Cleopatra Queen of the Nile by Dominic Sandbrook

Eleven-year-old Cleopatra has dreamed of  visiting the tomb of Alexander ever since she can remember. This night, she is successful, avoiding the tomb guards and is now able to gaze on the face of Alexander, "...a warrior, hero, King of Kings and Son of Zeus."

Alexander the Great became King of Macedonia and then conquered Persia and then Egypt, becoming "Lord of the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt), Heir of Horus and Beloved of Amun" as well as learning from the Oracle of Siwa that he was the son of the god Zeus Ammon. Alexander then continued east, where he met and married Roxana after he conquered the Amazons. He also travelled into Afghanistan and India. But Alexander died suddenly when he was only thirty-two years old. 

One of his captains, his boyhood friend, Ptolemy, returned to Egypt, bringing with him, Alexander's body. Ptolemy installed himself as King and Pharaoh, and heir of Alexander. Ptolemy was Cleopatra's great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather. He moved the capital of Egypt from Memphis to Alexandria, the city that Alexander the Great had planned himself. Under his rule, Egypt had expanded its borders toward Syria, into Libya and into the southern deserts of Nubia. The island of Cyprus also became part of Egypt.

Cleopatra's family, the Ptolemies have the strange custom of marrying their sisters, something the native Egyptians believe is wrong. This is done to keep the royalty and power within their family but it has made for "bitter rivalries" and a dangerous place for someone like Cleopatra to grow up in.

Cleopatra's father is the twelfth King Ptolemy meaning the Ptolemies have reigned for over three hundred years. Cleopatra was born in 69 B.C., one of five children that included Berenike, Arsinoe, Ptolemy Sr. and Ptolemy Jr.  Her father decides to take Cleopatra with him on a trip down the River Nile. The royal barge along with a fleet of boats travels through Krokodilopolis or Crocodile City, past the ancient pyramids to Memphis. There Cleopatra and her father visit the great white temple and the Egyptian priests. 

In Memphis, Ptolemy reveals to Cleopatra that he plans for her to learn how Egypt works. It is a rich country, able to make money, drachmae minted in silver in Alexandria, from what the country grows. It is his intention that she one day wear the Double Crown of the Two Lands. But Ptolemy explains to Cleopatra she will need "...to win the hearts and minds of the ordinary Egyptians." Outside the temple Cleopatra encounters a strange woman near a large stone slab carved with hieroglyphics. The woman translates the stone which writes about Isis, who had ruled Egypt with her brother-husband, Osiris.

The story then shifts to Rome, which would be a major factor in Cleopatra's life. A thousand miles to the north, Rome rules the Mediterranean, except for Egypt, something they have done since Cleopatra's birth in 69 B.C. With each new conquest, Rome finds it's culture, traditions and deities challenged.

During Cleopatra's childhood, Rome was ruled by Pompey the Great, a cruel conqueror. But in 60 B.C., he made a deal with two rivals, Marcus Licinius Crassus, a general and businessman, and a younger man named Julius Caesar who claimed to be descended from the goddess Venus. This alliance was known as the Triumvirate.

Rome and Egypt had been partners for centuries. Egypt was the oldest and richest country during this time but its influence was fading. Rome's power and influence grew as Egypt became divided because of the Ptolemy family feuds. Cleopatra's father, Ptolemy XII had a difficult balancing act - to keep his own people happy and to stand up to Rome while not antagonizing this new power. To accomplish this, Ptolemy bribed the most powerful Romans, including Julius Caesar.

The seizure of Cyprus, an island once belonging to Egypt, the heavy taxes levied to pay Roman bribes resulted in riots, looting and the burning of Alexandria, and almost the destruction of the beautiful library there, led to rioting in Alexandria. Ptolemy fled to Rome and nineteen-year-old Berenike became Queen of Egypt. In Rome, Ptolemy used more Roman money to raise support while Berenike remained on the throne in Egypt. Eventually Ptolemy regained his throne with the help of the Roman governor of Syria, Aulus Gabinius. With him was a young cavalry officer named Marc Antony who would play a significant part in Cleopatra's life later on. To pay for his victory, Ptolemy taxed Egyptians to their very limits.

In 51 B.C., Ptolemy XII died and the crown passed to eighteen-year-old Cleopatra and her ten-year-old brother Ptolemy Senior. They were to rule and husband and wife, with Rome as their guardians. However, from the beginning, there was division and tension between the two. It was to be a foreshadowing of the many difficulties Cleopatra would face both within Egypt and with Rome as she struggled to save her country.

Discussion

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile is the fifth book in Dominic Sandbrook's Adventures In Time series about famous historical figures and events.

Because Egypt's history was tied so closely to that of Rome's during the time of Cleopatra, Sandbrook offers readers much historical information about both nations, allowing young readers to place Cleopatra's life and the choices she made within the proper historical context. It also means that Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile is rich in historical detail Sandbrook seamlessly incorporates into the narrative. For example, when Cleopatra visits the tomb of Alexander - a fictional event described at the beginning of the novel, Sandbrook uses this to explain how Cleopatra's ancestor, Alexander's boyhood friend Ptolemy came to rule Egypt and begin the reign of the Ptolemies. This information also sets the stage for the events that happen later on in Cleopatra's life as her brothers and sisters turn against one another, in their ongoing struggle for power. 

In the chapter, The Sons of the Wolf, Sandbrook gives similar treatment to the history of Rome, describing how it grew to become a great power, able to challenge Egypt's dominance. This too provides readers with the context for the events surrounding Julius Caesar and later on Marc Antony as well as Octavian who eventually defeats Cleopatra and Marc Antony, subjugating Egypt.

As Sandbrook mentions in his Author's Note, almost all our knowledge about Cleopara comes from Roman sources. And these sources tend to portray the Egyptian queen as a villain, not surprising since Egypt was at odds with Rome, as it was the only territory it had not yet conquered. Little is known about her early life growing up in Egypt so the author has imagined the events of her childhood. Cleopatra is portrayed as an intelligent woman, capable and determined to save her country and preserve its power. No story of Cleopatra is complete without exploring her relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony which Sandbrook does in an engaging and balanced manner.

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile is an engaging biography that informs, but also brings alive this very interesting period of history. There is a map of the Cleopatra's Empire in 34 B.C. but it would have been interesting to have had a map of Alexandria during Cleopatra's time to help readers understand the location of some of the events described in the city.

Overall, this is a refreshing historical novel in a series that seems to be very promising. It's definitely geared to older readers or those interested in history, especially given the detail as well as the subject matter of Cleopatra's relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Antony.

Book Details:

Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile by Dominic Sandbrook
Canada: Particular Books    2022
316 pp.

In A Perfect World by Trish Doller

Seventeen-year-old Caroline Kelly is stunned to learn she will be spending her senior year of high school living in Cairo, Egypt. Caroline had planned to spend her summer vacation working at Cedar Point with her best friend Hannah. Her parents had also arranged for her to attend a summer soccer camp at Ohio State and Caroline's goal was to make captain of the girl's team in her senior year.

Instead, Caroline and her mother will be spending the year in Cairo where her mother will be working for OneVision, a nongovernmental global health organization that "provides eye examinations and glasses to people in need, and eye surgeries to restore sight." Her mother, has been asked to set up an eye clinic in Cairo. Caroline will finish her senior year at the American school. Caroline's father who is a tugboat captain will only stay for a week to help them get set up in their apartment.

At the Cairo airport they meet Ahmed Saleh Elhadad who is their driver. Mr. Elhadad drives them to Rhoda Island, where their apartment is located. Their third floor apartment is large and sunny, but not furnished as agreed on, meaning they must buy everything. Mr. Elhadad sends his son, Adam to set up their new furniture a few days later. Caroline notes that Adam is cute but is puzzled by his reluctant greeting. Her mother explains this is his way of showing respect.

The next morning, Mr. Elhadad takes Caroline and her parents to see Manshiyat Nasr neighborhood where the new clinic is located. He tells them that it is known as the Garbage city because the "people who live there - the Zabbaleen - collect the garbage from around Cairo and take it back to Manshiyat Nasr to sort out the recyclables."  The city has no running water, sewers and little electricity.  However, Dr. Kelly's clinic is clean and bright, already for her to set up.

Manshiyat Nasr- the Garbage City

Caroline attempts to follow her mother's suggestion that she not stay within the confines of their apartment, but her first outing, an attempt to walk to the movie theater is disastrous when she is harassed by an older Egyptian man. She flees back to the apartment where she tells Adam what happened. He tells her she must try to ignore this behaviour as even some of the niqabi are assaulted. Caroline notes that Adam seems interested in her and she wonders if she could be attracted to someone like him.

After a week in the apartment, Caroline's mother calls Mr. Elhadad who offers to take Caroline to the pyramids. However, it is Adam who shows up, when Mr. Elhadad becomes ill. Caroline isn't ready to see the pyramids, so Adam takes her to the restaurant where he works, gets a take-out order of ksohary and they go to the park to eat.  A few days later, Caroline summons her courage and walks down to the movie theatre to see a film. This time she has no problems. Adam takes Caroline to the Friday Market, the souk al-Gomaa which Caroline describes as "more like a garage sale on the surface of the sun." Adam is helpful and tries to teach Caroline how to haggle. She also begins to learn more about Adam, that his mother, Manar works in a wedding shop altering dresses, and that he has a younger sister Aya who is fifteen.

Koshary - popular street food in Cairo.

After Caroline and her mother are taken to the pyramids at Giza by Mr. Elhadad, who has now recovered, they stop for a snack at the shop where Adam works. Following the meal, Mr. Elhadad has a heart attack and is rushed to hospital. This development means that Adam must leave his job and take over his father's responsibilities as Caroline's driver. This sets up an awkward situation because both Caroline and Adam feel increasingly attracted to one another. As Adam drives Caroline to various sites around Cairo (the Hanging Church, Khan el-Khalili), their budding friendship blossoms into a forbidden love. But when radical Islamists attack the OneVision clinic, Caroline's family must change their plans. Can their new love overcome the obstacles of culture and distance?

Discussion

In A Perfect World is a touching story about identity, forbidden love and tolerance. Doller tackles many different issues in her novel including how different life is for women in Egypt compared to America, the role religion plays in Egyptian society, the strong influence of family on young people and how two  cultures have generalized misconceptions about each other.

Doller focuses on Caroline's journey towards understanding a culture very different from her own. Caroline is an Irish Catholic who has grown up in predominantly white Sandusky, Ohio. Her mother, Dr. Rebecca Kelly is an eye specialist, while her father is a rugged tugboat captain. Caroline's life is much different from that of Adam: she has played soccer, dated and is planning to study anthropology at university. In contrast Adam Elhadad is a devout Muslim who is working in koshary shop and hopes to be a chef one day. His sister Aya wants to study engineering but that is dependent on her test scores. Unlike Caroline who doesn't believe in fate, while Adam and his sister, Aya believe whatever happens is the will of Allah.

The Hanging Church

As soon as she arrives in Cairo, Caroline experiences a profound culture shock. "...people are staring. At her. At me. Particularly the men, who drag their gazes from my hair to my chest -- even though my red bandana-print top covers me completely..." Caroline is surprised to see some women with their hair uncovered, "flowing around their shoulders or knotted in buns." Some girls wear hijabs, others are dressed in jeans and sandals. "Many --but not all--of the older women are cloaked in black abayas and hijabs, while a few wear veils over the lower part of their faces. These women unsettle me because their identities, their personalities, are concealed. Are they happy? Sad? With their mouths covered, it feels as if they've been silenced...Clearly the rules are more complex than I thought. But if Muslim women have a choice in what they wear, why would they choose to cover themselves up?"

Caroline is even put off by the Arabic language which she describes as "...a harsh and unyielding language that I will never be able to understand." When she and her family first hear the Muslim call to prayer from the nearby mosque, Caroline describes it as "eerie as it is beautiful, but unsettling in the same way as the veiled woman at the airport. Fear of the unknown. I don't understand what is being sung--or why."

When she first meets Adam Elhadad, Caroline is surprised to discover that he looks like an ordinary guy that she might meet back home in Sandusky and that he's handsome. She "expected something more unusual" and wonders if she could be attracted to a boy like him.

However, as she experiences life in Egypt and learns more about the culture, Caroline's preconceived ideas about Islam and the Middle East begin to change. This is demonstrated in her conversation with her best friend Hannah who believes all Middle Eastern men have beards and admits that the only Middle Eastern man she knows is Osama bin Laden, a terrorist. Caroline tells her "The Middle East is a huge place -- a bunch of different countries that have their own cultures. Not all the men have beards, just like not all the women wear hijabs, but misconceptions like these are how people end up believing that everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist."

When the adhan (call to prayer) begins, Caroline no longer finds it so scary, "especially now that I'm getting used to it, now that I know people who rise before the sun to say the prayers and perform the movements that accompany them." She begins to learn a some Arabic, teaching herself numbers and invites Adam to teach her some basic words.

Doller uses Caroline and Adam's different faith beliefs to demonstrate, that despite their obvious differences, people are often more similar than is immediately evident. Caroline's mother helps her to see that some things about the Muslim's practice of their faith is not so different from their own faith. She points out that as a Catholic she says morning and evening prayers and even prays throughout the day, something she has in common with the Egyptian Muslims. Their calls to prayer are similar to the ringing of church bells in Sandusky for Mass. When Adam informs Caroline that Muslims use their right hand for all things honorable they discover that they are both left handed and that family members have been discouraged from using their left hand. Later on when talking with Aya, Caroline notes that her grandmother has a similar saying to the Arabic "Inshallah" which means "If it is God's will."

Caroline's mother, as an eye specialist who helps people to see, is a symbol of how Caroline's vision of Islam and Egypt change. Just as her mother restores the vision of her patients, Caroline also experiences a change in how she views the world. She sees both the reality of life under Islam, it's cultural restrictions and differences, but also how Adam, Aya and Mr. Elhadad are not so different from her and her family and friends.

As Caroline and Adam fall in love, they face increasing resistance from their concerned families and friends. Adam knows a relationship with Caroline is "haram" but he decides to follow his heart. He must deal with the expectations of his family to marry a Muslim girl, while Caroline struggles to fit in with his friends, some of whom do not like her. She also feels deep conflict over what a possible marriage to Adam might mean. Caroline cannot envisage herself converting to Islam and living the rest of her life in Cairo as she feels strongly drawn to her Catholic faith. As it turns out neither have to decide at this time to go against their culture or their beliefs. In a perfect world, they might more easily choose to marry.

Doller weaves in a satisfying ending for her readers, that is both romantic and plausible. Adam and Caroline are free to choose their relationship but only in America where society is more open. This novel's strengths are its descriptions of life in Cairo and the well drawn cast of characters.  Even the secondary characters, for the most part, are real and interesting. With one exception.

Sadly this novel is marred by a stereotypical portrayal of an older Catholic, Caroline's Grandma Irene who is characterized as a bigot. She warns Caroline "to stay away from Muslims." obviously an impossible task for her granddaughter who is living in a Muslim country. Grandma Irene is portrayed as a hypocritical Catholic, attending weekly Mass while hating Muslims. She is the foil to the younger Caroline, who represents the modern Catholic, open, flexible, and tolerant. Of course no mention is made of why Caroline's grandmother feels this way, only that it is wrong and intolerant. It's important for young readers to understand the history between Catholics and Muslims and why older Catholics might hold such beliefs. The animosity between Muslims and Catholics goes back to the 7th century with the loss of important Christian shrines in the Holy Land, the severe persecution and enslavement of Catholics in Muslim countries, as well as several attempts to conquer Christian Europe throughout the centuries. In particular, Christians in Egypt are persecuted, particularly Coptic Christians. In April 2017 two churches were bombed in Tanta and Alexandria during Easter and in May 2017 a group of Coptic Christians on a pilgrimage were massacred by Muslim extremists. Christians who make up ten per cent of Egypt's population complain of little protection by police and non enforcement of freedom of religion laws. To make her grandmother even more intolerant, it turns out she doesn't like blacks either. Caroline's Grandma Irene reflects the once prevalent but still existing Catholic practice of encouraging Catholics to marry Catholics, mainly to safeguard the Catholic partner's freedom to continue to practice their religion and also to ensure that children are also raised as Catholics - a requirement for a Catholic marriage. It is to be pointed out, that Muslims also have a similar practice when it comes to marriages.

Overall, In A Perfect World is a timely novel that explores both the differences and similarities between a Muslim and a post-Christian culture through the eyes of two young people.

Book Details:

In A Perfect World by Trish Doller
Toronto: Simon Pulse     2017
294 pp.

Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter

Cleopatra's Moon, is a historical fiction novel offering a portrayal of Cleopatra's daughter, Cleopatra XVII Selene fathered by the Egyptian queen's second husband, the Roman general Marcus Antonius.

The story begins on a Roman ship to Africa in 25 B.C. Sixteen-year-old Cleopatra XVII Selene's twin brother, Alexandros has died after drinking poison meant for her. The ship's captain demands the Cleopatra get rid of her brother's body or his crew will mutiny. Cleopatra agrees to remove his body at sunrise in order to be able to perform the ritual to enable his ka to reunite with his body.

The story then jumps back in time to nine years earlier, in 34 B.C. in Egypt. Cleopatra and her mother Queen Cleopatra VII and her brothers are waiting for her father, the Roman gneneral, Marcus Antonius to join them on the ceremonial dias. He is in the parade celebrating his victory over Armenia. 

Cleopatra Selene's mother Queen Celopatra VII sits on a gold throne "...a diadem with three rearing snakes and a golden broad collar, shining with lapis lazuli, carnelian, and emeralds, over her golden, form-fitting pleated gown."  She is holding the golden ankh of life in one hand and "..the striped crook and flail of her divine ruleship" in the other. Cleopatra Selene's father arrives in his golden armor and in his speech states that King Aatavartes of Medea made the foolish choice to go against Rome and Egypt. Antonious (Tata) awards his youngest son, Ptolemy XVI Philadelphus the lands of Phoenicia, Syria, and Cilicia. Princess Cleopatra VIII Selene is made queen of Cyrenaica and Crete. Her brother, Alexandros Helios is to rule the kingdom of Armenia with his betrothed, Princess Iotape of Medea.  To Cleopatra Selene, Iotape is "The Interloper", a royal hostage to ensure that her farther will remain loyal.  Tata also states that Alexandros Helios will rule over the as yet unconquered lands of Parthia. Thirteen-year-old Caesarion, Cleopatra Selene's half brother, and the only son of her mother Cleopatra's first husband Julius Caesar is named King of Egypt. However, with this last proclaimation, Cleopatra Selene hears to murmurs of unease by the people and the name of a Roman, Octavianus, who is Caesar's heir. Antonius places Cleopatra as Queen of Kings and "Overlord" of the territories he has assigned. He sees Egypt "as a beacon to Rome's future."  

In 32 B.C. when Cleopatra Selene is nine-years-old, she learns from fifteen-year-old brother Caesarion that Rome has declared war on Cleopatra. He tells Cleopatra Selene and her brother Alexandros, that their father, Marcus Alexandros divorce from his Roman wife, Octavia is now official. However, Antonius married Octavia as a means to secure a peace treaty with her brother Octavianus. The divorce means the peace treaty no longer exists and Octavianus is using the divorce to declare war on Queen Cleopatra. Both Cleopatra Selene and Alexandros are stunned as Egypt, which supplies grain to Rome and funds its wars in the east is an ally. Caesarion states that Octavianus has "...started a civil war with your father - a war between two Romans for the sole control of the Roman empire." 

Days later, Cleopatra Selene choses Eugenia as the lady who will be her consecrated companion for life. Her mother tells her that she has moved the selection up because she will accompany Marcus Antonius to Greece where their war camp will be. She explains that Octavianus has declared war against her so he can plunder Egypt. Cleopatra Selene realizes her mother is preparing should they lose the war.

Queen Cleopatra's absence from Alexandria extends into the following summer, leaving ten-year-old Cleopatra Selene troubled. The priestess, the Lady Amunet of the Temple of Isis on Pharo tells her that her parents are trapped in Actium and the she fears her father has underestimated Octavianus. In speaking with the priestess, Cleopatra Selene learns the magic to call Anubis, the Great Jackal God of Egypt. 

Queen Cleopatra returns from Actium, having broken through the blockade. Meanwhile Marcus Antonius has sailed to Libya in preparation for battle there. Cleopatra Selene learns that her mother has executed those traitors aiding Octavianus, including Eugenia's father. She also learns from her mother's lady, Charmion that Octavianus is on his way to capture Alexandria. His plan is to control the kingdoms and provinces in the east first. Marcus Antonius is unable to stop him because his generals have deserted him and gone over to Octavianus. King Porus of India had agreed to take in Cleopatra. It was part of her plan to save Alexandria from destruction by Octavianus with the hope that Caesarion would eventually be allowed to rule. However Queen Cleopatra's plan failed because she was betrayed by King Machus of  Arabia. The queen's fleet could not sail on the Mediterranean so she had her ships pulled overland with the intent of reaching the Red Sea and then sailing to India. However the fleet was intercepted by the Nabateans and destroyed.

In 30 B.C eleven-year-old Cleopatra Selene father has returned a broken man. After an attempt to poison Cleopatra Selene by a dissident Egyptian group, the young girl learns from her mother that she is negotiating to save her children. Octavianus wanted her to hand over Marcus Antonius but Queen Cleopatra refused.  Marcus Antonius, determined to defend Alexandria, is deserted by his troops and returns to the palace. Believing Queen Cleopatra has committed suicide, Antonius falls on his sword, only to learn that the queen is still alive. Queen Cleopatra has locked herself in her mausoleum with her gold, silver and jewels in the hopes of bargaining with Octavianus for the safety of her children. 

Octavianus is able to learn from the young Ptolemy that Caeasarion has escaped to the desert and he has his men hunt down and murder the young Egpytian king.  Queen Cleopatra slips into Antonius's tomb and commits suicide after secretly visiting her remaining children at night. She has been able to arrange that Octavianus take her children to Rome to be cared for by his sister Octavia.During the queen's funeral, Alexandros and Cleopatra Selene are crowned king and queen of the Two Lands of Egypt by the priests and prietess of the temple. Cleopatra Selene is given a "flanged blue helmet", the Blue Crown of War known as the Kehpresh. The priestess, Amunet tells Cleopatra that their agents in Rome are already working to help them return to Egypt.

The crowning infuriates Octavianus who orders all in the room except the queen's children, to be crucified. Soon Cleopatra Selene is on her way to Rome along with her two brothers. She vows to reclaim Egypt but will she be able to do so? 

Discussion

Cleopatra's Moon is a well-written historical fiction novel about the daughter of Queen Cleopatra XVII, Cleopatra Selene. 

Cleopatra Selene was taken to the household of Octavia located on the Palantine Hill in Rome. There she was raised among the extended family of Octavia as well as with many royal children. some belonging those rulers who either were deposed or who wanted their children "romanized". One of those children was Gaius Julius Juba, the son of King Juba of Numidia, who had been taken to Rome after the defeat and suicide of his father. Juba was given Roman citizenship, was educated and served with the Roman legions in Spain. He was given the kingdom of Mauretania, as Numidia no longer existed as a separate kingdom. Juba married Cleopatra Selene and they were installed as the king and queen of Mauretania, which at that time included Algeria and Morocco. They modernized the kingdom, constructing buildings similar to those in Rome and Alexandria. This included buildings to both Roman and Egyptian gods, a lighthouse in the harbour similar to that of Pharos in Alexandria, as well as a royal palace similar to that in Alexandria. Juba and Cleopatra Selene had one child, a son named Ptolemy who ruled with Juba after her death in 5 B.C.  

The novel is narrated by Cleopatra Selene, covers her life beginning when she is nine-years-old and is divided into three parts.

In Part I the author does a remarkable job of describing the beauty, grace and high degree of culture in Egyptian society that comprises Alexandria during 34 BC. For example, during this time Alexandria was noted for Pharos, the magnificent lighthouse that guards the entrance to the harbour.  "...I followed her to a more secluded corner of the roof, a deck facing the sea, giving me an astonishing view of Pharos, our Great Lighthouse. Its white marble glinted in the bright sun as immense plumes of black smoke billowed from the fires that burned day and night at its summit. I had never seen our Lighthouse from this height, and the magnificence of its colossal, three-tiered architecture took my breath away. Next to it, the ships moving in and out of our Great Harbour looked like ants crawling past the leg of a giant."

Alexandria also featured an amazing and vast library which was open to scholars throughout the known world. "We stopped under the striped canopy of the royal entrance to the Library. Attendants came running, bowing first to Caesarion, then to us. One bore a golden vessel with warm lotus-perfumed water to rinse our hands and feet; another took our cloacks and anything else we did not wish to carry. 

As we entered the light-filled atrium, white-robed, white-sandaled scholars bustled by, bowing absentmindedly in our direction...."

There are detailed descriptions of the royal palace, clothing and fashion, and life within the Egyptian Royal Court. "I  moved into one of the side gardens ideal for private conversations. Date palms ruffled in the breeze, gray and mysterious in the dark. Occasional gusts of wind, rich with the smells of the sea, teased the scents out of sleeping lotus, jasmine, rose, and honeysuckle blooms. I never again smelled a combination so achingly beautiful -- the cool salt of the sea intermingling with the heady perfume of Egyptian blossoms." 

Marcus Antonius is portrayed as a loving, kind man, who cares for his family. The royal family is also portrayed as kind, respectful towards each other, thoughtful and educated. Greek, Latin, Persian and Punic are some of the languages family members are able to speak. Cleopatra Selene is portrayed as intelligent, witty and caring. She loves Egypt and is already preparing to someday follow in her mother's footsteps as Queen of Egypt.

Cleopatra's Moon also presents detailed descriptions of Egyptian religious beliefs and practices in magic and there is an interesting passage where the young Cleopatra Selene and her brother Alexandros learn about the Hebrew faith in the Jewish temple in Alexandria. In this passage Cleopatra tries to understand the notion of free will that is at the heart of the Hebrew religion and which is in contrast to the Egyptian belief of fate at the hands of their multiple gods and goddesses. Thus begins a struggle within Cleopatra - is she governed by a fate the gods have chosen or can she choose a different path?

Having set the stage so impeccably, this detail serves to emphasize what Cleopatra Selene loses when her beloved Alexandria is overrun by the Romans. She is eleven-years-old and her parents, Marcus Antonius and Cleopatra XVII return to Alexandria after losing at Actium and being betrayed by various allies. Her parents both commit suicide leaving their children to the scheming Octavianus who murders Caesarion and takes the remaining children to Rome as prisoners.

Part II tells the story of Cleopatra Selene and her two brothers in captivity in Rome. They are part of Octavianus' household and believe they are under the protection of Octavia, Octavianus' sister. Rome is portrayed as less cultured than Alexandria, with its stinking, dirty port of Ostia. Throughout Part II, Cleopatra Selene remarks on the contrasts between Egyptian/Greek culture and that of Rome. The Egyptians wear tunics of finely woven linen in contrast to the wool stola of the Roman women. Although Octavianus' home on the Palatine Hill is luxurious, they sleep in rooms which are small, dark and windowless compared to the open sunlit rooms of the royal palace in Alexandria. Cleopatra Selene begins to see that Rome has no real culture of its own - that it steals the culture of the nations it conquers. It is primarily a military nation committed to plundering and conquering. Cleopatra Selene understands this especially when she sees the plundered scrolls of her beloved library in Alexandria. This becomes even more distressing when, as part of Octavianus's triumph she sees parts of Alexandria. "...We moved in the procession slowly, as carts and stretchers laden with all of the riches stolen from our palace and Egypt glimmered before us in the sun -- huge mounds of gold, ivory, onyx, lapis lazuli, emeralds, spices, cinnamon, pearls...Nearly naked, sweating slaves groaned unde the ropes and pulleys of gigantic obelisks and sphinxes taken from our sacred temples."  

Part III which occurs two years after Part II when Cleopatra Selene is fifteen-years-old, explores her life as a teenager. In Part III , Alvear Shecter sets up a lovers triangle between Cleopatra Selene, Marcellus, the handsome son of Octavia and her first husband, and Juba a Numidian Prince who was captured from his homeland as a baby and who is now a scholar and a soldier.  Cleopatra Selene develops a deep affection towards Juba but is actively is pursued by Marcellus. The latter tells her that he will marry her and help her to regain Egypt. However, she is warned by Juba that such an alliance will never be allowed by Octavianus who hates her. He warns that Marcellus is using her and does not love her. When Octavianus leaves on a campaign in Spain the situation in Rome comes to a dramatic conclusion. Cleopatra Selene must decide whether she will accept the fate the gods have destined her for or choose of her own free will to make a new life for herself.

As a girl and young woman, Cleopatra Selene is portrayed as being innocent, intelligent and determined. In the novel she is portrayed as having a strong devotion to and love of her parents. The loss of her younger brother Ptolemy Philadelphos is devastating to her. Cleopatra Selene is determined to return to Egypt and free it from the clutches of Rome. She continues to be puzzled by the Hebrew concept of "free will". "I understood it no better now, for how could something be both "God's will" and our own "free will" at the same time? And if his was the kind of god that "willed" us to be paraded iin humiliation and then almost executed, I could confidently say that I wanted no part of him."  Not understanding the concept of free will and of a loving God, Cleopatra turns to the god, Isis and the Jackal god, son of Osiris. However, it would seem that it was not to be, as the Roman Empire would rule the world for the next several hundred years. Instead, history knows her as a queen of Maurentania, where she fostered a rich culture that was both Roman and Egyptian. 

Cleopatra's Moon is well-written, engaging, historically accurate and well researched. Overall, Vicky Alvear Shecter has crafted a novel that makes history come alive for her readers. The beauty of Alexandria and the treachery of this era are exceptionally captured by the author. There is a detailed cast of characters at the beginning of the book and there is an excellent Facts Within The Fiction section which details which parts of the book are historically accurate and where the author inserted fiction into her account. There is some suggestive content in the novel, but nothing too explicit, and mostly implied.

Map image: https://cleopatracmu.weebly.com/maps.html

Book Details:
Cleopatra's Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter
New York: Arthur A. Levine Books         2011
355pp.

Cleopatra Confesses

Cleopatra Confesses tells the story of Cleopatra VII, daughter of Ptolemy XII Auletes, in diary format with the Queen reminiscing as Octavian prepares to enter Alexandria - the seat of Egypt's Pharaohs.

Cleopatra's father was a descendant of Philip of Macedonia, Philip's son, Alexander the Great, liberated Egypt from Persian occupation. Alexander's half brother, Ptolemy became the first of a new line of pharaohs ruling Egypt. Cleopatra was the third eldest child of Ptolemy.

Cleopatra's story begins when she is ten-years- old. Her father is returning to Egypt after a voyage to Rome in an attempt to stave off Rome from annexing Egypt as a province. He temporarily accomplishes this by paying an exorbitant bribe to Rome in exchange for Julius Caesar living Egypt alone. It is this action that leaves Egypt with a crushing debt and Pharaoh Ptolemy no choice but to raise taxes. Soon civil unrest follows and Ptolemy XII is forced into exile in Rome. Although Cleopatra's sisters Tryphaena and Berenike are only a few years older, they have always assumed that they will one day rule Egypt. Unknown to her older sisters though, is that their father, Ptolemy, tells Cleopatra that it is she who will rule with him some day.

Once Ptolemy is in exile however, the vain and power-hungry Tryphaena and Berenike install themselves as Queen of Egypt. From this point on, murder, intrigue, and war plague the Egyptian court with disastrous results. We follow Cleopatra through many events which eventually result in her meeting Julius Caesar and becoming the last Pharaoh of Egypt.

Discussion

In Cleopatra Confesses, author Carolyn Meyer succeeds in presenting a realistic Cleopatra that makes her accessible and believable to the reader. This is accomplished through the use of first person narrative where the reader learns not only about historical events but also about how Cleopatra may have felt. Cleopatra is portrayed as intelligent and kind. She loves to learn from her tutor Demetrius and is adept at languages, speaking both Greek and Egyptian as well as knowing a little Latin. Cleopatra has a great love of her father and appears to be his favourite. She also is portrayed as having a great love of her country and her people and is eager to be the Queen of Egypt some day so that she can rule justly and restore Egypt's prosperity.

As might be expected, the author's focus in Cleopatra Confesses is on Cleopatra's childhood and teen years. It's quite apparent, Meyer has done considerable research. There is an extensive note on Cleopatra at the end of the book since Cleopatra Confesses only deals with Cleopatra's life up until she meets Julius Caesar and is installed as Pharaoh when she is twenty-two-years-old.

Cleopatra is a historical figure of great interest to everyone as she's been portrayed numerous times in films, most notably by Elizabeth Taylor. Meyer's book cover definitely capitalizes on the mystique surrounding Cleopatra. Cleopatra Confesses is highly recommended.

Book Details:
Cleopatra Confesses by Caroline Meyer
New York: Simon & Schuster: A Paula Wiseman Book 2011
278 pp.