Stacy Schiff's 'Cleopatra: A Life' peers beyond the myths to discover the truths about the last Pharaoh of Egypt. We visit the lush and opulent world of a woman who carved her place in a patriarchal society. Spanning less than four decades, Cleopatra's existence was teeming with opulence and scandal—marriages to her brothers, civil wars, political machinations, and fateful romances with powerful Roman leaders Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Schiff dispels the fallacies that have overshadowed Cleopatra's legacy, offering a brilliant and compelling portrait of an extraordinary ruler whose life has long been mythologized and misunderstood. This historian's craftsmanship reenergizes the saga of a queen who was far more than the sum of her rumored affairs—a formidable intellect, a potent ally, and a determined monarch.