May 4, 2015

I just completed reading a biography about Cleopatra by Stacey Schiff.  I had read this a few years ago but when I read it, my life was super busy and I did not feel like I got a complete 'feel' for the book.  Schiff, the author, is an excellent biographer because she does EXTENSIVE research and she manages to recreate the world the person lived it.   I knew that I would be immersed in Cleopatra's life story; she was an amazing woman.  A true trailblazer whose priority was the salvation of her kingdom (Egypt was on its 'way out' by the time she came to the throne) and protecting her children and her family's legacy, she did everything she had to make those priorities happen.  What was most interesting to me though was Schiff's descriptions of Alexandria, the 'capitol' if you will of the Egyptian kingdom.  It was amazing to read how incredibly advanced this civilization was and how many of the parts of culture we consider Roman actually came from the Egyptians primarly due to Cleopatra's relationship with Julius Ceasar and Mark Antony.  Though the read was dense, it took me about 2 1/2 weeks, it was so richly written and truly engaging.