6. Cleopatra's Daughter

I think the reason I chose this novel was because it seemed like a fresh perspective; instead of being yet another account of Cleopatra's illustrious life, it was the story of her daughter's. Personally, I've heard very little of Cleopatra's children, and I find that they are generally overlooked in favor of focusing on the grand romance with Marc Antony. As such, this was a nice little change of pace.

My absolute favorite aspect of the novel was the Afterword, where the little loose ends were neatly tied up. The Afterword picked up the major characters in the story and gave a summarized account of what happened to them in real life. This was a very satisfying ending, because I was curious about what extent of the novel was true to history. I found that Moran took some creative liberties in order to create more drama and excitement, but overall she maintained a historically accurate storyline. Most of the characters were real people, although they were presented a bit oddly. For instance, in both the story and in real life, Marc Antony left Octavia in order to marry Cleopatra. In Cleopatra’s Daughter, she welcomes Cleopatra’s children with open arms. There is no hostility, and she is their strongest supporter. I found it strange that she would be so generous to the kids of the woman her husband left her for. Another example is Selene, the main character, and how intelligent she was. The story is told from the perspective of a young girl, about eleven years old, but the thought process is much too mature. The depth of thinking and level of awareness is too high for a child. Beyond all that, I have to compliment Moran on her brutally honest portrayal of ancient Egypt and Rome. She has no qualms about illustrating the rampant corruption and ruthless policies of self-gain that the patricians had. She is blunt in her depictions of violent punishments and cruelty, and that lends another dimension to the story. It brings ancient Rome to life and helps the reader visualize the tragedies of the time. It was little things like that put the novel over the top and made it enthralling.