Search - Cleopatra's Daughter

Reviewed by Natalie Tsang for TeensReadToo.com

I absolutely loved reading CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER by Michelle Moran. The novel is about Marc Anthony and Kleopatra's children and told from the point of view of their daughter, Selene.

The novel starts in 30 BC, after two years of fighting between Marc Anthony and Octavian for control of Rome. Things go from bad to worse when Octavian captures Alexandria, the capital of Egypt, and effectively ends the war. After their parents commit suicide, the royal children - twins named Alexander and Selene and their younger brother, Ptolemy - are exiled from their home and sent to Rome.

While I found the history familiar and fascinating, Selene's story is also compelling. At the start of the novel, she is a precocious eleven-year-old who loves to draw. Though the recent war has made her grow up quickly, she is still hopeful, idealistic, and quickly befriends several members of Octavian's household, including Octavian's heir, Marcellus, and Gallia, a proud enslaved princess.

However, even with allies, there is also plenty of court intrigue as Selene struggles to prove that she's useful enough to keep alive to a ruthless and murderous Octavian. Livia, Octavian's wife, hates her and tries to humiliate her at every opportunity. Juba, the prince of Numidia, watches her every move. Moran also does a great job of interpreting historical figures such as a teenage Ovid, the author of Metamorphoses, and a child Tiberius, forty years before his reign as the second Roman emperor.

CLEOPATRA'S DAUGHTER achieves a lovely balance between a survey of early Imperial Rome and the story of a young girl growing up far from home. Though Moran show us gladiator games and court trials through Selene's eyes, her main character is much more than a camera lens. I had a hard time putting this book down! Moran creates a world that is both exotic and familiar. Julia, Octavian's daughter, and Selene's shopping sprees are evidence that some things haven't changed in two thousand years!

While history lovers are sure to be pleased, readers of romance and mystery should also check this book out. Five Stars!

This book was fascinating. The book, while a work of fiction, is based on real people in history. While I was somewhat familiar with the actual historical figures, my knowledge is limited to college courses.

The book is a semi-fictional account of Cleopatra's children with Marc Antony- twins Alexander and Cleopatra Selene. Selene and Alexander are taken to Rome against their will after Octavian, the ruler of Rome, defeats their parents, the rulers of Egypt.

The story begins when Selene and Alexander must learn how to adjust to a different way of life in Rome. Selene, a very compassionate girl, has the harder time adjusting. Even though at 15, Romans are considered an "adult", it is clear that Selene (a very young 11 at the start of the book) wants to think with her head but is often lead by her heart.

The story does not have a ton of action, or even romance. It is almost like a diary of a girl growing up and how numerous heartbreaking events in her life, she matures into a woman.

One warning- you might need a few Kleenex tissues at the end!

Absolutately excellent. Well written Characters are very interesting but are not the total focus of the book, but rather are used to show the history, culture, government of Rome. Much better than her first book Nefertiti. Highly recommend.

Moran does an interesting write about Egypt, its capture by Octavian and growing up in a patrician Roman household. Life in Roman times is described through the eyes of Selene as she grows up in Rome. The tale makes one wonder who Kleopatra (spelling used according to her daughter), Octavian, Alexander and Selene really were. Selene cherishes her Egyptian heritage and trains to become an architect in spite of the stigma about women's roles in Roman society. When her twin brother, Alexander, is killed by the order of Augustus (Octavian) because of his potential threat to his reign, Selene is devastated. She knows who ordered the murder. However, her marriage to Juba, dictated by Augustus, is a happy choice for her. It's a good, good read although viewing Roman society through a child's eyes became tedious a

I enjoyed this book, only dislike was a sortof immature feel which I attributed to the age of the narrator. Look forward to reading more by this author. If you like Historical Fiction you will like this. Hint though, don't read the real people bits in the back, it will ruin a plot point - though it was a pretty easy one to figure out early on.

I loved this book and will love to read it again and again.