Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel
by Michelle Moran
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michelle MoranEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2009-09-15
ISBN: 0307409120
Number of pages: 448
Publisher: Crown
Book Reviews of Cleopatra's Daughter: A Novel
Book Review: "There will be dangerous times when there are more slaves than Romans."
Summary: 4 Stars
Long before the city burns and Nero fiddles, Rome has distinguished itself as a sophisticated and powerful city under the shrewd military guidance of the Second Triumvirate. But when Marc Antony tours the eastern province and meets Kleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, the die is cast. The great love affair between Marc Antony and Kleopatra has captured the world's attention, but the fate of her children is less well known. Moran mines that fertile historical period, following the death of Kleopatra and Marc Antony after the defeat at the battle of Action. The older sons dead, the three youngest children of the union travel to Rome, twins Kleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios and the younger Ptolemy, the three the last of the Ptolemaic dynasty. By now Octavian has vanquished all of his enemies, save Marc Antony's children by Kleopatra.
Young Ptolemy dies on the journey, leaving the twins to face the new city alone, their beloved Alexandria behind them. Both harbor hopes of winning Octavian's trust and returning home to rule one day. But they are children in a nest of vipers. In fact, Moran's treatment is intriguing because of the youth of her protagonists, both precocious and well-educated and of royal blood. And, like children, they seek resolution to conflict, tempering their reactions to the loss of family as they become part of the household of Octavian's sister, wife of Marc Antony and abandoned by him for Kleopatra. In contrast, Octavian is married to Livia, a cruel and treacherous woman. Against a background of political intrigue and Octavian's unpredictable actions, the twins apply themselves to school and Selene develops her talent for architecture, a skill that will serve her well in future years.
This unusual story allows the reader a view of Rome from Selene's perspective, the majesty and ugliness of the city, the roiling slave uprising and the inhuman treatment of slaves. For all its glory, Selene observes the other face of power, her heart touched by the plight of the poor. Wonder turns to outrage, hope turns to grief as her trust is betrayed, her eyes opened to betrayals. Fate has not plundered the futures of these children to settle them comfortably in Rome. They are, after all, Octavian's pawns. And while Selene falls in foolishly in love with a young man promised to Octavian's daughter, the machinations of politics grind on. The love between brother and sister is powerful, Selene nearly broken by grief. All the more devastating for its perspective, this novel illustrates the helplessness of two remarkable children caught in the juggernaut of history, the last of a dynasty. Luan Gaines/2009.
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