Laurel A. Rockefeller

I discovered this series long after its first book. As I mentioned several times before (and I will keep on mentioning, with the risk of becoming annoying), this is the beauty of a book blogger – discovering books and having the amazing opportunity to read and review them directly from the source, or helping promote them in any way we can.

“Cleopatra VII: Egypt’s Last Pharaoh” contains some of the most important moments of Cleopatra’s life – the amazing, beautiful and intelligent Cleopatra. In just a little under 100 pages we have the opportunity to learn a little more of her life, of Egyptian and Roman history. Some of you guys may ask: why do I care? Why is she so important and why should she be of interest to me? Well the author captures in this short book how exceptional the Pharaoh was, how her beauty attracted many, but her heart had room for only one. We see how loved she was and how she returned this affection with intelligence.

There are so many articles and books out there about her and about the many amazing women of our history and Laurel A. Rockefeller’s story is just one of the great ones. In the form of a narration, the author tells her life and speaks of her love and loveless marriage. I must admit I wanted to know so much more and I wanted more details. I am frustrated over the small amount of pages we have. But in my opinion, the author reached her purpose, that of making me – the reader – more curious and more eager to know more. I can only thank her for that and bow my head for the respect she is showing to one of the greatest minds history has seen.

I do invite you to go through the series and discover the many other amazing personalities that have shaped our world.… (mehr)

Note: Even though this is Book 2 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone.

Princess Catherine was daughter to France’s King Charles VI, who suffered from mental illness. During her lifetime, she knew the hardships of France’s civil war and England’s King Henry V’s repeated warring in France. Married off to King Henry, peace between the two countries lasted briefly. After King Henry V’s death, Catherine married a Welsh man, Owen Tudor.

Before giving this book a listen, I knew very little about Queen Catherine. This is a great way to get introduced to this historical figure. The author uses touches of drama here and there to bring this bit of history to life. Since this book is only 69 minutes long, only the highlights of Queen Catherine’s life are covered. However, it is apparent from the beginning that Catherine comes from a line of women known to speak their minds, whether they are speaking to a man or a woman, a peasant or royalty.

This book is classified as creative non-fiction by the author, a classification or genre that is new to me. With that said, the book reads like a historical fiction and is not dry like many straight histories are are. If folks are a bit intimidated by histories or historical fiction, this series of books is a great place to get started.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the author in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks!

The Narration: Once again, Richard Mann has a very nice voice to listen to. He even gives a little singing here and there as the book requires. He has distinct voices for all the characters, and a good range for the male voices. His female voices could use a touch more femininity.… (mehr)

A beautiful story of love and loss. This book starts with Mary, as a 5-year old, traveling to France for safety reasons. The author takes you through a colorful journey, filled with actual happenings, and elaborately imagined conversations, songs, and poetry. The end of the book is the actual timeline of events, and suggested material for research. This is highly entertaining and educational; I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a break from contemporary fiction, and wants to better themselves. I am really looking forward to the audio version!… (mehr)