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I, Cleopatra
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
749 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1977
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 16, 2022
“I Cleopatra, conquered Caesar the Conqueror.”
― William Bostock, I, Cleopatra
This is not a new review. I am just adding to it a bit. I do not think I did this book justice.
I read "I Cleopatra" a very long time ago but it's one of my favorites and I reread it every year or two. This book is, in my opinion, the best book on Cleopatra I have ever read.
Since I first read it, I have tried in vain to find a book on her life that is as good. I have read some really good ones but nothing that packs half the punch.
Why is that? I have thought about this question. What makes this book so much better than other books on Cleopatra's life?
I think a few things. Atmosphere, as I mentioned in my original review plays a role.This is told in first person. Cleopatra narrates the whole book. And the reader just feels....there. In Egypt. At the Palace.
Everything comes alive. The lives of the people of Alexandria. The family of Cleopatra, her siblings, all of whom are vividly reimagined with their own personalities.
The customs, the scenery, the passions, the Banquets. The Nile, the Palace, the people..all described in stunning and Glamorous prose that is at once easy to read, addicting and startling in its beauty.
The treachery of the palace. The love between Cleopatra and her parents. Her education and being schooled by her dad, the great King Ptolemy.
And the love between Cleopatra and her friends. Her ladies, Charmaine and Iris. Her tutor, Protarches. And her head of Guards, Apollodorus.
And later her life with her two great loves, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony .
Egypt itself comes alive and becomes its own character as you are transported there. Even today, when I think of Egypt, this book comes to mind. I feel like I have been there. And in my opinion, that is a key as to why the book works so well. Because Egypt is a character in the book, a deep and beautiful character. And if you are fascinated and enamored, you will not want to leave the journey that I Cleopatra takes you on .
The book has depth and beauty and can be enjoyed by anyone. I read it as a kid but adulthood has not dulled my enjoyment of it at all. There isn't a dull moment in the entire book. Not one. It is worth noting the book is long..very long..but the pages fly. It actually isn't long enough in my opinion as it's disappointing when the book ends.
It takes you through her whole life, from birth until death. Nothing is glossed over. There is plenty of darkness and violence and death. But there are also fierce moments of such deep and soul stirring beauty that I believe if you are a Historical Fiction fan and want a book with incredible and luminous atmosphere, you will never forget this book. It is captivating.
And although, like most books about Cleopatra, much is fictionalized, there is much that is fact as well.
So yes, I'd recommend it. It is my second favorite book ever, second only to "A tree grows in Brooklyn".
And if you do read it, let me know if you liked it. All the stars for this Masterpiece.
― William Bostock, I, Cleopatra
This is not a new review. I am just adding to it a bit. I do not think I did this book justice.
I read "I Cleopatra" a very long time ago but it's one of my favorites and I reread it every year or two. This book is, in my opinion, the best book on Cleopatra I have ever read.
Since I first read it, I have tried in vain to find a book on her life that is as good. I have read some really good ones but nothing that packs half the punch.
Why is that? I have thought about this question. What makes this book so much better than other books on Cleopatra's life?
I think a few things. Atmosphere, as I mentioned in my original review plays a role.This is told in first person. Cleopatra narrates the whole book. And the reader just feels....there. In Egypt. At the Palace.
Everything comes alive. The lives of the people of Alexandria. The family of Cleopatra, her siblings, all of whom are vividly reimagined with their own personalities.
The customs, the scenery, the passions, the Banquets. The Nile, the Palace, the people..all described in stunning and Glamorous prose that is at once easy to read, addicting and startling in its beauty.
The treachery of the palace. The love between Cleopatra and her parents. Her education and being schooled by her dad, the great King Ptolemy.
And the love between Cleopatra and her friends. Her ladies, Charmaine and Iris. Her tutor, Protarches. And her head of Guards, Apollodorus.
And later her life with her two great loves, Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony .
Egypt itself comes alive and becomes its own character as you are transported there. Even today, when I think of Egypt, this book comes to mind. I feel like I have been there. And in my opinion, that is a key as to why the book works so well. Because Egypt is a character in the book, a deep and beautiful character. And if you are fascinated and enamored, you will not want to leave the journey that I Cleopatra takes you on .
The book has depth and beauty and can be enjoyed by anyone. I read it as a kid but adulthood has not dulled my enjoyment of it at all. There isn't a dull moment in the entire book. Not one. It is worth noting the book is long..very long..but the pages fly. It actually isn't long enough in my opinion as it's disappointing when the book ends.
It takes you through her whole life, from birth until death. Nothing is glossed over. There is plenty of darkness and violence and death. But there are also fierce moments of such deep and soul stirring beauty that I believe if you are a Historical Fiction fan and want a book with incredible and luminous atmosphere, you will never forget this book. It is captivating.
And although, like most books about Cleopatra, much is fictionalized, there is much that is fact as well.
So yes, I'd recommend it. It is my second favorite book ever, second only to "A tree grows in Brooklyn".
And if you do read it, let me know if you liked it. All the stars for this Masterpiece.
February 27, 2017
Wow. This was truly awful -- an orgy of infodumps & stilted purple prose. The flatline narration had no highs or lows, trudging endlessly from one sketchy scene to another with no sense of knowing the people involved, or even caring WTF happened to them...and that's not to mention the epic "As you know, Bob" conversations that read like they were lifted directly from the author's research cards.
Boring, drab, & utterly lifeless. I'm still not sure how anyone could make Cleopatra such a yawn-worthy narrator, but there it is. (And WTF are all these high ratings? I'm flabbergasted.)
Did. Not. Finish. I've got better bad books on the TBR.
Boring, drab, & utterly lifeless. I'm still not sure how anyone could make Cleopatra such a yawn-worthy narrator, but there it is. (And WTF are all these high ratings? I'm flabbergasted.)
Did. Not. Finish. I've got better bad books on the TBR.
August 8, 2016
This book was once very hard to find, but now it once again available in both print and electronic and I recommend that anyone who likes good historical fiction to buy it while it is available, The Kindle edition is only 2.99.
The author wrote this novel in first person perspective, with Queen Cleopatra as the narrator. It begins with Cleopatra as a child. Her father Ptolemy XII is portrayed as a sad, drunken man, but despite this, Cleopatra loves him dearly. Egypt is bankrupt and dependent on Rome for support, but as she grows up she becomes aware that Rome is more dependent on Egypt The author gives us more insight on Cleopatra's sisters and their advisors than others I have read and from a very young age, she realizes that both of her sisters want her dead.
Cleopatra is portrayed here as very intelligent child who loves history and became an expert historian in her time. She was fascinated by Alexander the Great, and his prowess on the battlefield. It was one of his generals that began the Ptolemy dynasty and she believes that Egypt can be the great nation that it was at the beginning of the Ptolemy's reign. As a woman, she is shrewd enough to know that she needs a general as great as Alexander and she finds them, first in Julius Caesar and then Mark Antony and she loved both of them greatly.
This novel is an excellent blend of history and fiction and is a very enjoyable read. Nearly thirty years later, Margaret George would write her version of the memoirs of this remarkable queen, but I still think this is the better of the two.
The author wrote this novel in first person perspective, with Queen Cleopatra as the narrator. It begins with Cleopatra as a child. Her father Ptolemy XII is portrayed as a sad, drunken man, but despite this, Cleopatra loves him dearly. Egypt is bankrupt and dependent on Rome for support, but as she grows up she becomes aware that Rome is more dependent on Egypt The author gives us more insight on Cleopatra's sisters and their advisors than others I have read and from a very young age, she realizes that both of her sisters want her dead.
Cleopatra is portrayed here as very intelligent child who loves history and became an expert historian in her time. She was fascinated by Alexander the Great, and his prowess on the battlefield. It was one of his generals that began the Ptolemy dynasty and she believes that Egypt can be the great nation that it was at the beginning of the Ptolemy's reign. As a woman, she is shrewd enough to know that she needs a general as great as Alexander and she finds them, first in Julius Caesar and then Mark Antony and she loved both of them greatly.
This novel is an excellent blend of history and fiction and is a very enjoyable read. Nearly thirty years later, Margaret George would write her version of the memoirs of this remarkable queen, but I still think this is the better of the two.
August 17, 2009
I loved this book so much when I discovered it as an eighth-grader. I read my copy till it came apart in my hands. I happened across it again at a yard sale, so of course I picked it up. I'm so sorry I did. Overwrought, purple prose (lots of fiery manhood thrusting into queenly flesh like a flaming, passionate sword), though beneath all the romance is some interesting history. I can't recommend this, and I have a hard time believing I was once someone who could read and re-read this tripe.
June 25, 2024
Maybe it’s pointless to review such an old book, but if I can spare any unsuspecting reader, I will. This story could have been so much better, since the history is fascinating. But between the constant repetition, the bloated length, and lack of creative word choice, I almost didn’t finish. How many times do I need to hear how beautiful, glorious, smart, amazing, etc, Cleopatra is (and, mind you, this is written from Cleopatra’s POV so it comes across as extremely vain - not in a good way)? How many pages need to be filled with the egregious displays of wealth, cruelty, immorality, gluttony? How many times can I hear “Cleopatra cried” or “Antony cried” or someone else “cried” - there are other ways to say that a character expressed something passionately, not every other statement needs to be “cried” out by the speaker. Anyway. I’ve had this book for 15+ years and now that I’ve finally gotten around to reading it… it’s immediately been put in the donate pile.
December 16, 2018
As as fiction writer, WIlliam Bostock is far from great. As an historian, it is clear he has done his research. He has events that happened during Cleopatra's lifetime straight and it's clear he loves the subject of this book - though I never could get into the idea that Cleopatra VII was ever blonde and blue -eyed. Just...NO.
When this book came out, I devoured it. I read it over and over again and even wore out a few copies. Every time I see a copy in a used bookstore, I snap it up. I am not sure exactly *why* I do this except I was in high school at the time it came out and ancient Egypt was a beginning obsession for me.
When this book came out, I devoured it. I read it over and over again and even wore out a few copies. Every time I see a copy in a used bookstore, I snap it up. I am not sure exactly *why* I do this except I was in high school at the time it came out and ancient Egypt was a beginning obsession for me.
August 23, 2013
Loved it in Grade 8; not sure if I'd feel the same now at age 44, though. However, there it is.
October 27, 2008
This was a great book! It's quite old. The author did a lot of research about Cleapatra and Ceasar and Marc Antony, and although it is a novel, he tried to be as true to history as possible. I really enjoyed it. It's long!
March 1, 2010
it gave me a view of cleopatra's life
January 7, 2017
Second time I read this. Absolutely loved it.
June 28, 2023
It has been a long time since I read this but I recall my seventeen year old self really liking it. I also remember wondering how I was supposed to figure out what was true history and what was fiction; it was my first biographical/historical fiction.
I now have the Kindle edition and may reread it. I am a bit more discerning now and can say I wish there was notes or a bibliography to have some reference for the true history too.
I now have the Kindle edition and may reread it. I am a bit more discerning now and can say I wish there was notes or a bibliography to have some reference for the true history too.
October 29, 2020
Great read
Loved it. The writer style of writing captures my imagination, I could visualize the characters and settings. I enjoyed learning about the life and time of Cleopatra.
Loved it. The writer style of writing captures my imagination, I could visualize the characters and settings. I enjoyed learning about the life and time of Cleopatra.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews