Cleopatra Confesses by Carolyn Meyer

History has made her name a legend. A queen, a seductress, a murderer. In a time before all that, Cleopatra was just a young girl who watched her siblings argue over who would take over Egypt's throne. As loyalties are tested and broken, Cleopatra quickly learns that the only person she can trust is herself. What really happened on her way to the throne? There are things that Cleopatra would like you to know; there are certain things that she would like to confess.

I think that my reading of this book suffers a bit from only having recently finished Stacy Schiff's book Cleopatra: A Life. That Cleopatra captured my imagination; this one, to me, seemed more like a momentary diversion. There's a sweetness about Meyer's Cleopatra, an innocence that she maintains even as terrible things start happening to her family. Meyer's depiction does illustrate Cleopatra's brains and intelligence, but, to me, the story ends just when things get interesting. Still, there is lots for fans of historical fiction and fiction/non-fiction blends to find here. The material at the end of the book (a glossary, timeline, and a bit of an historical perspective) could help interested readers to put Cleopatra's story in its proper context.

Find it at IndieBound.

Read it with:
Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff
The Bad Queen by Carolyn Meyer
Cleopatra by Don Nardo