-
The Memoirs of Cleopatra
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 49 hrs and 51 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $36.00
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 42 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exhaustively researched novel weaves both historical fact and plausible fiction in bringing the story of Mary Queen of Scots to life.
-
-
Well written, well read
- By Robin on 12-01-09
By: Margaret George
-
Elizabeth I
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 31 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma - the Virgin Queen who had many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies.
-
-
A different view of Elizabeth
- By Sarda on 05-10-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
-
-
Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
Mary, Called Magdalene
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice.
-
-
Good story, but flawed
- By Linda Erlich on 02-08-16
By: Margaret George
-
The Confessions of Young Nero
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Steve West, Susan Denaker, Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar's imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire, no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman - or child. As a boy Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great-aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: It is better to be cruel than dead.
-
-
Unexpected
- By emmygar on 07-12-18
By: Margaret George
-
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 42 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exhaustively researched novel weaves both historical fact and plausible fiction in bringing the story of Mary Queen of Scots to life.
-
-
Well written, well read
- By Robin on 12-01-09
By: Margaret George
-
Elizabeth I
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 31 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma - the Virgin Queen who had many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies.
-
-
A different view of Elizabeth
- By Sarda on 05-10-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
-
-
Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
Mary, Called Magdalene
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice.
-
-
Good story, but flawed
- By Linda Erlich on 02-08-16
By: Margaret George
-
The Confessions of Young Nero
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Steve West, Susan Denaker, Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar's imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire, no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman - or child. As a boy Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great-aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: It is better to be cruel than dead.
-
-
Unexpected
- By emmygar on 07-12-18
By: Margaret George
-
Nefertiti
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep's heretical desires.
-
-
Boring! Not even close to the synopsis.
- By The Louligan on 09-18-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Cleopatra
- A Life
- By: Stacy Schiff
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order.
-
-
Approach this book with caution
- By GolfZilla on 12-02-10
By: Stacy Schiff
-
The King's Pleasure
- A Novel of Henry VIII
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 23 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The New York Times bestselling author of the Six Tudor Queens series explores the private side of the legendary king Henry VIII and his dramatic and violent reign in this extraordinary historical novel. Young Henry began his rule as a magnificent and chivalrous Renaissance prince who embodied every virtue. He had all the qualities to make a triumph of his rule, yet we remember only the violence. Henry famously broke with the Pope, founding the Church of England and launching a religious revolution that divided his kingdom. He beheaded two of his wives and cast aside two others.
-
-
Love this author
- By Amanda on 06-17-23
By: Alison Weir
-
Virgins
- An Outlander Short
- By: Diana Gabaldon
- Narrated by: Allan Scott-Douglas
- Length: 3 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mourning the death of his father and gravely injured at the hands of the English, Jamie Fraser finds himself running with a band of mercenaries in the French countryside, where he reconnects with his old friend, Ian Murray. Both are nursing wounds, both have good reason to stay out of Scotland, and both are still virgins despite several opportunities to remedy that deplorable situation with ladies of easy virtue.
-
-
Don't expect an in depth story
- By ELZIE B HICKERSON on 10-30-16
By: Diana Gabaldon
-
Cleopatra's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.
-
-
A pretty engaging story
- By Annette on 12-23-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Katherine of Aragon, the True Queen
- A Novel
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 22 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A princess of Spain, Catalina is only 16 years old when she sets foot on the shores of England. The youngest daughter of the powerful monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella, Catalina is a coveted prize for a royal marriage - and Arthur, Prince of Wales and heir to the English throne, has won her hand. But tragedy strikes, and Catalina, now Princess Katherine, is betrothed to the future Henry VIII.
-
-
Absolutely Wonderful!
- By DebaDeb on 08-23-16
By: Alison Weir
-
Henry VIII: Wolfman
- A Novel
- By: A.E. Moorat
- Narrated by: John McLain
- Length: 10 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five hundred years ago Henry VIII had a fearsome temper and bloodthirsty reputation to match; more beast than human, some might say. . .Henry the Eighth was the bloodiest king ever to have sat on the throne of England. This fast-paced, exciting, inventive, and just plain bloody retelling of his reign will bring to light the real man behind the myth. Be dragged back kicking and screaming five hundred years into Tudor England.
-
-
a werewolf book without romance.
- By Rikke on 01-28-15
By: A.E. Moorat
-
The Woman Who Would Be King
- Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
- By: Kara Cooney
- Narrated by: Kara Cooney
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hatshepsut - the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty - was born into a privileged position in the royal household, and she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father's family. Her failure to produce a male heir was ultimately the twist of fate that paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing king.
-
-
Overt Agenda
- By Kindle Customer on 04-14-19
By: Kara Cooney
-
The Egyptian
- By: Mika Waltari
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 23 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The world of ancient Egypt springs magnificently to life in this astonishing historical novel of love, war, political intrigue, and religious revolution. Told from the first-person point of view, it is the story of Sinuhe, physician to the royal court of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his successors in the middle of the tumultuous 14th century B.C. From his exalted position, Sinuhe was able to observe and participate in some of the most intimate and important decisions that affected the powerful Egyptian kingdom of the 18th Dynasty during a very troubled period of its history.
-
-
Really old story told in beautiful way
- By honest critic on 04-30-15
By: Mika Waltari
-
The Mists of Avalon
- By: Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Narrated by: Davina Porter
- Length: 50 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A posthumous recipient of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement, Marion Zimmer Bradley reinvented - and rejuvenated - the King Arthur mythos with her extraordinary Mists of Avalon series. In this epic work, Bradley follows the arc of the timeless tale from the perspective of its previously marginalized female characters: Celtic priestess Morgaine, Gwenhwyfar, and High Priestess Viviane.
-
-
Davina Porter brings an old favorite back to life!
- By Carolina on 07-13-12
-
Lily of the Nile
- The Cleopatra's Daughter Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Stephanie Dray
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With both of her parents dead, Princess Selene and her two surviving brothers are left at the mercy of their captors, taken from Egypt and put on display as war trophies in Rome. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene struggles for survival in a court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends.
-
-
Simple & basic storytelling that fell short of expectations!
- By Kris on 02-17-19
By: Stephanie Dray
-
Daughter of the Gods
- A Novel of Ancient Egypt
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh's pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile's marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut's games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.
-
-
Great story
- By Anonymous User on 01-30-21
Publisher's summary
Critic reviews
"A thrilling story...[Cleopatra's] 'memoirs' are vivid and enthralling. Read them." (Washington Post)
"Readers looking to be transported to another place and time will find their magic carpet here." (Publishers Weekly)
"An extremely detailed historical novel....this accurate re-creation of a vastly interesting time and place will not disappoint." (Booklist)
Related to this topic
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Funeral Games
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India.After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt.
-
-
Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Fire from Heaven
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations.
-
-
Renewed Pleasure
- By James on 01-28-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Seven Wonders
- A Novel of the Ancient World
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: Stephen Plunkett
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
USA Today hails Steven Saylor as a “modern master of historical fiction.” Rich in intrigue and period detail, his novels set in ancient Rome have garnered acclaim the world over. A prequel to his epic Roma Sub Rosa series, The Seven Wonders follows series star Gordianus the Finder as an 18-year-old traveling the Mediterranean to witness the wonders of that fabled age. At each stop, the young investigator finds a beguiling mystery that pushes his powers of deduction to the limit.
-
-
Interesting History, Not much of a story
- By Mark on 08-10-12
By: Steven Saylor
-
Ben-Hur
- A Tale of the Christ
- By: Carol Wallace
- Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now a major motion picture from MGM and Paramount studios, the story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend, Messala, betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path.
-
-
Maginificient remake
- By Amazon Customer on 07-23-16
By: Carol Wallace
-
Cleopatra's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.
-
-
A pretty engaging story
- By Annette on 12-23-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Hand of Isis
- By: Jo Graham
- Narrated by: Gigi Shane
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charmian is handmaiden to Cleopatra. She is also an oracle, gifted with ancient memories that may hold the key to preserving Egypt. Through blood and fire, war and peace, love and death, she will face a desperate struggle that will remake the future of the world.
-
-
Reader does not know how to pronounce words
- By Gail N. on 07-31-19
By: Jo Graham
-
Funeral Games
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 13 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander the Great died at the age of thirty-three, leaving behind an empire that stretched from Greece and Egypt to India.After Alexander's death in 323 B.C. his only direct heirs were two unborn sons and a simpleton half-brother. Every long-simmering faction exploded into the vacuum of power. Wives, distant relatives and generals all vied for the loyalty of the increasingly undisciplined Macedonian army. Most failed and were killed in the attempt.
-
-
Postmortem of an Empire and the Dream that United
- By James on 02-26-15
By: Mary Renault
-
Fire from Heaven
- A Novel of Alexander the Great
- By: Mary Renault
- Narrated by: Roger May
- Length: 18 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Alexander's beauty, strength and defiance were apparent from birth, but his boyhood honed those gifts into the makings of a king. His mother, Olympias, and his father, King Philip of Macedon, fought each other for their son's loyalty, teaching Alexander politics and vengeance from the cradle. His love for the youth Hephaistion taught him trust, while Aristotle's tutoring provoked his mind and Homer's Iliad fuelled his aspirations.
-
-
Renewed Pleasure
- By James on 01-28-15
By: Mary Renault
-
The Seven Wonders
- A Novel of the Ancient World
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: Stephen Plunkett
- Length: 12 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
USA Today hails Steven Saylor as a “modern master of historical fiction.” Rich in intrigue and period detail, his novels set in ancient Rome have garnered acclaim the world over. A prequel to his epic Roma Sub Rosa series, The Seven Wonders follows series star Gordianus the Finder as an 18-year-old traveling the Mediterranean to witness the wonders of that fabled age. At each stop, the young investigator finds a beguiling mystery that pushes his powers of deduction to the limit.
-
-
Interesting History, Not much of a story
- By Mark on 08-10-12
By: Steven Saylor
-
Ben-Hur
- A Tale of the Christ
- By: Carol Wallace
- Narrated by: Firdous Bamji
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Now a major motion picture from MGM and Paramount studios, the story follows Judah Ben-Hur, a Jewish nobleman whose childhood friend, Messala, betrays him. Accused of trying to murder the new Roman governor in Jerusalem, Judah is sentenced to the galley ships and vows to seek revenge against the Romans and Messala. But a chance encounter with a carpenter from Nazareth sets Judah on a different path.
-
-
Maginificient remake
- By Amazon Customer on 07-23-16
By: Carol Wallace
-
Cleopatra's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.
-
-
A pretty engaging story
- By Annette on 12-23-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Nefer the Silent
- Stone of Light, Volume 1
- By: Christian Jacq
- Narrated by: Ezra Knight
- Length: 5 hrs and 2 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Deep in the heart of the Upper Egyptian desert lies a forbidden village, where bands of artisans prepare the tombs of the Pharaohs. Guarded by a handful of elite soldiers, the hidden city shelters the most precious of treasures: the Stone of Light, a legendary stone of magical power. When a devious military officer schemes to infiltrate the city and capture the sacred gem, his subversive plot is thwarted by an unlikely hero: a desert wanderer who falls into a maze of treachery and betrayal, desire and danger.
By: Christian Jacq
-
I, the Sun
- By: Janet Morris
- Narrated by: Chistopher Crosby Morris
- Length: 24 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This is the saga of the Hittite King Suppiluliumas, and rings with authenticity and the passion of a world that existed 1400 years before the birth of Christ. They called him Great King, Favorite of the Storm God, the Valiant. He conquered more than forty nations and brought fear and war to the very doorstep of 18th Dynasty Egypt, but he could not conquer the one woman he truly loved.
-
-
Wonderfully Researched and Fantastic Performance.
- By Rev. Zombie on 07-08-15
By: Janet Morris
-
Imperial Woman
- The Story of the Last Empress of China
- By: Pearl S. Buck
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 17 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The story of Tzu Hsi is the story of the last empress in China. In this audiobook, Pearl S. Buck recreates the life of one of the most intriguing rules during a time of intense turbulence. Tzu Hsi was born into one of the lowly ranks of the Imperial dynasty. According to custom, she moved to the Forbidden City at the age of 17 to become one of hundreds of concubines. But her singular beauty and powers of manipulation quickly moved her into the position of Second Consort.
-
-
The Last Empress and the Destruction of China
- By MarilynArms on 07-29-13
By: Pearl S. Buck
-
Roman Blood
- A Mystery of Ancient Rome
- By: Steven Saylor
- Narrated by: Scott Harrison
- Length: 14 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In Rome, 80 B.C., on a warm spring morning, Gordianus the Finder receives a summons to the house of a then-unknown young advocate and orator, Cicero. Ambitious and brilliant, the 26-year-old Cicero is about to argue his first important case. His client is a wealthy farmer, one Sextus Roscius of the town of Ameria, who stands accused of the most unforgivable act in Ancient Rome: the murder of his father.
-
-
Good story, bad reader
- By Miles Gloriosus on 09-15-10
By: Steven Saylor
-
Equal of the Sun
- A Novel
- By: Anita Amirrezvani
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 13 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Iran in 1576 is a place of peace, wealth, and dazzling beauty. But when the Shah dies without having named an heir, the court is thrown into tumult. Princess Pari, the Shah's daughter and closest adviser, knows more about the inner workings of the state than almost anyone, but the princess's maneuvers to instill order after her father's sudden death incite resentment and dissent. Pari and her trusted servant, a eunuch able to navigate the harem as well as the world beyond the palace walls, are in possession of an incredible tapestry....
-
-
A Woman in a Man's World
- By JGrace on 06-26-13
-
The Lions of Al-Rassan
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Euan Morton
- Length: 19 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The ruling Asharites of Al-Rassan have come from the desert sands, but over centuries, seduced by the sensuous pleasures of their new land, their stern piety has eroded. The Asharite empire has splintered into decadent city-states led by warring petty kings. King Almalik of Cartada is on the ascendancy, aided always by his friend and advisor, the notorious Ammar ibn Khairan - poet, diplomat, soldier - until a summer afternoon of savage brutality changes their relationship forever.
-
-
Lots of drama
- By Kat Hooper on 10-12-12
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
Ramses
- The Son Of Light
- By: Christian Jacq
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An epic re-creation of the exhilarating and mysterious time when the Sun King ruled Egypt, Ramses, the Son of Light, has become the rage in France. With over two million copies sold, it is the greatest publishing phenomenon to hit the shelves there in 20 years. Rameses is only 14 when his father, the Pharaoh Seti, begins testing his true mettle. Being the younger of two sons, the proud Ramses has a problem with being relegated to second place.
-
-
Teenager drama with little insight into Egyptian culture
- By Consuelo on 10-24-17
By: Christian Jacq
-
The Songs of the Kings
- By: Barry Unsworth
- Narrated by: Andrew Sachs
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A thoroughly modern tale of politics, spin-doctoring, and media manipulation. As the harsh wind holds the Greek fleet trapped in the straits at Aulis, frustration and political impotence turn into a desire for the blood of a young and innocent woman - blood that will appease the gods and allow the troops to set sail. And when Iphigeneia, Agamemnon's beloved daughter, is brought to the coast under false pretences, it looks as if the ships will soon be on their way.
-
-
The politics of power haven't changed.
- By susan on 12-06-12
By: Barry Unsworth
-
Orion
- Orion Series, Book 1
- By: Ben Bova
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
John O'Ryan is not a god...not exactly. He is an eternal warrior destined to combat the Dark Lord through all time for dominion of the Earth. Follow him, servant of a great race, as he battles his enemy down the halls of time, from the caves of our ancestors to the final confrontation under the hammer of nuclear annihilation.
-
-
Cornucopia of Genre's
- By Jim "The Impatient" on 06-10-12
By: Ben Bova
-
Children of Earth and Sky
- By: Guy Gavriel Kay
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 19 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the small coastal town of Senjan, notorious for its pirates, a young woman sets out to find vengeance for her lost family. That same spring, from the wealthy city-state of Seressa, famous for its canals and lagoon, come two very different people: a young artist traveling to the dangerous east to paint the grand khalif at his request - and possibly to do more - and a fiercely intelligent, angry woman posing as a doctor's wife but sent by Seressa as a spy.
-
-
Deep Echoes of the Sarantine Mosaic
- By Sarah on 05-13-16
By: Guy Gavriel Kay
-
The Shadow Women
- By: Angela Elwell Hunt
- Narrated by: various
- Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Best-selling author Angela Elwell Hunt traces the life of Moses as seen through the eyes of three women: his adoptive mother, his sister, and his wife. This is a stunning recreation of a Biblical era and a faithful servant of God.
-
-
The Shadow Women
- By Sandi on 12-01-07
-
Kushiel's Dart
- By: Jacqueline Carey
- Narrated by: Anne Flosnik
- Length: 31 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.
-
-
The Kushiel series in order
- By Glen Gaines on 10-27-09
By: Jacqueline Carey
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 42 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exhaustively researched novel weaves both historical fact and plausible fiction in bringing the story of Mary Queen of Scots to life.
-
-
Well written, well read
- By Robin on 12-01-09
By: Margaret George
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
-
-
Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
-
Elizabeth I
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 31 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma - the Virgin Queen who had many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies.
-
-
A different view of Elizabeth
- By Sarda on 05-10-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Confessions of Young Nero
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Steve West, Susan Denaker, Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar's imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire, no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman - or child. As a boy Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great-aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: It is better to be cruel than dead.
-
-
Unexpected
- By emmygar on 07-12-18
By: Margaret George
-
Mary, Called Magdalene
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice.
-
-
Good story, but flawed
- By Linda Erlich on 02-08-16
By: Margaret George
-
Mary Queen of Scotland and the Isles
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Donada Peters
- Length: 42 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
An exhaustively researched novel weaves both historical fact and plausible fiction in bringing the story of Mary Queen of Scots to life.
-
-
Well written, well read
- By Robin on 12-01-09
By: Margaret George
-
Helen of Troy
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 30 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Daughter of a god, wife of a king, prize of antiquity's bloodiest war, Helen of Troy has inspired artists for millennia. Now Margaret George, the highly acclaimed best-selling historical novelist, has turned her intelligent, perceptive eye to the myth that is Helen of Troy.
-
-
A Very Different Take Than Homer
- By Troy on 08-31-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Autobiography of Henry VIII
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: David Case
- Length: 41 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Margaret George's novel brings into focus the larger-than-life King Henry VIII, monarch of prodigious appetites for wine, women, and song.
-
-
Perfection!
- By Amy M. Walts on 10-20-07
By: Margaret George
-
Elizabeth I
- A Novel
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 31 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York Times best-selling author Margaret George captures history's most enthralling queen-as she confronts rivals to her throne and to her heart. One of today's premier historical novelists, George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma - the Virgin Queen who had many suitors; the victor of the Armada who hated war; the gorgeously attired, jewel-bedecked woman who pinched pennies.
-
-
A different view of Elizabeth
- By Sarda on 05-10-12
By: Margaret George
-
The Confessions of Young Nero
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Steve West, Susan Denaker, Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar's imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire, no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman - or child. As a boy Nero's royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great-aunt attempts to secure her own son's inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: It is better to be cruel than dead.
-
-
Unexpected
- By emmygar on 07-12-18
By: Margaret George
-
Mary, Called Magdalene
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 30 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared - and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific "Apostle to the Apostles". Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration. In a vivid re-creation of Mary Magdalene's life story, Margaret George convincingly captures this renowned woman's voice.
-
-
Good story, but flawed
- By Linda Erlich on 02-08-16
By: Margaret George
-
Cleopatra
- A Life
- By: Stacy Schiff
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 14 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator. Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order.
-
-
Approach this book with caution
- By GolfZilla on 12-02-10
By: Stacy Schiff
-
Nefertiti
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped by all that her strong personality will temper the young Amunhotep's heretical desires.
-
-
Boring! Not even close to the synopsis.
- By The Louligan on 09-18-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
La Reina del Nilo (Memorias de Cleopatra 1) [The Queen of the Nile (Memoirs of Cleopatra 1)]
- By: Margaret George
- Narrated by: Isabel Cámara
- Length: 19 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Primera entrega de esta trilogía que nos permite conocer de boca de la propia Cleopatra su verdadera historia: una historia fascinante de ambición, pasión y traición.
By: Margaret George
-
The Woman Who Would Be King
- Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
- By: Kara Cooney
- Narrated by: Kara Cooney
- Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Hatshepsut - the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne and a mother with ties to the previous dynasty - was born into a privileged position in the royal household, and she was expected to bear the sons who would legitimize the reign of her father's family. Her failure to produce a male heir was ultimately the twist of fate that paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing king.
-
-
Overt Agenda
- By Kindle Customer on 04-14-19
By: Kara Cooney
-
Cleopatra
- The Queen Who Challenged Rome and Conquered Eternity
- By: Alberto Angela
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 14 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One of Italy’s most revered cultural figures reconstructs the extraordinary life of the legendary Cleopatra at the height of her power in this epic story of passion, intrigue, betrayal, and war.
-
-
Wonderfully written and read.
- By Amazon Customer on 09-09-22
By: Alberto Angela
-
A Respectable Trade
- Historical Novels
- By: Philippa Gregory
- Narrated by: Adjoa Andoh
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Bristol in 1787 is booming, a city where power beckons those who dare to take risks. Josiah Cole, a small dockside trader, is prepared to gamble everything to join the big players of the city. But he needs capital and a well-connected wife. Marriage to Frances Scott is a mutually convenient solution. Trading her social contacts for Josiah's protection, Frances finds her life and fortune dependent on the respectable trade of sugar, rum, and slaves. Into her new world comes Mehuru, once a priest in the ancient African kingdom of Yoruba, now a slave in England.
-
-
TEN STARS!
- By Mary Smiroldo on 09-04-19
By: Philippa Gregory
-
Captive Queen
- A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine
- By: Alison Weir
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 19 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Renowned for her highly acclaimed and bestselling British histories, Alison Weir has in recent years made a major impact on the fiction scene with her novels about Queen Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey. In this latest offering, she imagines the world of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the beautiful twelfth-century woman who was queen of France until she abandoned her royal husband for the younger man who would become king of England.
-
-
Why the Negativity?
- By E. Willaims on 06-28-11
By: Alison Weir
-
Cleopatra: I Am Fire and Air
- By: Harold Bloom
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 3 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cleopatra is one of the most famous women in history - and thanks to Shakespeare, one of the most intriguing personalities in literature. Award-winning writer and beloved professor Harold Bloom delivers exhilarating clarity and invites us to look at this character as a flawed human who might be living in our world. He also explores his own personal relationship to the character: Just as we encounter one Anna Karenina or Jay Gatsby when we are in high school and college and another when we are adults, Bloom explains his shifting understanding of Cleopatra over the course of his own lifetime.
By: Harold Bloom
-
I Am Livia
- By: Phyllis T. Smith
- Narrated by: Joyce Bean
- Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the tender age of 14, Livia Drusilla overhears her father and fellow aristocrats plotting the assassination of Julius Caesar. Proving herself an astute confidante, she becomes her father’s chief political asset - and reluctantly enters into an advantageous marriage to a prominent military officer. Her mother tells her, "It is possible for a woman to influence public affairs," reminding Livia that - while she possesses a keen sense for the machinations of the Roman senate - she must also remain patient and practical.
-
-
If you loved I, CLAUDIUS. You'll love this book!
- By Fun Lovin Lady on 05-08-14
By: Phyllis T. Smith
-
The Private Lives of the Tudors
- Uncovering the Secrets of Britain's Greatest Dynasty
- By: Tracy Borman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 15 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England's Tudor monarchs - Henry VII, Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I - are perhaps the most celebrated and fascinating of all royal families in history. Their love affairs, their political triumphs, and their overturning of the religious order are the subject of countless works of popular scholarship. But for all we know about Henry's quest for male heirs or Elizabeth's purported virginity, the lives of the Tudor monarchs away from the public eye remain largely beyond our grasp, mostly not chronicled by previous historians.
-
-
The Narration Is Awful
- By Appollo 500 on 10-27-18
By: Tracy Borman
-
Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra
- By: Anne Rice, Christopher Rice
- Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren
- Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Ramses the Great, former pharaoh of Egypt, is reawakened by the elixir of life in Edwardian England. Now immortal with his bride-to-be, he is swept up in a fierce and deadly battle of wills and psyches against the once-great Queen Cleopatra. Ramses has reawakened Cleopatra with the same perilous elixir whose unworldly force brings the dead back to life.
-
-
I am hungry for more......
- By Michelle M. Durante on 11-23-17
By: Anne Rice, and others
-
Catherine de Medici
- Renaissance Queen of France
- By: Leonie Frieda
- Narrated by: Sarah Le Fevre
- Length: 21 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Poisoner, despot, necromancer - the dark legend of Catherine de Medici is centuries old. In this critically hailed biography, Leonie Frieda reclaims the story of this unjustly maligned queen to reveal a skilled ruler battling extraordinary political and personal odds - from a troubled childhood in Florence to her marriage to Henry, son of King Francis I of France; from her transformation of French culture to her fight to protect her throne and her sons' birthright. Based on thousands of private letters, it is a remarkable account of one of the most influential women to wear a crown.
-
-
Narrator didn't get one name right
- By Georgina García- Menocal on 09-15-19
By: Leonie Frieda
What listeners say about The Memoirs of Cleopatra
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
- Michael A. Vasquez
- 03-05-07
I felt like I was there
Let's face it, history can be boring. Not so this account of the life of Cleopatra. Sure, I get all the names confused, and at times I found myself referring to a map to see where everything was happening, but listening to this account for a couple of hours each day on my ride to work I felt like I was spending time with an intimate friend. The author has a marvelous way of mixing historic accounts with a touch of a harlaquine romance (we are talking about Cleopatra.) By the time I was through with this story I felt I knew not only Cleopatra, but the whole cast of charecters in a new and unique way. Well done!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
43 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Donna
- 06-07-07
fascinating
Don't let other reviewers' impressions of the narrators' voices put you off. This is a powerful story told from a unique perspective, and is not to be missed. If you're interested in ancient Egyptian culture, you won't be disappointed. If you're interested in intimate details of daily life - fashion, style, design, entertaining and religion - you won't be sorry.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- The Louligan
- 01-13-08
I Can't Believe Cleo's Not Butter!
Margaret George did a masterful job of research and storytelling, giving the reader a front row seat into history. However, it came off too much like a Danielle Steele romance novel. Cleopatra was supposed to be hightly intelligent, speaking 12 languages, and one of the great female rulers. Yet here we are led to believe that she was the equivalent of a "B.C. video vixen", dating only "Roman rock stars", becoming the "first #1 baby-mama" with several "baby daddies" who gave her "booty calls" but no wedding rings. She dated married men, left her children while she went "on the road" behind Julius Caesar and Marc Antony like a "band wife", leaving Egypt to be run by employees and eunuchs. George does give the reader fabulous in-depth descriptions of the characters and locations. I thought it to be such a definitive account of that time in history that I invested in a hard copy version to fully appreciate the names and places put forth here. If you are interested in a good read about Egypt, Rome, the mighty Nile River, Caesar, Antony, Octavian, Marcus Agrippa, Fulvia, Cornelia, and the Kandake of Meroe, to name a very few, in addition to the battles and technology of the time, this is the book for you. But if this is truly what Cleopatra was about, then we've been fooled all of this time. Here she is an indifferent ruler, a bit loose with her virtue (rolling out of a rug for a roll in the hay with J.C. on their first meeting is trifling), and a very negligent mother - putting the men in her life before the welfare of her children and her people. I was very impressed with Margaret George's dedication to this subject and I loved the book. But it left me very, very disappointed in Cleopatra as a woman and a queen. Marge, you turned Cleo into margarine! Fabio should have graced the cover as Marc Antony. Now I ain't saying she was a gold digger, but......
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
22 people found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy
- 11-15-13
The Heart and Mind of a Queen
As Cleopatra herself states within this book, people love an elemental story. What could be more elemental than love, ambition, and power?
I read this book in paper form years ago, and it's a treat to go through it again in audio. The narrator, Donada Peters, sounded familiar to me, and a quick search revealed that I had heard her previously through other pseudonyms, chief amongst them Nadia May. She has an authoritative voice for the historical narratives I've heard her perform, and while she seemed a bit of an odd choice at first for the voice of Egypt's last queen, she quickly won me over for all of the characters. That's important for a story of this scale where character is chief amongst the attributes needed to pull it off.
Margaret George's works never cease to impress me. As an historian, her works are meticulously researched to ensure the known facts are present within the tale. As a storyteller, her pacing is just fast enough to keep things moving, but it's slow and languid enough to really build the details of character and setting. As I said, character is chief amongst the attributes needed to pull off a story like this, and this is where the author's skills truly excel. By the end of this book, you feel like you have spent some quality time with not only Cleopatra, but with Caesar, Antony, and many of the secondary and tertiary characters as well. The humanity of these people are brought to vivid life, to the point where it's understandable why and how the decisions made in their lives unfolded as they did.
Much like with Henry VIII and Helen of Troy, Cleopatra is a subject that Margaret George picked who has little to no voice nor compassion in the realm of public awareness. Most of the stories about her are told by those around her, many of them enemies or political opponents, and in this case, many of those long after she had died. She is largely seen as a powermad opportunist, a political whore, and worse, but rarely is she treated with the respect of a queen and the humanity of a woman. A tale that weaves together the known facts told from her own perspective is immensely satisfying in that the demonized perceptions are lifted like so many veils, one after the next. And in humanizing her, Ms. George has humanized Caesar, Antony, and the rest right along with her. And so, as with Henry VIII, Helen of Troy, and her other novels, this is historical fiction raised to its highest levels, in my own humble estimation. Perhaps I'm biased, already being a fan of hers, and admittedly having been attracted the Cleopatra story some decades ago thanks to the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Claudette Colbert. With any truly great story like this where seemingly everyone is a force of nature, the more you learn, the better it gets, and the more difficult it can be to find that one superior telling of the story. For this particular tale, look no further than this book. The only way it could be better is if perhaps Ms. George decided someday to pen a companion book about Caesar, seeing as how his part is only the last part of his story, but his influence on Cleopatra seems boundless.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
20 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Bonnie
- 07-07-07
Fact and Fiction
This is a wonderful story with historical references. If you are a history buff and also enjoy good fiction, this is a truly captivating story. One of the greatest story's ever told, and told again and again. I truly enjoyed this version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
16 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Robin
- 04-19-07
Wonderful account of a great person from history
I have read all of Margaret George's books and lately have been revisiting them through audio.com and this story is even more thrilling than the read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
14 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- mary j miller
- 02-21-09
Too long
I actually love the long sagas, but in this case it was all I could do to hang in there. There was no high adventure, no romance, no ingtrigues, just not much of a story. You have to blame the editors, it could have done nicely cut in half. I think the only reason I didn't abort was the reader. Porter is ever pleasing to listen to. Just for kicks I would love to know how many cups of wine were poured start to finish. Enough to float a barge I'll bet. At the end I just wanted her to grab the snake and get me out of my misery.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Shopper1844
- 09-10-07
History come alive
Ms. George has crafted a vibrant telling of the familiar history of Caesar, Cleopatra, Antony, & Octavian. Her careful research of fact, relaible accounts and her fiction combine in an utterly believeable historical novel. Her powers of description carry the listener back in time--close your eyes and you can almost see the characters moving about in Rome and Egypt shaping the events that created Western Civilization.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
8 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- Sonja Langejans
- 05-12-08
A Must Listen To!
Classic Margaret George!! This novel was fascinating and bursting with knowledge of the period and places! Riveting right until the very end!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful
-
Overall
- suzan paulette smith
- 08-14-07
enthralling
I had been looking for cleopatra's story after seeing the HBO series "Rome" and this story and its dramatic reading have taken me to the ancient world of egypt, rome and beyond and gave me the opportunity to know Cleopatra as a real woman, with a real story...it makes her so real and the detail is so vivid
Every woman should know this story!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
7 people found this helpful