll eventually get the major players straight and it's very helpful to view Cleopatra in the context of the time and her own family history.

Recommended for: people who only know Cleopatra in her Elizabeth Taylor incarnation, anyone who wonders what it was like to be the richest woman in a man's world.(less)

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Jan 24, 2013 Dave rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

She controlled an empire that covered the Meditteranean from modern day Libya to Eastern Turkey (save for Herod's Judaea). Estimated to be one of the 25 wealthiest people to ever live, the 2nd most famous woman in history (the only one more famous was born about 50 years later a few hundred miles from Alexandria), and one of the four true players in the grand tale of the Roman Empire's conquest of Egypt, Cleopatra has become as much myth as reality. Plutarch, Elizabeth Taylor and others falsely...more She controlled an empire that covered the Meditteranean from modern day Libya to Eastern Turkey (save for Herod's Judaea). Estimated to be one of the 25 wealthiest people to ever live, the 2nd most famous woman in history (the only one more famous was born about 50 years later a few hundred miles from Alexandria), and one of the four true players in the grand tale of the Roman Empire's conquest of Egypt, Cleopatra has become as much myth as reality. Plutarch, Elizabeth Taylor and others falsely painted her as a seductress when she was in fact a shrewd, ambitious, murderous, greedy, brilliant, dynasty-obsessed imperialist who played her hand to near perfection in a quest to keep the Ptolemy line in power and Egypt free from Roman control. She would ulimately come up short on both counts, and Egypt would not regain its freedom for another 1920 years.

Stacy Schiff has assembled a largely well-written biography of a woman who was born into royalty, saw her familty fortunes fall, and then had herself unrolled out of a carpet at Julius Caesar's feet as she sought to restore her earlier station in life. Schiff has also more than overcorrected for past sexism by throwing in quite a bit of her own. We get it, Cleopatra was misrepresented and had a more difficult time because of her gender. Two or three notes on this is sufficient. Telling the reader every third paragrah is overkill. It's not like Marc Anthony was done any favors by historians and biographers either, especially since, as in Cleopatra's case, his enemies wrote his story.

Nevertheless, this was a fascinating period in history, as the Roman need for Egypt's grain coincided with Cleopatra's thirst for power and territory that equaled that of both Caesars. Years from now, when a balance between earlier writers' ax-grinding and Schiff's ax-grinding has been found, Cleopatra will be evaluated by the same metric as Antony, Octavian, and his adopted uncle. Surely, they will see she was every bit as ruthless, far more capable than Julius Caesar and Antony, but probably just a bit less of a strategist than Octavian, who re-started the calendar with August 1 to forever highlight his entrance into Alexandria. She was defeated, sure, and killed herself with poison (not an asp) 9 days later. But for anyone to have been such an incredible foe that her defeat was so monumental that the best way to fully encompass its magnitude was to literally begin time anew, well, there is little that could be a greater honor.(less)

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Jan 21, 2013 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book was an impulse choice at the library so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. It's non-fiction, with some sections more dry than others (the first 70 pages were like slogging through a confusing swamp of names, dates, and events), but for the most part it was very readable and I found myself quite fascinated. It wasn't "sizzling with passion" as a review on the cover indicated. In fact, there weren't really any steamy soap-opera-like d...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

The life of Cleopatra is chronicled in many histories, but they were all written decades after her death and by men who had various agendas. Therefore, the many biographies of Cleopatra are at great odds with each other. Stacy Schiff has collected these biographies and compared them to what we know of the historical time period. The result is Schiff’s version of Cleopatra’s life, which she admits is nothing better than best-guess. However, Schiff’s scholarly approach is authoritative and interes...more

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Nov 23, 2012 Louise rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biography, roman-history, egypt

If I were teaching a class on writing the historical biography, I'd use this as an example of how to write a book for the general reader when there is little primary material on the subject. I read a lot of biography, and this one shines head and shoulders above the others on classical figures.

The biographer's need to fill a book, even when little is known, does not always satify the reader. Two examples of 2010 books that I've read are those on Constantine and Hadrian. In "Constantine: Roman Em...more If I were teaching a class on writing the historical biography, I'd use this as an example of how to write a book for the general reader when there is little primary material on the subject. I read a lot of biography, and this one shines head and shoulders above the others on classical figures.

The biographer's need to fill a book, even when little is known, does not always satify the reader. Two examples of 2010 books that I've read are those on Constantine and Hadrian. In "Constantine: Roman Emperor, Christian Victor" the author relies heavily on the clues found on coins and other art work. The explication of a coin can be so long that context is lost making the book seem disjointed. Anthony Everett, who is a very readable biographer and has knowledge that shines through in his work, still tends to leave out the material the reader wants to know. In "Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome", Everitt doesn't explain some key elements, one important one being how this emperor was able to rule while being away from Rome, sometimes for as long as 3 years at a stretch.

With Stacy Shiff, you learn not only how Cleopatra manages her kingdom (whether she is present or not) but also how this compares with the administration (or lack thereof) in Rome. There is the necessary discussion of coins, but it stays within the chronology and is part of the story, not a story in itself.

A good example of Shiff's organization and style is her description of the "dinner meeting" of Cleopatra and Mark Antony in Tarsus. Prior to this, Shiff has already prepared the reader by describing the difference in the more staid Roman entertainment and the extravagant lifestyle of the Egyptian court. She comments on how this broke protocol (technically Antony should have hosted first) and on why Plutarch recounted that Antony was "dazzled by the scene before him" (i.e. 12 banquet rooms, tapestries embroidered with glimmering threads, etc.).

Even though readers will know the story, the writing pulls you right in. The drama of Actium and the final scenes are as heart wrenching and stirring for me as they were in any previous book I read or film I saw of this story.

The basic premise of Cleopatra as a consummate professional is also clearly framed in the fictional work: When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra .

I highly recommend this book to all interested in this era. (less)

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Nov 05, 2012 Tanya Lolonis rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A work that tries to correct the biases that have come down to us through history about this woman -- the last great female ruler in history (okay, Elizabeth I was amazing, too -- but let's admit, they are rare). Little documentation remains from her rein, as whatever was written at the time on papyrus has been destroyed by humidity or fire. Schiff pieces together the facts of Cleopatra's life we do know from records of the era, and reminds us how the accounts we have read about her -- as seduct...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Abbe added it · review of another edition

Shelves: in-library

SUMMARY:

Cleopatras palace shimmered with onyx and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Though her life spanned fewer then forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first and she poisoned the second.Incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men.They happen, however to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, tw

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About Stacy Schiff

Stacy Schiff is the author of Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov), winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Saint-Exupéry, a Pulitzer Prize finalist; and A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France, and the Birth of America, winner of the George Washington Book Prize, the Ambassador Award in American Studies, and the Gilbert Chinard Prize of the Institut Français d'Amérique. All three were New York Times Notable Books;...more

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“As always, an educated woman was a dangerous woman.” — 41 people liked it

“[Cleopatra's] power has been made to derive from her sexuality, for obvious reason; as one of Caesar's murderers had noted, 'How much more attention people pay to their fears than to their memories!' It has always been preferable to attribute a woman's success to her beauty rather than to her brains, to reduce her to the sum of her sex life.” — 13 people liked it

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