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Cleopatra

Helen_Davis

Cleopatra

Post by Helen_Davis » Sat December 20th, 2008, 2:46 pm

For personal reasons, I'd really like to know of some novels on Cleopatra. I've read "Memoirs" but what about others?

annis
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Post by annis » Sat December 20th, 2008, 6:06 pm

She's a popular subject
Here are a few:

H Rider Haggard did one in 18898
"Cleopatra"

Colin Falconer
"When We Were Gods"

Karen Essex has a two novel "Kleopatra" series
1) Kleopatra
2) Pharaoh

Colleen McCullough
Has written a couple of novels featuring Cleopatra
One is about Julius Caesar and Cleopatra
"October Horse"
And another about Marc Antony and Cleopatra
"Antony and Cleopatra"

Did you see this article posted by Ash on the Historical Myths thread? It's a composite image showing what Cleopatra might have really looked like:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... patra.html
Last edited by annis on Sat December 20th, 2008, 6:13 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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Tanzanite
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Post by Tanzanite » Mon December 22nd, 2008, 1:48 am

[quote=""annis""]She's a popular subject
Here are a few:


Colleen McCullough
Has written a couple of novels featuring Cleopatra
One is about Julius Caesar and Cleopatra
"October Horse"
[/quote]

The October Horse is billed as being about Caesar and Cleopatra, but I read it earlier this year and very little of the book features Cleopatra (I'm guessing less than 200 pages out of almost 1000). That was the reason I wanted to read the book and I was very disappointed.

annis
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Post by annis » Mon December 22nd, 2008, 3:50 am

Yes, I have to agree that "October Horse" does focus more on Caesar than Cleopatra. I found "Antony and Cleopatra" rather disappointing- I didn't think it Colleen McCullough's best work. She has been battling illness the past few years, and maybe it shows.

annis
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Post by annis » Wed December 24th, 2008, 9:36 pm

I just remembered another Cleopatra book. It's an older one, published around 1976-7, but you might be able to get it through your library.
Martha Rofheart "The Alexandrian"

gyrehead
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Post by gyrehead » Fri December 26th, 2008, 7:21 pm

[quote=""annis""]Yes, I have to agree that "October Horse" does focus more on Caesar than Cleopatra. I found "Antony and Cleopatra" rather disappointing- I didn't think it Colleen McCullough's best work. She has been battling illness the past few years, and maybe it shows.[/quote]

I agree. It was a good book, but nowhere near the greatness of the rest of the series. Let alone the first four books which were just brilliant for me.

I was a bit taken aback at how vapid and really ineffective McCullough decided to make Cleopatra. In 'A&C' she comes off as the wishy washy woman who only can acheive greatness if she acts on what Caesar had told her or what Antony tells her or what Caesarion (in his Caesar clone mode) tells her. Only Romans are smart and wonderful and politically savvy and and good leaders and rulers. It got rather silly at times. I was okay with McCullough clearly being a fangirl of Caesar's in her writing. But what she did to Cleopatra was just plain silly. She doesn't have to like her but she could at least portray her as having a brain.

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nona
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Post by nona » Fri December 26th, 2008, 7:37 pm

It took me five months to read the October horse as I would read a couple hundered pages and to take a break, very long and dull in some areas but over all a good book on Ceasar, not so much on Cleopatra.

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nona
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Post by nona » Tue July 6th, 2010, 11:54 pm

anyone heard of I, Cleopatra, forgot author but it's out of print and hard to find or at least I'm not finding it, but would love to find it so if you might know where I can get it please let me know.

annis
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Post by annis » Wed July 7th, 2010, 6:17 am

Is it this one, by William Bostock, pub 1077, Nona? If so, looks as if it should be available from several Amazon sellers.
http://www.amazon.com/I-Cleopatra-Willi ... 0446813796

It's not one i've come across- sounds interesting.

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nona
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Post by nona » Wed July 7th, 2010, 11:29 pm

[quote=""annis""]Is it this one, by William Bostock, pub 1077, Nona? If so, looks as if it should be available from several Amazon sellers.
http://www.amazon.com/I-Cleopatra-Willi ... 0446813796

It's not one i've come across- sounds interesting.[/quote]

actually it is! I could have sworn I checked amazon and there were none but thanks I'm going to order it asap and I'll let you know how it goes.

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