Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel (Egyptian Royals Collection)

This reviewer will admit to having studied Latin (and consequently old Rome) for five years between high school and college. During that time I found Roman history interesting. Period. But Michelle Moran picks up the story in the years after Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Told from the point of view of Kleopatra Selene, we are privy to the lives of she and her twin, Alexander Helios, from their tenth year through their fifteenth birthdays.The twins are the only remaining offspring of Marc Antony and Kleopatra VII of Egypt. Their two brothers, Antyllus and Caesarion, have been killed by Octavian of Rome as they are threats to the throne. Along with their younger brother Ptolemy, the three are taken aboard one of their mother’s ships and brought to Rome. Unfortunately, young Ptolemy does not survive the trip. Brought to live in the house of Octavia, sister of Octavian and former wife of Marc Antony, they are treated respectfully although they are paraded through the streets as part of Octavian’s Triumphal parade.The twins lead an interesting life in Rome and the reader is afforded a look at the various class structure of the Roman empire. Vivid and detailed descriptions of historical places that I’d only read about seemed to jump off the pages for me, bringing old Rome alive. The characters that once seemed so noble in my Latin classes now became human and it was easy to see that their nobility was nothing more than a mask. Beneath their air of civility lurked their barbarism. Throughout the story we are reminded that once the twins reach their fifteenth birthday they run the very real risk of being killed as they would become even more of a threat to Octavian.Coming of age in Octavian’s Rome, Selene describes in detail the working of the Senate and the court as well as the personal ambitions of members of the emperor’s family. And their ambitions are as varied as are their positions. Woven throughout the story is a plot of intrigue and danger that encompasses all of Imperial Rome and its citizens. Throughout the story Selene and Alexander must manage to stay alive and carry on the legacy of Egyptian royalty as best they can. It is her hope that by making herself useful to Octavian that he will one day allow her to return to Egypt and so she uses her artistic abilities to study under the architect Vitruvius.I was engrossed from the first page of this meticulously researched and detailed story. By page two I was immersed in the sacking of Alexandria by Octavian and his Roman armies. On page three, Selene captured my heart. She is intelligent, precocious, and pretty. When her mother takes her own life, it is Selene who becomes the nurturer for her two brothers. Like her mother, Selene is a strong, independent young woman who lives an entire lifetime between her tenth and her fifteenth birthdays.Cleopatra’s Daughter is the third book by author Michelle Moran that I’ve read and I have yet to be disappointed. It is clear to this former Latin student that Ms. Moran has put the time and effort into her writing that continue to earn her five stars from this reader. I look forward to her other two books.

What a wonderful delight it was to discover this novel. In the opening scenes I was struck by what a different type of book I was reading. Cleopatra as proud, not wanton. Her attempted seduction of Agrippa was from desperation, not licentiousness. She loved Antony. And Antony... I was telling myself that it was stupid to cry so early in a book. I don't think I was even out of the first chapter. But so many authors focus solely on his debauchery. Yet Moran, in a few brief paragraphs, wrote a man too human to live. Who loved his drink, his game, his wife and his children. She wrote Antony exactly as I had always imagined him. A real mensch.I could have cheered at the details inserted into the book, such as the fact that Cleopatra had only had two husbands, and was in no way the harlot who has come down to us through a 2000 year old smear campaign. I truly appreciated Moran's point that she was 'more chaste' than a Roman woman, who did not marry for love, but married far more often. And it was such a great detail to see how Alexander was a gifted horse rider and gambler, in echoes of his father.So many authors kill off their character for effect, and never feel the need to dwell on the deaths after they've served their purpose. But with 'Cleopatra's Daughter,' I felt Antony and Cleopatra as alive in the later chapters as in the earlier, because they were carried in the hearts of their children. That is one of the things most admirable about this book.Selene said a line that struck to my core and reverberated through the entire book: 'I don't think unhappiness is fated.' She said this to her brother, and I thought it was such a powerful message. Terrible things happen to Moran's characters, but the author always shows their will to persevere. It is both a noble and a very human trait. Not since Lord Bulwer-Lytton's 'Last Days of Pompeii,' have I cared so much about a historical novel and the fate of its protagonists.Finally, the fate of Selene's pink pearls made me cry all over again.A wonderful, wonderful book. So looking forward to now devouring 'Nefertiti' and 'The Heretic Queen.'

Very disappointing read for me.It was badly written. I did not understand what is the point of inventing the Red Eagle since he didn't achieve anything (adding a twist of mystery? why? the story has enough intrigue without it). Also, Selene is supposed to have helped design the Pantheon? I know there is such a thing as fictional licence but seriously!There were certain sections which annoyed me and I wish the author would try to understand the Romans or at least Augustus better before providing her take on situations. For example, she attributed the fact that Princess Selene and Prince Alexander were not made slaves because they were children of a queen and not barbarians like the Gauls. Actually, they were not made slaves for the simple reason that they were ROMAN. Their father was Mark Antony; legitimate children of a Roman would not be made slaves in Rome! Augustus would not have set a bad example by making them slaves.Also, the overwhelming sympathy for slaves from Selene was not very realistic. Selene would have been brought up in Egypt, where slaves were treated a lot worse than Rome. They couldn't even buy back their freedom and making eunuchs of slaves was common practice (something considered barbaric in Rome!) So I am not sure that Selene was this ultra evolved sympathetic modernist portrayed here. I think the author is trying to see too much in Rome through modern eyes.Finally, I wish she would have written more on Selene's life in Mauretania rather than Rome. She accomplished so much there.Overall, very disappointing. I wish the author would stick to fiction and keep history out of her work!!citychiclifestyle.blogspot.com

I liked this book and it was what I expected from Michelle Moran. Her books are written in colour! You can feel the quality of materials written about, feel the shiny, jewel colours of the silk , see the dusty streets of Rome, the houses, the Nile and the freshness of getting away from the hot City to the cool Island. She blends History with her take on characters of the time and it works. You may not like some of the Characters but you cannot help getting involved. It is quite emotional in places - life was extremely hard for the general population at that time - so perhaps not a Novel to escape to if you are feeling a bit low yourself!Over all an interesting Historical novel giving an insight into how they lived in Ancient Rome, the worries of their day and how some Monuments, which are still here, came into being. There are also many areas of life then that is surprisingly modern!I found the story of Cleopatra's daughter a complete surprise as I did not even know she had one. Her relationships were interesting and woven into the story are those we grew up knowing about but here we see them from a different angle. Historically interesting with believable characters. I would recommend this book to all who enjoy Historical Novels, to those fascinated by Roman/Egyptian Culture, Adventure, Foreign Parts and Romance. One feels that Michelle Morgan does not write for Serous Scholars but for the rest of us, who enjoy " a bit of Culture" in our reading - and to that end she succeeds very well!

I was hoping that I could give this story five stars but I have come to the conclusion that this is the weakest of the three books. I did not like the use of Latin nouns - either use modern prose or go totally Latin but don't mix them. A Thalamegos was probably a river vessel, not a sea going one. The voyage from Alexandria to Rome was going to take two months but a couple of pages later it had taken three weeks. Just one example of poor proof reading/editing. American spelling had also crept back in. I have not heard of ' Gannymede' being used as a slang term for a homosexual.Ms Moran's description of a crucifixion is totally incorrect. If she felt unable to write about this truly horrific method of killing someone, then perhaps it should not have been included.Again history has been altered to fit in with the story. Surely it should be the other way round. The final straw, for me, was the death by eel. I know that in the notes at end of the book, it states that this is based on contemporary cases but it was far too Monty Python for me.

The book opened a door to a world long gone, but many of its influences echo in our own society. It kept my interest and made me want to know how it ended. An interesting and informative read.

My dog enjoyed the original book, it made good eating.!!!The book was a library book that he ate. On explaining the situation to the librarian, she was not amused at the chewed pages and required me to pay for a new book at the original cost.I purchased this book on-line and it was in better condition than the borrowed book.Changed over the computer stickers from inside the library book to the Amazon purchase, and returned the book back to the library. Librarian was happy, and I was happy at purchasing the book for a fraction of the original cost.THANKS AGAIN AMAZON. WELL DONE.