Cleopatra

 By: Natasha Solomons 

Location:  FIC SOL

Genre: Mythology

“Know her, love her, fear her”

If you're like me and don't know your Ptolemies from your pyramids, don't worry! This book is the perfect intro to ancient Egyptian stuff without making you feel stupid.

Bottom line: Solomons doesn't just dust off an old story - she brings Cleopatra back to life in all her complicated glory.

Five stars, would time-travel to ancient Egypt again!

Cleopatra: the beguiling, legendary Pharoah and Queen of Egypt - the arch seducer who used her beauty to grasp for ever more power. But with her character only ever recorded by men who despised her, how can we be sure this was the real story?
From the lauded author of Fair Rosaline comes a powerful, unmissable new untelling, unravelling Shakespeare's Roman plays to draw out the woman behind the myth.
A captivating story of female power and vulnerability, of love and loss, fierce friendship and terrible betrayal: it's finally time to meet the real Cleopatra.

Ultimately, Cleopatra is a beautiful portrayal of this fascinating historical figure. It is a reclamation of power, history, and legacy. Solomons does not merely present Cleopatra as a historical figure but as a woman whose presence still resonates centuries later. I recommend this novel to lovers of retellings and historical fiction (especially those not used to the genre) as well as readers drawn to powerful female figures. Review by Karl

If you're like me and don't know your Ptolemies from your pyramids, don't worry! This book is the perfect intro to ancient Egyptian stuff without making you feel stupid.

Bottom line: Solomons doesn't just dust off an old story - she brings Cleopatra back to life in all her complicated glory.

Five stars, would time-travel to ancient Egypt again!