This biography of the last of Egypt's ancient monarchs has been receive rave reviews. Being the Egyptophile I am, that mean I really had to read it. It really did a nice job of living up to expectations.

Schiff does a great job of bringing the reader through the life of a woman who had romances and children with (arguably) the two most powerful men of her time: Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. She starts with Cleopatra's youth and introducing her turbulent family, the Ptolemys. This Greek dynasty took control of Egypt upon the death of Alexander the Great and spent generations killing each other in order to strengthen their own individual powers. It is into this environment that Cleopatra was born in raised.

She was one of five children (2 boys and 3 girls). She ended up having to have her brothers (and husbands) killed and the same was required for her sisters. This was because all of them wanted to have control of the country.

Cleopatra was a strong willed and intelligent woman who was able to use her intelligence and diplomacy to not only stabilize her own country but become a major influence in the whole eastern Mediterranean region. Some of this had to do with her ties to Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony, but that was not the only reason. She was a great power of her own. This was even more important when considering the fact that the Roman culture did not support a high role for women, who were supposed to defer to their fathers and husband and care (quietly) for the home and family.

One of the real strengths of Schiff's presentation is the fact that she fills in well-known historical events with careful discussions about the people, places, and cultures that are involved with various events being highlighted. It really adds a lot of depth to the information. Similarly, readers get to know a lot about her peers, such as Herod and Octavian.

Schiff also uses a very comfortable narrative style that allows the reader to feel as if this really is a story in the novel format. It is very easy to connect with Cleopatra as a result.

The author makes great use of a wide range of historians who specialized in the period. This includes modern names as well as ancient ones like Josephus. I would definitely recommend this for anyone with an interest in the historical figure. While the time period is different the book also reminded me a lot of the biographies of women with major influence during the Enlightenment by Alison Weir. There are lots of rich detail that not only talks about major events but also give a good sense of everyday life for these people.