💬 My Bookish Thoughts
Wow, wow, wow. I've been fascinated by Egypt and Cleopatra ever since my nan introduced me to the Elizabeth Taylor film (though I’ve never managed to watch it all — old movies relax me so much I always fall asleep! 😴)

But back to the book. I was completely absorbed by the story of young Cleopatra and her complicated relationships with her family and Julius Caesar. Natasha Solomons brings her vividly to life — an intelligent, bold, and charismatic young woman cast into a dangerous world of politics, betrayal, and power.

The novel paints Cleopatra not just as a queen, but as a strategist, a survivor, and a woman with a vision — far more complex than I’ve ever seen her portrayed on screen.

I especially loved her relationships with Charmian and Apollodorus, who are so much more than servants to her. And Caesar’s mistress Servilia provides a brilliant counterpoint, adding another female voice to the turbulent clash of Egypt and Rome.

I won’t spoil the point the novel ends on, but I will say this: I’m crossing everything for a sequel. Natasha, if you’re reading this — please!

I read a digital proof, but the hardback cover is absolutely stunning — I’ll be treating myself to a special edition soon.

If you love historical fiction and powerful female leads, buy this book. It’s become one of my all-time favourites and I’ll be recommending it to everyone.

CW/TW: Themes include death, murder, miscarriage, and incest.

🙏🏼 Huge thanks to @netgalley, @bonnierbooks_uk and @natashasolomons for the gifted digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Retelling of the story of Cleopatra, from her childhood & her relationship with Caesar. Told from the alternating stories of Cleopatra and Caesar’s mistress Servilia,

This was such a captivating read. The book offers a fresh perspective on the legendary queen, portraying her as a complex and intelligent leader rather than just a historical figure defined by her relationships. Solomon's writing is rich and immersive, bringing ancient Egypt to life with vivid descriptions and emotional depth.
What stood out to me was the exploration of Cleopatra's inner strength and resilience. The narrative delves into her struggles, triumphs and the challenges she faced in a male-dominated world, making her story both inspiring and relatable. The addition of Servilia's perspective adds another layer of depth, providing insight into the political intricacies of the time.

This book promises to tell the story of the “real” Cleopatra, the woman behind the legend. In many ways it does so. We encounter a flawed, petulant and fragile young woman, who has been raised to believe that she is a goddess, but lives in a time of very real political threat to her state. As Rome threatens to subsume Egypt in its empire, Cleopatra is forced to act at all costs to protect her country’s independence, and her own leadership, while a court of enemies conspire against her.
Through her political and sexual relationship with Julius Caesar, Cleopatra secures a stay on Egypt’s conquering, but her control is ever tenuous as political moves take place behind the scenes. We also hear the perspective of Caesar's long term mistress Servilia, with the POV shifting between the two throughout.
Despite having female protagonists, Cleopatra highlights the important distinction between female focused historical retellings and feminist retellings. While the narrative is told through the POV of women, it centres almost entirely on a man.
Though she uses her sexuality to her political advantage, Cleopatra does not have ultimate agency over it. Her womanhood is her vulnerability, and she must put aside her emotions and bodily autonomy for the good of her country. This makes for uncomfortable reading.
I was also confused by Servilia’s unbelievable devotion to Caesar. As an independently wealthy woman with security and business acumen I didn’t buy that she would be so passive and besotted with a womanising narcissist.

Other reviewers have levelled very valid criticism at elements of fat phobia and homophobia in this book. I have to agree, and was disappointed, particularly at the suggestion of eunuchs as being inherently untrustworthy (those characters in particular were unpleasant enough without bringing their sexual status into it).

An ultimately interesting introduction to the period of Roman expansion and Egyptian demise, I found Cleopatra to be a conflicting read that unfortunately falls short of the mark.

Thanks to NetGalley and Manilla Press for this ARC.

This is a very interesting, thoroughly enjoyable book.

We are introduced to Cleopatra's story, told by Cleopatra. Starting at the age of 13, we follow Cleopatra through a significant portion of her life, from the first time she went to Rome with her father to the death of Julius Caesar. It details her relationship with the Roman Emperor from her point of view, from the beginning of their relationship to his death. She details her relationship with some of her slaves, especially one young woman named Charmian who becomes her closest friend and confidant. She also shows her personality and beliefs that she is destined to be the Queen of Egypt, and will do whatever it takes to keep her title.

This is all taking place at a time when the role of women in society was as a wife and mother, and their opinions weren't given the importance that they deserve. We all know at least the main points of Cleopatra's life, and now we are given a chance to read a version that is challenging, difficult, and yet also heartbreaking while showing Cleopatra to be a woman with many flaws and strengths, and she uses them to live the life she wants.

If you love Ancient Egyptian history, I think you will enjoy this book. But if you enjoy a good historical book with lots of drama and danger then this may be the book for you.

Natasha Solomon continues her mission to unearth women characters from history with her newest novel ‘Cleopatra’. I enjoyed the exploration of Cleopatra’s earlier years, told from her point of view. It shows a very politically adept young woman who could understand her father’s ineptitude alongside a sharp instinct for protecting herself. The world building was a fascinating insight into how religion intertwined everything, and the pageantry and traditions that surrounded the Egyptian royal family.

What disappointed me about this book was the lack of focus. We are introduced to another POV fairly early on - of Servilia, Caesar’s long term mistress, an adept political player herself. From this point the story seems to revolve around Caesar himself as the two women try to place themselves firmly within his influence.

This may be realistic in terms of the power structures of the time, but it hits a jarring note for a feminist retelling for the story to centre a male character so heavily. For a book named Cleopatra, I would have liked to keep it solely from her voice and through her eyes. While Servilia was formidable and the parallels between the women interesting, I didn’t expect or really feel her story added anything to Cleopatra’s narrative.

I also feel it would have been interesting to continue Cleopatra’s story past Caesar into her later years.

Thank you to @bonnierbooks_uk and the author for an advanced, gifted copy. Cleopatra is out now!

I really enjoyed this read and it served as a good history lesson for the early years in Cleopatra’s life, which, I discovered, I knew nothing about.

Beautifully written, with setting, clothing, jewellery and make up described in such wonderful detail, that I thought I was there with Cleopatra at times. The pace of the story was slow at times, though I did find myself getting lost in the description so much that I quite enjoyed an unhurried, leisurely read.

Mention Cleopatra and everyone thinks Mark Antony, but this book concentrates on the period before him, and he is very shadowy as a character, which surprised me. The story starts with a young Cleopatra who can see that her father is effectively selling Egypt to Rome. Cleopatra has to find a way to control her own narrative and does this by giving herself up to Caesar - in bearing him a son, she tries to secure the support of Rome which becomes increasingly important for survival as her own siblings turn on her and fight for the right to be supreme rulers of Rome.

Cleopatra’s relationship with Caesar is told in the first person, but it is clearly a union based on mutual gain rather than genuine affection. This is set against a different relationship enjoyed by Caesar, with a noble woman called Servilia, whom he has been involved with for years, but has never married - choosing to wed others instead.

Servilia and Cleopatra strike up an odd relationship based upon grudging mutual respect when Cleopatra visits Caesar in Rome, and following his murder, Cleopatra’s escape is very much dependent upon Servilia’s generosity.

The most heartbreaking relationship is that between Charmain and Cleopatra, which is so much more than the master-slave relationship that I would have expected. For so much of the novel the two women are one, complicated only by the introduction of another slave, Apollodorus the Sicilian.

I really enjoyed getting to know Cleopatra in this novel. Her determined, calculating nature is fractured to reveal a vulnerable female who has to constantly reassess her surroundings in order to survive. There could definitely be a follow up title…

A fun reading experience from start to finish. Intriguing story, characters that will appeal to all reads and action packed twists and turns.

Cleopatra is a beautifully written and thoroughly engaging novel that offers a fresh perspective on a well-known historical figure. Fans of historical fiction and those interested in strong female protagonists will find much to enjoy in this book.

Born to be Paraoh, Cleopatra is a useful advisor to her father until he dies. Now threatened by her brother-husband Ptolemy and the might of Rome, Cleopatra has to make a pragmatic choice. Servilia is a respected Roman matron and the long-term mistress of Julius Caesar, she sees him rise to glory and also to believe in his own invincibility.
The story of Caesar and Cleopatra has been retold many times but this novel is different in that it focuses on women. Cleopatra is not built up as a great beauty but her character is not glamorised either. In fact the main theme is that of loyalty, Cleopatra to Egypt, Charmian to Cleopatra and Servilia to Caesar. It's lush and sensuous and rather beguiling but also clever.

Absolutely brilliant

I have devoured it in one day. Totally recommend it to all genre lovers. The writing style caught me from page one. It was so great to read about Cleopatra and the story told from.her point of view. It was like I could.hear her voice talking whole the story was unfolding

This ancient historical novel covers the teenage years of perhaps Egypt's most famous queen, Cleopatra. This includes her ascending to the throne, the overthrow of her joint ruler (her venal brother Ptolemy) and her relationship with Julius Caesar. Solomons gives a broadly sympathetic portrayal without making the ancient monarch sound too modern. It's fair to say Cleopatra probably wasn't particularly 'nice' but she was a savvy ruler, and some of her choices were dictated by circumstance. She certainly lived in a brutal, cutthroat (literally) world, where she competed continually with her siblings for survival, inherited an impoverished kingdom from her father, and then had to deal with the voracious Romans - rich, powerful and looking to subsume Egypt into their empire.

Although most of the book is from the first person perspective of Cleopatra, there are also chapters from the perspective of Servilia, an older Roman woman who is the long term mistress of Caesar. This extra perspective provides a good balance against Cleopatra's own narrative and enables the reader to gain information and context that wouldn't be possible to obtain from Cleopatra's viewpoint alone.

It's an interesting period of history and full of famous names. I'd heard of Cleopatra and Caesar of course, but I've never been familiar with the details of their stories so the story still had an element of surprise for me. I can't comment as to its historical accuracy, but as far as I can tell it roughly follows the known or presumed facts. Of course, with more ancient history the author often has more licence as less is known for certain.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, particularly that set in the ancient world. Fans of the Greek myth retellings - authors like Natalie Haynes, Madeline Miller and Jennifer Saint - are very likely to enjoy this, although there are no supernatural aspects.

I really wanted to like this one, and was looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I just can't get on with the writing style, and I couldn't care less about the characters. It is apparently we'll researched, and others have loved it, it just isn't a good fit for me.

*Many thanks to Netgally and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

This is a novel about Cleopatra, as you’ll have already guessed from the title and cover! Beginning with a visit to Rome with her father – the first time Cleopatra, then thirteen, has ever left Egypt – and ending just after the death of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, it’s a retelling of the life of one of history’s most famous women.

Although I love history and historical fiction, Cleopatra is not one of the historical figures I have a particular interest in and I haven’t read a lot of factual information about her. This means I can’t really comment on the accuracy of the book or how the choices Solomons makes on what to cover or not cover compare with choices made by other authors. Purely as a work of fiction, I found it quite enjoyable, especially the parts of the book dealing with Cleopatra’s personal life – her friendship with her beloved servant, Charmian; the development of her relationship with Caesar; and the birth of her son, Caesarion (depicted here as Caesar’s child). Solomons also delves into the politics of the period, the shifting allegiances and power struggles and the changing dynamics between Egypt and Rome. I found some of this a bit difficult to follow and I think including dates at the start of the chapters may have helped me keep track of the passing of time.

The novel is narrated mainly by Cleopatra herself, which allows us a lot of insight into what she is like as a mother, lover, sister and friend. However, there are also some chapters narrated by another woman: Servilia, sister of Cato the Younger and a mistress of Caesar’s (as well as the mother of his eventual assassin, Brutus). There weren’t enough of these chapters for me to fully connect with Servilia on an emotional level, but seeing things from her point of view did provide a very different (and more negative) impression of Cleopatra. I can understand why Solomons chose Servilia, but it would have been interesting if she had also written from other perspectives such as Charmian’s or maybe one of Cleopatra’s brothers and sisters.

The novel ends soon after Caesar’s death, leaving a lot of Cleopatra’s story still untold – her relationship with Mark Antony and the events leading to her suicide, for example. I haven’t seen any indication that there’s going to be a sequel, but there would definitely be enough material for one. Maybe Natasha Solomons will move on to something else for her next book, though; her previous work has included a novel narrated by the Mona Lisa, a reimagining of Romeo and Juliet, and a saga about a wealthy banking family, so clearly she likes to write about a wide range of topics and characters!

Cleopatra is a name Carried in history which every human knows , so already with the title I had great expectations of learning more about this fascinating woman. However I am a little sad as was so looking forward to this book but I struggled to engage with it . It should have been called ceasar and cleopatra as there was just as much of ceasar and no mark Anthony ! One of the most paired couples in all of history cleopatra and Anthony so hugely devastated that passionate attraction : love affair didn’t even enter the story , maybe they’ll be a cleopatra 2

I do enjoy historical fiction and I thoroughly enjoyed reading Fair Rosealine by this author. This is a reimagining of Cleopatra from a young girl to Queen and Caesar’s plaything per se. This is told in a duel perspective of both Cleopatra and Caesar’s mistress Servilia. It was interesting and whilst I didn’t devour it like the previous book I did find it interesting. Whilst I know of Cleopatra, Caesar etc this was in parts a history lesson and I quite enjoyed that. I did feel this was a good read and I’m giving it 3.5 stars because there were parts that didn’t quite make sense regarding 2 of the secondary characters but I won’t be explaining this as it would be a spoiler and I try not to do that.

An impressive dual pov from two extraordinarily strong female characters living in an overwhelmingly male dominated, cut throat world. We all think we know Cleopatra’s story but I, for one, found this a true eye opener of a read. It was exceptional. I always find the author picks out a woman who we all believe we know, and turns everything on its head. It was a fascinating read and one I recommend to everyone.

As an Egyptian, Cleopatra has always held a powerful place in my imagination, not just as a historical figure, but as a symbol of identity, pride and complexity. I picked up Cleopatra by Natasha Solomons hoping to reconnect with a part of my heritage that’s so often misunderstood or simplified through Western narratives. In many ways, this novel succeeds: it’s a poetic, emotionally resonant reimagining that gives voice to a woman who has too often been spoken about, rather than for.

Told from Cleopatra’s perspective, the novel reclaims her as more than the seductive caricature history has painted. Solomons presents her as a strategist, a mother, a ruler, and a survivor, flawed and human but deeply intelligent and resilient. The prose is lyrical and atmospheric, often reading like a long, reflective soliloquy. At its best, the writing captures the fragility and power of Cleopatra’s position as she navigates love, loss and empire.

However, the novel isn’t without its shortcomings. The pacing can be slow, particularly in the middle, where internal monologue takes precedence over historical action. Key events (such as Caesar’s assassination or the fall of Egypt) are filtered through personal emotion rather than dramatic tension, which can make the historical context feel hazy at times. As someone looking to deepen my understanding of my own history, I occasionally wished for a firmer grounding in the politics and realities of the time.

Characters like Caesar and Mark Antony feel distant and underdrawn; their influence on Cleopatra is described more than demonstrated, which sometimes weakens the emotional impact of their relationships. And while the novel succeeds in reclaiming Cleopatra from the male gaze, it occasionally leans into a different kind of idealisation, elevating her suffering and endurance in a way that risks making her feel symbolic rather than fully human.

Still, despite its flaws, this is a memorable and meaningful read. Solomons has crafted a version of Cleopatra that feels fresh, vulnerable and fiercely intelligent. It may not be a comprehensive historical account but it’s a moving character study that gave me a deeper emotional connection to a woman who has long been central to Egypt’s past, and, for many of us, its enduring sense of pride.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC to review.

This reimagining of Cleopatra VII’s life is sharp and compelling, particularly in the first third where we follow a young, calculating, and captivating Cleopatra as she navigates power and politics. The dual POV with Servilia offers an interesting Roman perspective, and Cleopatra’s voice feels both regal and refreshingly self-aware. Her relationship with Julius Caesar is portrayed as political rather than romantic, which I appreciated. However, once Caesar enters the story, the focus shifts heavily onto him, and Cleopatra begins to fade into the background somewhat. I was hoping for a fuller exploration of her life, not just the years tied to Caesar. A strong start but ultimately not the Cleopatra-centred story I wanted.

Thank you to Netgalley and Manilla Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been intrigued by Ancient Egypt, the Pharos and especially the female queens since I was a child. There is something so facinating about this period of time. History tells us Cleopatra lived a fascinating if short life, and this book delves into her story. We start in her early childhood, her marriage to Ceasar. It is told from a alternating first-person POVs, Cleopatra and Servilia, one of Ceasars lovers.

The book establishes early on that Cleopatra has been born to rule, and that thread follows throughout the book. It was very hard to get to know her on a personal level and even like her, but she garners your respect from the beginning. Not only a beauty, she also had a clever mind and wasn't afraid to use it and her body to get what she wanted, in order to protect her people and keep Egypt under its own rule. Which shows courage in this time period especially with the Romans on the scene. I did really enjoy the book but would have like to know more about Cleopatra. I felt once Ceasar arrived on the scene it became more about them, rather than her.

As beautifully written and poignat novel about love, life and destiny. And I would urge anyone who is interested in the period to read the book.