pick25-7 Nov 23 (audiobook)
A weak pick. Schmidt admits there are few historical, and barely any contemporary, sources for her biography of Cleopatra and perhaps that is the problem. I am not sure I finished with a great deal more information than I began with: Cleopatra was a beloved queen of Egypt who had two great affairs, with Caesar and Mark Antony respectively, and ultimately killed herself by asp bite. Apparently that last fact is doubtful.
I really enjoyed this mini-series on Netflix which matched up very well with this book which I read with a group here on Litsy awhile ago. And just like the book..is getting very mixed reviews…and is apparently a scandal because they made Cleopatra (gasp) Black. 🙄
I really enjoyed both personally and would recommend.
so-soA Nonfiction about the life of Cleopatra.
I love history in general but one of my favorite places to learn about is ancient Egypt. This has a very easy to understand writing style witch is great because personally textbooks turn me off. I did take a break from reading this one and I think it suffered from that a bit.
I will always be on the look out for more ancient Egyptian nonfiction though.
#nonfiction #cleopatra #ancientegypt #stacyshiff
Took an unintentional break…. My mental health has not been good and I‘m still adjusting to my new job so I just haven‘t been reading.
Currently I‘m try very slowly to finish Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian and Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff.
Things will get better I know and maybe getting back to posting will help.
#currentlyreading #hourofthewitch #cleopatra #chrisbohjalian #stacyschiff
pickI saw that that this has pretty 50/50 mixed reviews, but I liked it. I didn‘t think the author was too over-reaching. It was a well done biography that simultaneously dispels some of the myths surrounding Cleopatra while also exposing how they came into being in the first place.
pickEverything we know about Cleopatra is as it relates to the men in her life. Schiff has done a good job of going through the surviving documents to put together a portrait of a woman that is more than just a sexual temptress. We learn how this Macedonian woman came to rule such a wealthy kingdom and that Egypt was very strong under her rule, but we never truly understand the true motivations behind her actions. If the time period is ⬇️
pickSchiff did a great job delving deep into Cleopatra, instead of painting her as a sex-crazed seductress as many do, the author tried to show her as a human and a ruler, making hard choices and doing what‘s best for her country. Schiff also included primary sources but worked to include the cultural biases the authors would‘ve had.
