The Search for Cleopatra, by Michael Foss
Provides an excellent overview of the historical events and figures surrounding Cleopatra, as well as highlighting her subtle strength in international politics. Cleopatra was a woman of extraordinary will, using any and every tool available to her to protect her people and advance Egypt’s position in the world. Every action was calculated, even her acts of passion with Julius Caesar and Mark Anthony.
Because of the historical records of her day, this book can provide no more than a thorough sketch of the legendary queen. The extensive quotes from Plutarch did contribute substantially to her character development, but I wish we knew more about this remarkable woman.
Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff
This book is an excellent detailed overview of the tumultuous transition of Rome into an empire, following each of the key players in the process.
Schiff successfully painted Cleopatra as a whole woman–not focusing on any one facet (seductress, queen, etc.), but illuminating all we know of her in a more three-dimensional picture. What we see is an extremely successful, extremely female, extremely ruthless politician. Cleopatra recognized that her strength was not in brute strength; instead she grew her kingdom by means of PR, religious connections with the common people, fostering culture (arts, learning, libraries, architecture, etc.), and financially backing the right people at the right times. In short, she was one of the most successful gamblers in history. Until her last hand.
Nothing would stand in Cleopatra’s way. Whether by sheer force of will, money, sex, or murder, she would accomplish her ultimate goal of building and passing on an Egyptian monarchy. Inevitably, she became intimately entangled with all the major Roman names, even bearing some of their children–which certainly didn’t hurt her cause and claim to power and position. As time passed, her connection with Mark Antony bound her fate in one ultimate direction. While she fought to the end against Octavian, even succeeding in dying her way rather than his, her doom (and Mark Antony’s) was sealed when he chose to stay with her rather than fight to expand his Eastern front.
In general Schiff is sympathetic with Cleopatra, without being overdone. However, there are a few instances where a bit of gushing goes on that changes the overall tone. In addition, the beginning stages of the book have frequent run-on sentences in the form of “subordinate clauses” that are actually independent clauses. What Pulitzer Prize writer doesn’t catch those kind of things? Writing smoothed out about ⅓ of the way through the book, though.
Antony and Cleopatra, Shakespeare
Shakespeare does bring these classic historical characters to life in a vibrant way. From the little we know about Cleopatra, Shakespeare mastered portraying a balance of her intelligence, insight into people for the purpose of manipulation, and voluptuousness. He also portrayed common reactions to this bold monarch, which are generally less flattering, for various reasons. Cleopatra’s decision in every aspect of life contrasts with Antony’s politicking compromises. While he is still interesting and engaging as a character, the contrast between the two is stark. In fact, reading this account made me wonder how they ever wound up together, what bound them together.
Joan of Arc: In Her Own Words, by Willard Trask
I wish I had read the afterword first; it provided a bit of framework for the historical “action” that Joan of Arc’s words filled in for the bulk of the book. If you already know the basics of this heroine’s life, this would be an excellent read right off the bat. If you are “new” to Joan’s life (like I am), I would recommend brushing up on the background before reading this one.
However, her words are extremely interesting. Courageous, blunt, freethinking in ways that remind me in many ways of the early church apostles. I am not convinced at this point, though, that the voices she heard were genuine messengers from God. I intend to do further research on this intriguing individual, though, to help understand what she did hear/know that drove her to do all that she did.
I was extremely amused at what a big deal Joan’s captors made of her wearing soldier’s clothing, rather than traditional woman’s clothing.
Joan of Arc, by Jules Michelet
Thorough overview of the Joan of Arc events, including major events and characters from all sides. The style is simple, accessible, and fact-based, leaving most emotional conclusions to the reader, though the author provides his own conclusions of some of the Maid’s actions and decisions, which lent more life to the sparse facts. I was left with many questions about her spiritual guides.
The “preface,” including beneficial historical overviews and notes about the structure of the text, comes on the last few pages of the book. Start there if you want that framework before diving into the heart of the story.
I recommend this for anyone interested in Joan of Arc and the events contemporary to her life. Basic enough for someone not well-versed in her life, but detailed enough for someone more familiar.
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
Definitely glad I reread this one. It is far more striking as an adult as it was when I was younger. Recommended to anyone who likes Gothic novels, love triangles, ill-fated romances, or fairy tales.
Love, passion, spite, revenge, and frustration blend together to create a cast of characters that has earned their place as literary classics. Though at one point I did think, “What is really the point? What is this all about?” the last quarter of the book tied everything together in a masterful way.
Heathcliff’s perpetual bent on revenge and spite poisoned all the lives that touched his–including the “life” of the Wuthering Heights house. When everything is at its darkest, two characters make an alliance together that spoils his best intents at bringing misery to the world. Love triumphs again!
Bronte’s choice of perspective for the story, from that of the devoted household servant Nelly, lends a unifying aspect to the otherwise tumultuous plot. However, her perspective is decidedly biased as she freely comments on the various characters and events. I wonder what an objective third person narrator would have portrayed? How much does Nelly influence the readers’ sympathies?
The frame tale with Mr. Lockwood interjecting itself from time to time feels unnatural. I feel like the story could just as well have come from Nelly’s journal or letters to family or something. Mr. Lockwood is fairly extraneous.
Marie Antoinette, Daughter of an Empress, by Marguerite Vance
What a beautifully humanized account of a larger-than-life figure! Vance managed to recount all the pertinent events of Marie Antoinette’s life, while simultaneously arousing sympathy for the displaced young girl and the unhappy French people. Truly, the early years of Marie Antoinette’s life in France are pitiable, as she struggled to adapt her personality and familiar background to the particular French royal customs. Many of her early escapades were harmless and humorous, but created a particular tint on her character that remained with her into darker times.
As the Revolution grew, it is easy to see how her later luxuries were perceived–overhauling houses, building theaters, ignoring royal duties, etc. It is even easy to see how it was possible to pull off the incident of the Diamond Necklace (a heist worthy of Neil Caffrey) by taking advantage of her reputation.
Anyone remotely interested in The French Revolution or Marie Antoinette would love this book. Truly a masterpiece of biography.
Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution, by Caroline Weber
Fantastic read about the life of the French Queen, centered around her fashion statements. Broken up into fashion themes as they were carried through the chronology from her betrothal to her execution, this book chronicles Marie Antoinette’s choices and the responses they elicited from he public. I recommend to anyone interested in Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, or the power of clothing statements. At the beginning, she endured the “Frenchifying” of her lifestyle, because the saw the political necessities. While she disliked constantly being in the public’s eye, she gained early public favor with her apparent adhering to all the French court customs. As time went on, she experimented with statements like removing her corsets, with much protesting in France and abroad.
Once she became Queen, however, the young princess seems to have adopted Frank Sinatra’s slogan, “I did it My Way.” Fully embracing the long-held belief that all monarchs were divinely appointed and therefore had rights over all their subjects, Marie went wild with wardrobe. As she had no children to take any of her time, I believe she was bored and filled her time with design. Plus, she had been schooled her whole life to keep up appearances. Almost literally, her appearance was politics. None of her decisions, then, are surprising. She had no interest in politics or governing a foreign people. She did have an interest in how she looked–and showcasing this appearance in a variety of settings.
This is when the tide began to turn. Nothing the Queen did pleased her people. When she made casual “peasant” garb fashionable, she should have been dressing like a Queen was supposed to dress–with regality and solemnity. When she showcased her queenliness, she was flaunting her excesses at her subjects’ expense. This trend continued for nearly two decades, as France began to adopt republican philosophies with a vengeance. First supporting the American Revolution, then applying the democratic principles in their own land, the French people soon started to question the need for fancy figureheads. Ironically, some of the very philosophers that interested Marie in her design of her private home and its pastoral simplicity led to her downfall as the same ideas were applied to government and politics.
Obviously, the idea that clothes make an impression is not one that has diminished, but in 18th Century France, where everything one wore truly identified one’s station and loyalties, her statements were bolder than ever. Similar ideas are at play today, especially in professional women’s clothing, where women are “competing” alongside men. While I am not sure that Marie meant to make cross-gender statements for their own sake like Weber argues, looking back, her sartorial battles are ones that are still enduring today.
Christy, by Catherine Marshall
One of my lifetime favorites! I didn’t realize until I read it this time how formative this story was when I read it in my youth. So many theological seeds were sown as I read Christy’s spiritual journey, blossoming when I encountered authors like Dallas Willard and Charles Williams.
Miss Alice is still my hero. Her love for the Highlanders is unparalleled, and her understanding of God in the midst of hard reality is solid and sure. Christy’s honesty in her spiritual successes and disappointments makes this an extremely relatable story, regardless of where one is in their relation to God.
Fun to read of Christy’s teaching adventure now that I am a teacher. I feel a lot less sorry for myself after the classroom dynamics she faced 🙂
Mother Theresa of Calcutta: A Personal Portrait, by Fr. Leo Maasburg
What an inspiration! Highly recommend. Mother Teresa’s character, insights, and prayers are beneficial to anyone remotely interested in seeing what life with God looks like. This woman had a way with people that truly echoed that of Christ–compassion, direction, gentle rebukes, encouragement–all at the right time. Her determination was firm but respectful, and her perspective on helping people is spot on–start where you are!!
Grit, by Angela Duckworth
The strength of this book lies in the examples and personal testimonies the author uses to illustrate her points. From professional athletes and coaches to scholars of various fields, insights into “grit” as a character trait were excellent in anecdote form. Otherwise, I felt like a majority of the book was observations of reality, rather than providing any groundbreaking discoveries about people. I would recommend this book to those in leadership looking to inspire those around them, or to those interested in sports successes.
I was left wondering what role religion played in developing grit in a person, as this is an extremely deep motivator for many people who practice religions of all sorts. For instance, one of the guiding principles of my own life comes from the Colossians 3:23–“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” This ethic has developed deep grit in my own life, and I wonder if this is a motivator for other gritty people. Many of the observations Duckworth made about grit and the need to persevere were totally relevant to spiritual practices as well, so I believe there is room for development here in future studies.
I totally agree with her assessment that there could be a better word to use than “passion” in describing grit, since passion is dealing with emotions, feelings, and responses in a moment, and her whole premise is deliberation over time. Passion doesn’t fit with this. I understand that she is making a connection with current usage that is more inclined to mean “enthusiasm,” “intrigue,” or “deep interest.” All of these things are necessary facets of grit.
At Prayer with Mother Theresa, by Eileen Egan
Many lovely prayers from many religions compiled with a brief, relevant anecdote from Mother Teresa’s life. Somehow, I wish there had been more to unify the prayers or anecdotes, but that is my own expectation problem, not a content problem. I would recommend as part of a daily devotional, rather than a read-through book.
Protestants who may be interested in this book may wish to know that there are a few prayers directed to saints, but the vast majority are well-thought-out prayers to God, many in response to a particular situation.
Mill on the Floss, by George Eliot
A reread this time. Any Eliot fan would enjoy, as well as anyone who enjoys a solid 19th century novel with all that that entails–including being mostly an internal investigation, rather than an action-filled plot.
While she is a strong character in her own way, Maggie Tulliver is ultimately caught as a reactionary character between the people who surround her. Her life is a constant struggle between duty and pleasure, ultimately trying to please her deontologist, duty-driven brother on one side and reconcile her two vastly different hedonistic romantic interests on the other. This struggle culminates in an apparent scandal that leaves her an outcast, causing reactions in other characters for the first time. Being the cause of someone else’s reaction is not pleasant to Maggie, who has been willing to bear the role of adapting to circumstances for most of her young life.
An excellent psychological investigation of personality types, especially sensitive, loving spirits who simply want those they love to be happy. Naturally, this is a huge burden to bear, and Maggie frequently finds herself failing in achieving her ultimate end. She learns that when you try to please everyone, you please no one, but she learns so through great struggles in her own soul.
She finds the most strength and help in turning to spiritual disciplines of prayer and renunciation of pleasures, with the aid of spiritual books by Thomas a Kempis. However, even this source is stripped away from her by someone who believes that her renunciations are a selfish waste of what God had given her. These constant temptations of Maggie’s stem from a lack of identity, since she is constantly adapting to please her current audience. A painful life with a painful end.
Mary Marston, by George MacDonald
Forget Wonder Woman—Mary Marston is a truly strong woman. A must read for MacDonald and Lewis fans, recommended to anyone who appreciates Victorian style and to those who are looking for strong female literary characters.
Mary faces life with confidence, power, and simplicity that can only come from living right next to Christ, and her life is full of meaning and significance as she lives in obedience and goodness.
MacDonald is at one of his preachiest as narrator—truly delightful for those who love MacDonald’s intrusions. This novel focuses on class distinctions, truth, and obedience. I did a lot of highlighting.
The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom
An amazing narrative of courage, faith, patience, and forgiveness that seriously comes from another place. Corrie and her family help to hide Jews during WWII in Germany. Ultimately, she winds up in a concentration camp with her sister, where they undergo all kinds of trials by fire–and fine the Lord in them. Bessie, in particular, is a saint, with insights and spiritual skills that I will probably need all of eternity to approach. Read for examples of strong, godly women. Read for history. Read to see spiritual formation in practice. Just read it.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte
Want to know how women think? Read Jane Eyre. Want a story about a strong woman? Read Jane Eyre. Want romance drama? Read Jane Eyre.
4.5 stars. The inclusion of this book among unquestioned classics is secure. The language, the characters, the imagery, the psychology–every element is masterful, contributing to a compelling storyline. It is one of those books that you want to simultaneously read in one sitting and savor for weeks.
Jane herself is extremely captivating–her struggles, her victories, her intelligence, her humility. Quite a unique literary character–and woman. Shy but bold. Skilled but humble. Plain but captivating to very different types of men. The ponderings just related to her could (and do) fill volumes. Her perspective of the story is clear and clearly from her perspective. In other words, we get things as she sees and experiences them, not through any sort of objective filter. Her presence as a narrator is strong.
This presence provides strong psychological insights. Because Jane is so articulate, readers have an excellent glimpse into an intelligent woman’s mind. Her thought process in falling in love with Rochester is textbook, precisely what every woman has experienced, yet articulated far beyond the mundane. Her learning of other characters is effective and leads to key epiphany moments where all her experiences with someone come together to reveal a truth that determines her course of action, while remaining very clear about her own identity in the midst of it all.
The proposals of marriage that she faces lead her slowly to a fulfillment that required both painful experiences. On the one hand, a relationship of love, but life as an idol. On the other, a loveless relationship full of purposeful work. Not until the end can she get the best of both. The steps leading to the satisfying ending, however, were not always satisfying to me. The only place I feel like Bronte “copped out” was in the culminating moment that drove Jane from one setting suddenly back to the previous setting based on a “vision” or cry for help across the dimensions, so to speak. Because Jane is so strong, I wanted her to wrench herself from the final temptation of her own will, rather than an outside force sort of tricking about the desired ending. That’s the only reason for the 4.5 stars. On every other level, flawless.
That Lady Who Reads A Lot 