Customer Reviews

Antony and Cleopatra

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Forget, if you can, all of the stories that you've read or seen about the fabled Queen of the Nile, Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt. Try if you can, not to see her as a voluptuous Elizabeth Taylor or enchanting Vivien Leigh or as some grand beauty. She's not in these pages. Not at all.

Instead, Colleen McCullough's final epic in her multivolume tale of the end of the Roman Republic takes an entirely new spin on the story. Nor does she forget the rest of the vivid cast that populate the story, from Octavian -- now calling himself Caesar -- and his sister, Octavia, and Mark Antony, Julius Caesar's former friend and now determined to make himself just as great as slain dictator. But there are plenty of minor players as well, and all of them are given a voice in this sprawling novel that travels from Rome to Egypt, the mountains of Armenia and as far as Parthia in the East.

The novel covers from Antony and Cleopatra?s fateful meeting in Ephesus, and goes all the way to the final, fateful end for both of them. While the story is certainly familiar, in McCullough?s capable hands, it takes on entirely new forms. Most of all it?s Octavian that takes center stage, evolving into the man that history considers the first Emperor of Rome, and his friendship with Marcus Agrippa. There?s also his family, namely the two vital women in his life ? Octavia, who might understand Octavian better than anyone, and the very clever Livia Drusilla, who most readers will remember from the 70?s BBC series, I, Claudius.

So begins a war of wills and manipulation by one of the more famous romantic couples in history. McCullough creates some of the most unusual characters that I've come across in a long time, and ones that forced me to fling aside all of my preconcieved notions of this often told story.

There are battles, conspiracies, romance, conniving, and some outrageous puns, all dished up in McCullough's style. This novel fits in very neatly with the rest of the series, and it's a grand, eye-opening adventure for the reader. While some of the action in the book is rather compressed -- most of the battles, including that of Actium towards the end -- the psychological base and giving a new spin on history is top notch.

This is what I really like about this series by McCullough. It's subtle, engaging and while she's not adverse about putting a bit of creativity in the story, she also knows her facts. It's here that makes her storytelling so good -- she creates characters that the reader can feel deeply about, and while you might not like them personally, they are compelling. Along the way, there's plenty of details about daily life, the way that the ancients looked at the world around them, and some deeply moving prose.

Indeed, one of scenes of the book is so heartbreaking that I broke down in tears. I don't do that very often and I had to set the book down and walk away for a moment before continuing to read.

For those who have managed to stay with the series from the begining, this one provides an adequate tying up of a lot of the loose strings from the previous work, The October Horse. While this book, as with all of the others, can stand well on its own, it really does help to know some of the previous action of the story. If the reader is already fond of novels set in Ancient Rome, this is simply one of the best.

A wonderful conclusion to the series, and worth the effort that it takes to get through it.

Five stars, and highly recommended, as are all of the Masters of Rome series.

Colleen McCullough has again produced an enthralling novel of first century BC Republican Rome in "Antony and Cleopatra". If you want a book that accurately tells it the way it probably was then this is the one to get.

The drama of Antony and Cleopatra must be one of the most common historical stories told and there have been many novels and films about this era. One of the recent additions was the visually impressive but historically questionable TV series "Rome". There are a variety of interpretations of the story, some having Octavian as the villain and others Antony and Cleopatra. Octavian in this work is largely the good guy with Antony coming across as a skilled soldier but generally a pretty unimpressive character who is constantly manipulated by a scheming Cleopatra. Cleopatra is also pictured as being slightly naive without a real understanding of the Roman world as she ruthlessly pursues the interests of Caesarion, her son by Julius Caesar. McCullough also takes the view that Cleopatra was physically rather unattractive which is supported by her coin portraits. This view is still unproven but no one, of course, will ever know the complete truth.

There is a lot of detail here and it takes careful work to follow all the characters, relationships and military campaigns. There are plenty of maps though and the usual glossary at the end to help.

Overall a very good historical novel which I highly recommend.

I'm a huge fan of Colleen McCullough's Masters of Rome series, and the First Man in Rome remains one of my all-time favorite books. Some of the books in the series were not as strong as the others and so it was with great delight that I started reading this one and saw that McCullough appeared to be back in form. Unfortunately, my pleasure did not last.

This book should more aptly be titled Antony and Octavian, because what it is really about is the battle for control of Rome between these two strong men. Events start out shortly after the battle of Philippi, as Octavian, Antony and Lepidus form the second triumvirate and divide up the Roman Empire, ostensibly as equals. We are introduced to the historical figures who played a significant part in the lives of Antony and Octavian, including Sextus Pompeius, the outlawed, pirate son of Pompey the Great, and Octavian's second-in-command Agrippa, whose military and engineering genius propelled Octavian to greatness. The women get plenty of time in this novel, particularly Octavia (Octavian's sister) and Livia Drusilla, Octavian's power-hungry wife, in addition to Cleopatra.

The book is at its best when examining the characters of Antony, Octavian and Cleopatra, especially in the early days of their conflict, as Antony travels to his domains in the east and vows to defeat the Parthians, a task Julius Caesar never finished. McCullough presents a compelling account of Antony's disastrous campaign to take Phrapssus, and his subsequent descent into an alcoholic fugue, which only Cleopatra seems able to pull him out of. But shorly after this, however, when Antony takes up residence in the East, the book starts to fall apart. Here it begins to seem like McCullough is so interested in cramming in history, that she loses sight of her characters, who begin to flatten. In trying to reconcile the known historical facts with motivations that make sense but keep the characters likeable, McCullough loses her way. It's great that she tried to do this -- history brings us a Mark Antony and a Cleopatra who never seem like real people, and Octavian in his early years is generally depicted as quite a monster. So it's nice to see a portrait of Octavian that can be reconciled with his later self (as Augustus Caesar he led Rome to unparalled peace and prosperity) an Antony that is more than just an overly muscled ladies' man, and a Cleopatra that is something other than all-wise and all-seductive. That said, however, McCullough did a better job with a young Mark Antony in her earlier novels and Margaret George created a more rounded and believable Cleopatra in her excellent "Memoirs of Cleopatra." After a while, I didn't feel like I was reading either history or a great novel. McCullough was too busy rushing from set piece to set piece, and she really seemed to lose it in the transitions. I just finished reading the book last night and I can't really remember most of the second half, which seemed to consist largely of McCullough trying to create characterizations that allow the ending to make sense. Octavian muses about Rome, Antony wonders what happened to his luck, Cleopatra ruminates about Antony's failings as a general and her plot to make her son ruler of the world, when all of a sudden -- bam! -- there we are at Actium, without any sense of the book having led up to it, and with the battle itself seeming undramatic and anticlimactic, which is probably historically true, but isn't too interesting in a novel which purports to be about one of the most dramatic historical romances of all time. The ending itself is also disappointing, certainly nothing like the one Margaret George wrote or the one depicted in HBO's "Rome." McCullough makes Caesarion, Cleopatra's son by Julius Caesar, wise beyond his years, but never convinces us that he can't see Octavian's treachery coming. I know McCullough has done her research on ancient Rome better than anyone, but she just made me question the history in this book. Maybe she was just falling a little too in love with her characters, knowing that it might be the last time she would be writing about them. If so, however, she's done herself and us a disservice because this great series deserved a truly great ending and this wasn't it. I'll still take second-rate McCullough over just about anyone else, and if it were any other writer, I'd give it 4 stars. But for McCullough, from whom I expect better, this is only a 3 star effot.

Oh well... there's always the Pax Romana to write about.

Historical fiction always has the seeming disadvantage that the reader already knows the story, at least in broad strokes, and worse still, knows the outcome. This is no handicap whatsoever to Colleen McCullough. She has fashioned the historical figures into thoroughly vibrant and believable characters. Though the story is narrated in the third person, the reader is regularly treated to short passages in the first person that allow insights into the characters and their motivations. These insights sweep us into the lives of these famous figures. We are horrified along with Antony's generals at the machinations of Cleopatra, yet at the same time we empathize with his feelings for her. We are shattered along with Cleopatra at the realizations and the decisions she is forced to make towards the end. We share Octavian's hopes and dreams and, though horrified by some of his acts, we understand their roots. The glimpses inside the minds of these people of the ancient world allow us more than just an understanding of their character. Woven through their thoughts, words and deeds is masterful portrayal of ancient Rome herself and the ideas and concepts that sustained one of the world's greatest empires. McCullough builds such a tangible depiction of ideas like dignitas, auctoritas and mos maiorum, that we understand them without the need of the handy glossary she has provided. The novel is a masterpiece.

I read all of the other books in the series, and I was thrilled to learn that this book would come out, but it is nowhere near as good as any of the others. The only character she comes close to writing about with the same skill as in the past is Octavian, but even still, he suffers from the same chilly removal from the author that all the other characters now suffer from. In earlier books, I had the distinct sense that Ms McCullough loved writing about Caesar, Sulla, Marius... But now, she can't even figure out how to make Cleopatra or Antony more than caricatures, let alone sympathetic in any way. I regret having bought this.

Knowing McCullough's opinion as mentioned at the end of The October Horse, and the lack of an Author's Note at the end of this book, you have the definite feeling that McCullough did not want to write this, and did so only to quell the thirst of her fans clamoring for more.

In typical McCullough fashion, she balances herself between methodical facts and lush literature, with expansive details and quick, concise battle scenes that end rather quickly, managing to satisfy both those who adore lush battlefield descriptions and those bored by it.

But with only 550+ pages, covering a period of time nearly 15 years (while in comparison, The First Man in Rome, covering 110 to 100 BC, was staggering at over 1000 pages, not even including the formidable glossary), McCullough shows that her interest is waning. To please sticklers of history like me, she had previously addressed Romans by formal names. For example, she'd never use "Julius Caesar" alone when referring to him, but would use "Gaius Julius Caesar" or "Gaius Caesar" or simply Caesar. The same applied to others, who would be called properly, Lucius Sulla rather than Cornelius Sulla, Quintus Metellus rather than simply Caecilius Metellus. In this issue, she abandons that, in so constant a fashion that it wasn't until 400 pages in that I realized Statilius Taurus's name was Titus Statilius Taurus, and Cornelius Gallus was Gaius Cornelius Gallus.

As well, some characters encounter some awkward situations where they appear to break established character personality, or completely get so sketchy that you'd think the author wrote the page over some time, without referring back. The best example that comes to mind is where Octavianus meets with Octavia, and they have a pleasant conversation about her children being raised in her house. All of a sudden, at the mention of one of the children, Octavian gets cold, and when she nudges at the topic, he mysteriously explodes, and leaves her in some odd fury.

The primary reviewer on the Amazon page says that her characterization suffers. I disagree with this completely, as I see Marcus Antonius is heavily fleshed out, and comes full circle as a real person by the end of the book, and even Cleopatra manages to come to self-realization. The only characters seeming to suffer from poor, shoddy, or confusing characterization are Octavian, Livia Drusilla, and Agrippa, whose blind loyalty to Octavian is never fully explored, developed, or even explained beyond childhood friendship.

Events are indeed rushed in a sense, while the ending is rather drawn out, with very confused reactions to Cleopatra's death on the part of Octavian, but at the very least, we get insight into his mind as he speaks to Caesarion, revealing to the reader the turmoil of his life as he shut himself up emotionally to survive in Rome. And in the end, he knows Rome cannot rule itself; Consuls aren't elected, but selected by the Triumvirs, voters bribed in mass, factions and patronage rule, and personal armies the key to political power. Octavian recognizes this, and knows he must rule, or Rome will descend into anarchy with further civil war.


Perhaps that end alone, the insight into Octavian's mind, was worth the writing of the novel, but as great as McCullough's writing is, and as labor-intensive as it is, you can clearly feel the lack of passion in this last volume; even historical accuracy, which she had so proudly woven into her previous editions of the series with such mastery that nothing written was historically inaccurate, save for Sulla's first marriage. For example, for some odd, and unexplained reason, Atia is brought back to life in this novel, and somehow becomes the target of Octavian's hatred. Perhaps this was a reaction to HBO's "Rome" and its fictionalized depiction of Atia, but historically Atia died in 42 BC, and as such, she had also died in "The October Horse", McCullough's last novel before "Antony and Cleopatra".

McCullough had said the Masters of Rome was done after "The October Horse".
She's since been continually writing while fighting a degenerative eye disease, and I'm sure I'm one of many who are thankful that she's both decided to and has been able to continue her series.

An amazing read. Meticulously detailed yet again, larger than life characters, historical fiction that is as historically accurate as they come.

Antony and Cleopatra is the latest volume of McCullough's stellar Masters of Rome series. Although there is a slight drop in quality compared to the previous novels (perhaps because her darling Caesar is no longer a character?) Antony and Cleopatra is still dramatic and hugely informative. In the past, McCullough's greatest strength was her portrayal of historical figures such as Caesar and Sulla; in this novel, she focuses on Cleopatra and Antony's love-hate relationship and provides insight into the cold, practical personality of Octavianus. Since her best characters are usually women, Octavia and Livia steal many scenes despite being support characters. As usual, her research is unsurpassed. McCullough should be commended for striving to tell her stories with as much historical accuracy as possible.

At times, I felt that the central romance was too soap opera-ish. Potential readers should also know that McCullough does not focus on action. Famous battles are glossed over in favor of dialogue and character development.

I wish that McCullough would write about less familiar subjects and events. Characters such as Ventidius and Fonteius are barely in the novel but their storylines are so interesting they deserve their own books. If very little is known about them factually, she could use her knowledge of ancient Rome to fill in the gaps. Similarly, Agrippa is an important figure who has never been in the limelight. I hope McCullough continues her saga so I learn more about him.

I recommend Antony and Cleopatra to people with an interest in ancient Rome or to anyone who enjoyed the Rome series on HBO. Additionally, I recommend McCullough's entire series, especially Caesar's Women, as well as Gillian Bradshaw's excellent Cleopatra's Heir and the novels of Steven Saylor.

I remember more than twelve years ago when I read my first book on the Masters of Rome series which was actually The Grass Crown, I confess I was a young engineer at the time working in an oil extracting operation in the middle of the Amazon Jungle and the only entertainment after work we got was either watching videos or reading. I found the book at our equipment trailer probably left behind by some other engineer and from the first pages I got hooked. When I was a child I was fond of reading history and was specially fascinated with everything roman, especially the legions and generals, after in college I lost interest and pursued engineering and math and everything technical so the book was like finding again a lost pleasure. Since then I devoured everything I could get my hands on historical novels starting with the complete Masters of Rome series. More than twelve years ago and not having anticipated this as after writing The October Horse, Mrs. McCoullogh was supposed to abandon this subject and pursue other literary subjects I was pleasantly informed that she had written Anthony and Cleopatra. Needless to say I rushed to get my copy and was not disappointed. I am not a literary critic and have little to say about style or prose but about historical consistency, depth of character and bringing to life a bygone era, Mrs. McCoullough does not dissapoint. I have read historical novels from many authors includind Pressfield, Ford, Graves and others but still consider Colleen McCoullough my favorite writer, especially in the way she makes her characters come alive and makes you care for them. In this book although the subject has been dealt with by many authors and also has been taken to theater and movies and is a well known story, I found that in the capable hands of Mrs. McCoullough this was not at all a dry subject and I could appreciate and learn from many historical details I was unaware at the time. This is a great book and I thoroughly enjoy it and recommend it. For war buffs maybe the details of battles are sketchy but the insight you gain in the mentallity and motives of the main characters more than makes up for this. I want to thank Colleen McCoullough on reawakening in me the love of literature and the love for history, I am an avid reader and fan.

Following the death of Julius Caesar in 41 BC, Rome is divided as to who rightfully should rule. Caesar's ambitious cousin Mark Antony and the late ruler's adopted son Octavian reach an agreement to divide the vast Empire. Whereas their only rival Lepidus flees to Africa, Antony takes charge of the East while Octavian rules the West. Neither of the two remaining partners from the triumvirate is pleased as both believe they should be the new Caesar.

Antony shows little understanding of financing an army when he over extends his force in a failed war to suppress the rebellious Parthians. Needing a fast replenishment of his treasury before his rival learns of his weakness, Antony travels to Egypt to demand wealthy Queen Cleopatra provide reparations or else. Cleopatra has an agenda of her own to replace Antony and ultimately Octavian with Caesarion, the son she had with Julius when he came courting. To succeed she must make Antony her sex slave, which she easily achieves. Meanwhile Marcus Agrippa and Octavian's wife coax the co-ruler that the time is right for him to take over the entire Roman Empire. Cleopatra coaxes her pudding head lover to lead his forces against that of Octavian.

Although the history is well known, this is a fabulous Masters of Rome entry as the key players especially the title characters come alive. Readers will appreciate Cleopatra's seduction that turns Antony into her willing sex salve doing her bidding and likewise Octavian's strong wife Livia pushing him to become the Emperor. Fans will enjoy Colleen McCullough's historical saga as two strong females propel their weaker minded mates to battle on an Ancient Mediterranean stage.

Harriet Klausner