Book Review: Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff

Keywords

Book Review; Newspaper

Abstract

In "Cleopatra: A Life" (Little, Brown and Co., 2010), Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff takes on the daunting task of writing what some might consider just another biography of Egypt's last pharaoh. Relying on original source documents that date close to Cleopatra's life (69-30 B.C.), she creates a compelling portrait of one of the most vilified, misrepresented women in history. The book itself is written in an easy narrative style, weaving a tale of murder, intrigue, and political strife. The author transports us from Cleopatra's tumultuous early years with her siblings and eventual rise to pharaoh to her relationships with and subsequent marriages to Julius Caesar and Mark Antony — two of the most prominent Romans of the day. Readers will appreciate Schiff's meticulous research and her insight into Cleopatra, and the book's historical background as well.

Date Created

December 2011

https://works.bepress.com/sarah-norris/18/download/

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