After reading the novel about Cleopatra, I saw this book on the new books shelf at the library (although it's a couple of years old). This is part biography of both Antony and Cleopatra, and part historical account. First, the good - very in-depth portrayal of not only the events in both A and C's lives, but also of the social and political fabric of the Roman empire, both locally and abroad in their colonies. I learned much about the Roman political system, that I never knew before, just reading this book. The entire first third of the book discusses Julius Caesar in depth as well, as it's really impossible to understand the events surrounding Antony and Cleopatra without understanding the events surrounding Julius Caesar.
Now the not-so-good - the details of Antony and Cleopatra's time spent together and decades-long love affair seem simply glossed over and generalized. I understood, before and while reading this book that not a lot is known about the two. However, just after reading this, I read Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff, and many more facts were revealed about both.
Overall, though, this was a good read, and I also believe, despite the rushed gloss at the end, that this is how more history books should be written - with lots of details about the society and culture behind the politicians and politics of the day.
