Stacy Schiff’s biography of Cleopatra deserves all the hype it is getting. Extremely well written, especially given the lack of information we have about various parts of her life and unbelievably engaging. If you like history, you will like this book.
I realized after reading it, that I really didn’t know very much about her life. She was a fascinating woman. She was incredibly smart, resourceful and ran her country better than most before her. It is not a quick, blow through this on the beach read. However, if you are taking a vacation and just like to read a little every night before you go to bed, take this book. If you are going to either Egypt or Rome, read this before you go. It just makes walking through the Forum a little more interesting.
When I went to Rome I saw 12 of the 15 Obelisks that there are in the world. After reading Cleopatra it is more clear to me when they came to Rome and why. I am sure that the next time I go back to Rome I will see a little more of the Egyptian influence. Shiff has written a fantastic book that will make you see Cleopatra in a whole different light than we normally see her in from any of the films or plays that have been written about her.
I have one warning: this book may cause a serious desire to travel to Egypt. I have always wanted to visit and see the pyramids, now I want to go to Alexandria and see some of the rest. Although most of Cleopatra’s Alexandria is no longer there, it still would be amazing to travel and see where all this took place. I will definitely wait until things settle down there, but I think Egypt is now in my top 10.
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