“The most complete woman ever to have existed, the most womanly woman and the most queenly queen, a person to be wondered at . . . whom dreamers find always at the end of their dreams.”
— Theophile Gautier, 1845

Arrestingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a teenager when she inherited the richest empire in the world–one that stretched from the scorching deserts of lower Egypt to the shining Mediterranean metropolis of Alexandria, with its famed libraries, storehouses, and treasuries. Imperiled at every turn by court conspiracies and Roman treachery, the young queen was forced to flee Alexandria and live in exile while a foreign army overran her city and her own siblings plotted her downfall. With nothing to lose, Cleopatra brazenly sought a partnership with the only man who could secure Egypt’s safety: Julius Caesar, a wily politician and battle-hardened general with a weakness for women. The result was a passionate love affair that scandalized Rome and thrust Cleopatra into the glittering but deadly world of imperial intrigue and warfare– a world that she would mesmerize and manipulate even after Caesar was gone.

At the height of her power and fame, Cleopatra fell in love with Caesar’s protégé and successor, Marc Antony, a handsome general known as much for his drunken hedonism as for his victories in battle. Brash, irresistible, and fatally unreliable, Antony’s once-strong hold on the Roman Empire was slipping fast, and with it slipped Cleopatra’s fortunes. When the tide had finally, irrevocably turned against her, the proud queen plotted a last, spectacular maneuver that was to save her children, her empire, and her place in the pantheon of gods.

Colin Falconer’s bold, sensuous prose takes the reader inside the walls of Alexandria’s great palaces and into Cleopatra’s very heart, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman who thrived and triumphed in a world ruled by men. This is the story of a legendary woman’s most glorious time, a story that blazes through thousands of years of history to capture the imagination of readers today.

If you know me you know how much I love Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra. This book is by far one of the best books of this time in history I have read. Some of the way Caesar was portrayed seemed a bit to crass to me, but overall the characters were spot on. You can certainly tell Colin Falconer did his research on the topic, I felt like I could have been walking along side these characters in the ancient world. No book is going to be perfect because when it comes down to it we really do not know exactly what happened or how they were done, but this book is very close I think.

There is license taken of course this is a work of historical fiction, but if you want to read a book that will make you feel like you have stepped back in time to see the fantastic story of the greatest queen of the ancient world and her well known love affair and love story read this book, the title is perfect for these players of the ancient world truly were gods.

Sarah Forbes Bonetta was an African princess whose parents were murdered by enemy warriors. A British naval officer rescued her and brought her to England, where she became the protege of Queen Victoria herself.

This is a good story about the relationships of a culture. It is a childrens book and small but it is informative and enjoyable to read. As an adult it was a fast read but I did enjoy it very much and it is a good look at some history that is not commonly known and talked about. I would put this on your fast read pile.

A historical novel based on the life of the lady-in-waiting who helped bring James II to the throne of England.

Brimming with the intrigue and sensuality of one of history’s most decadent courts, Duchess brings to vivid life the story of an unforgettable woman who determines her own destiny-outspoken, outrageous, but most of all true to herself and her heart.

In 1673, as a penniless twelve-year-old, Sarah Jennings arrived at the bawdy Restoration Court of Charles II. Armed with a potent combination of charm, beauty, and intelligence, she prospered. Not only did Sarah win the trust of the future Queen Anne, but she managed to protect her virtue and reputation, marrying the one man as ambitious as she was: the dashing young soldier John Churchill. Over the next forty years, Sarah would amass an immense personal fortune, help make her husband a national hero, and help bring a new king to the throne.

My first thought in this review is once again this book did not take me so long to complete because I didn’t like it but purely I started reading it while starting a new job, and working on a move. Bad timing to read any book to be sure.

Duchess is a good account and tail of Sarah Churchill; many may ask well who is Sarah Churchill? Well that is a fantastic question; Sarah Churchill was a relatively commonly born girl who went into the service of the Duchess Mary Beatrice, whose husband was Duke James who became the deposed King James. For a more modern who’s who Sarah Churchill is the great great etc. Grandmother of Sir Winston Churchill.

This book is full of the things you would expect to find at court, intrigue, back biting, gossip rumors love and war. It is a fantastic following of this family rises and falls through their time in trying to better their circumstances by playing the courtly games and working hard. Susan Holloway Scott once again delivers a fantastic novel of historical play. Is it 100% accurate no, but then no work of fiction is. It is however as accurate as it is going to get and a good read. This one goes on my must read list.

From Versailles to Boulevard du Temple, royalists to revolutionaries, art to science, Moran (Cleopatra’s Daughter) returns with a new historical novel of fierce polarities. Set during the French Revolution, with an emphasis on the Reign of Terror, Moran’s fourth deftly chronicles the consequences of seeking reversals in power-or liberty. Marie Grosholtz, the talented wax sculptress who would become Madame Tussaud, narrates with verve. She and her family are “survivalists” who “straddle both worlds until it’s clear which side will be the victor…” but never come across as opportunists; they are resourceful, sympathetic individuals facing an unraveling nation and an increasingly angry mob mentality. Though readers may wince at the inevitable beheadings, the storming of the Bastille, and the actions of men like Robespierre, Moran tempers brutality with Marie’s romance and passion for artistry; quiet moments in the family’s atelier provide much needed respite. This is an unusually moving portrayal of families in distress, both common and noble. Marie Antoinette in particular becomes a surprisingly dimensional figure rather than the fashionplate, spendthrift caricature depicted in the pamphlets of her times. A feat for Francophiles and adventurers alike.

When we visit places that started as historical places we often forget that they started as such. I think that is the case of Madame Tussauds in modern day history, it is so easy to forget she was a real person. Michelle Moran’s novel reminds us that she was indeed and not only was she a real person but that she formed herself in the most turbulent time in French history. Michelle Moran’s novel of Madam Tussaud is a master piece and a thrilling read. We meet so many characters that are known and loved it almost takes your breath away. The characters are so well written they seem to leap off the page.

I would recommend this book to an array of people. If you like history in general read it, if you like French history read it, Marie Antoinette? Read it. Must I really say more on who it will appeal too? This book truly is a triumph of work and I compliment Michelle Moran for another well done work!

Pursuing the family name as the finest silk producer in Lyon, the young Huguenot Rachelle Dushane-Macquinet is thrilled to accompany her famous couturier Grandmere to Paris, there to create a silk trousseau for the Royal Princess Marguerite Valois.

The Court is magnificent; its regent, Catherine de Medici, deceptively charming … and the circumstances, darker than Rachelle could possibly imagine. At a time in history when the tortures of the Bastille and the fiery stake are an almost casual consequence in France, a scourge of recrimination is moving fast and furious against the Huguenots—and as the Queen Mother’s political intrigues weave a web of deception around her, Rachelle finds herself in imminent danger.

Hope rests in warning the handsome Marquis Fabien de Vendome of the wicked plot against his kin. But to do so, Rachelle must follow a perilous course.

Daughter of Silk is not a book I was pulled into right away, in fact I struggled with it at first, but the more I read the more I got into the book. The biggest issue I had with it personally was the amount of French integrated into it. I am one who feels if you’re writing a book in English have it be in English if you’re writing it in French have it be in French. Aside from that the book while slow to start is very good.

It is a Christian Fiction and not for everyone, but if you know the history of what happened in France while the Queen Regent “Madame le Serpente” ruled you know why it would be. This is a time of great religious persecution and peril. Protestants being slaughtered by the thousands just because of their beliefs because they were not catholic. This book brings that to light and entwines characters of evil and good, and those who are finding love in different places. Over all it is a good book that shows the ways of a dangerous court in a dangerous time very well.

Journey to dazzling seventeenth-century Hindustan, where the reigning emperor, consumed with grief over the tragic death of his beloved wife, commissions the building of the Taj Mahal as a testament to the marvel of their love. Princess Jahanara, their courageous daughter, recounts their mesmerizing tale, while sharing her own parallel tale of .. more forbidden love with the celebrated architect of the Taj Mahal. This impressive novel sweeps readers away to a historical Hindustan brimming with action and intrigue in an era when, alongside the brutalities of war and oppression, architecture and the art of love and passion reached a pinnacle of perfection.

When Jacob Jankowski, recently orphaned and suddenly adrift, jumps onto a passing train, he enters a world of freaks, grifters, and misfits, a second-rate circus struggling to survive during the Great Depression, making one-night stands in town after endless town. A veterinary student who almost earned his degree, Jacob is put in charge of carin… more »g for the circus menagerie. It is there that he meets Marlena, the beautiful young star of the equestrian act, who is married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. He also meets Rosie, an elephant who seems untrainable until he discovers a way to reach her.

I finished this book days ago, it only took me a day and a half to read, but I wanted to take my time on the review (a cat tried to force me to write it earlier don’t ask) so here goes.
Water for Elephants is soon to be a major motion picture, and I have the complex that even though I know it will make the movie not as good I MUST read all books before I see the movie that is based on it. This one has been in my to read pile in all honesty since it came out in 2008, I can now officially say I regret it sitting in my pile that long unread. This book is perhaps one of the best books I have read. It is the best of 2011, sure I haven’t read a ton yet this year but I do not see its spot changing too much.
The writing style is excellent I love how it flips back and forth between old a Jacob and Young Jacob. Old Jacob really is what you picture as the typical crotchety old man, the one you know is on the porch shaking his cane saying “Dang Kids get off my lawn!”, but somehow you just can’t be mad at him for it. Especially when you see how la his family is with him. Young Jacob is a good kid, he makes mistakes but he earnestly wants to do right by people and he is a spitfire about it.
This book is a MUST read, and I do mean must. For seeing how circuses worked on the inside in the great depression. If the movie manages to get even half the depth of story and character that the book does it will be fantastic. At its core Water for Elephants is a love story, but it’s a life story as much as anything with love just happening as it does in the natural course of life. Good writing, good story, history and love what else can you ask for in a novel?

London, 1660: Ready to throw off a generation of Puritan rule, all England rejoices when Charles Stuart returns to reclaim the throne. Among those welcoming him is young Barbara Villiers Palmer, a breathtaking Royalist beauty whose sensuality and clever wit instantly captivate the handsome, jaded king. Though each is promised to another, Barbara… more » soon becomes Charles’s mistress and closest friend, and the uncrowned queen of his bawdy Restoration court. Rewarded with titles, land, and jewels, she is the most envied and desired woman in England–and the most powerful. But the role of royal mistress is a precarious one, and Barbara’s enemies and rivals are everywhere in the palace.

I will open this review by saying that Charles II of England is perhaps one of my least favorite Monarchs of England. Not that he did anything particularly bad to my tastes but he just does not fit into my Gem pile. That said I could barely put down this book. The story of Charles II and Barbra Villiers is pretty well known among historians, and she is always vilified. Always called any score of names that in my opinion could be laid at any royal mistress’s feet, but she always gets the worst of it.
Susan Holloway Scott did not gloss over any of the things that Barbra Villiers was, she was vain, and wonton and even calculating. However she brought to light a side that is most often over looked by the usual rabble, she was loving and tender and generous to her family and friends. Let’s face it to have remained in the King’s favor as long as she did she had to have more to her than just a nice body.
So if you like historical fiction and you don’t mind a lot of the sexual innuendo and some not innuendo in your book I recommend this one for you. It was a good read and one that thoroughly held my attention to welcome me back into the grips of my book obsession and reviewing. My only regret about this one is going to be selecting one to follow it.