Rate: 3/5
Medium: Audiobook
Overview (No Spoilers): When searching for a new audiobook I stumbled upon Schiff’s biography of Cleopatra and knowing very little about this famous queen, I knew I had to learn more. Very early into reading Cleopatra, I gained new perspective with regard to time and events. Did you know that the pyramids were approximately 3,000 years old at the time that Cleopatra ruled? They seem ancient now, however Cleopatra is closer to us, with her death in 30 B.C., than she was to the building of the pyramids. It takes a second to wrap your mind around the pyramids being that old. While you typically hear about Cleopatra’s promiscuity, just think back to those ‘sexy Cleopatra’ Halloween costumes that are in every novelty story in October, Schiff highlights that the Egyptian Queen actually must have been incredibly intelligent to manipulate and keep the attentions of two very high ranking, infamous Romans, i.e., Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Schiff does an excellent job sifting through the various myths surrounding Cleopatra, as well as detailing her biographers to attempt to give us a glimpse of the mysterious monarch. As an audiobook, the many characters and history, which make up Cleopatra’s story can become confusing and sometimes muddled with the names being identical or similar in nature, however some keen listening will soon allow the reader to discern the individual being discussed. Overall, Cleopatra was a well constructed biography regarding a character that little hard fact survives that keeps the reader engaged, leaving them with a better grasp on the intertwined lives of Caesar, Antony, and most importantly Cleopatra.
The Critiquing Chemist 
I loved this book. I found it incredible how Schiff created the atmosphere of ancient Egypt while telling Cleopatra’s story.
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I agree completely! I felt like I could really understand the world Cleopatra lived in!
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I really liked this book! It was so informative, and I hadn’t ever realized how truly smart Cleopatra was, and how she was the first ruler to speak the language of the people. I thought that was really neat how determined she was to be able to communicate with her subjects.
The book is one of the rare non-fiction books that I think I might re-read some day.
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I’m glad you liked this book too! I love how much information Schiff packed into one book! She has inspired me to want to read more about Cleopatra and ancient Egypt in general.
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[…] spoiled with the nonfiction I’ve read over the last year. The Innovators, Clouds of Glory, Cleopatra, and The River of Doubt, to name a few, all conveyed mass amounts of information to the reader in a […]
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[…] Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff […]
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I loved this book! I especially liked Stacy Schiff’s kind of sassy tone when she talked about the way men didn’t think Cleopatra would be able to handle ruling Egypt. Have you read any other books by Schiff? I started reading The Witches a couple of weeks ago but I’m having trouble getting into it … it’s pretty slow to start …
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I haven’t read any other of Schiff’s books, however I loved Cleopatra. Is The Witches the only other book of hers that you’ve read (or started to read)?
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