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.

Just A Girl: A True Story of World War II by Lia Levi

Just A Girl tells of Lia Levi's war-time experiences as a Jewish girl growing up in Italy.

Six-year-old Lia lives in Turin, Italy with her parents and her two younger sisters, Gabriella and Vera. Lia is terribly shy, so shy that her voice sounds like the peep, peep, peep that a baby bird might make. On a trip to the beach, her parents send Lia to buy a newspaper, even though she is so young. They hope to force her to talk to other people.But when she gets to the stand, Lia finds her voice is simply too quiet and the man behind the counter at the newsstand doesn't hear her. So she leaves the money on the counter and runs off with a newspaper. But when she shows up without the change, her parents take her back to the newsstand. There the man makes her father pay again, claiming he never saw any money.

Lia learns that she will no longer be attending school because Mussolini doesn't want Jewish children in Italia schools. This puzzles Lia who wonders why he would care. But her father explains "...that sometimes blaming someone else is also a way of keeping people quiet." 

Then Lia's parents announce that she will be able to attend a new Jewish school close to their synagogue. Also attending is Lia's older cousin Annarosa who helps protect shy Lia from being bullied. At the Jewish school the students and their families celebrate the Passover dinner. To help her overcome her shyness, Lia is taken by Maestra Ginetta to where the rabbi is seated and made to sing the answers to the four questions recited on Passover. By singing them, Lia finds her voice and never loses it!

Eventually, Lia's papa loses his job. This is worrisome for Lia's family but her mother tells her that they have savings to help them get by. Then war comes to Italy. One day while in the public gardens in Piazza Carlo Felice with Maria, Lia and her sisters hear Mussolini on speakers declaring war. After that, Turin is bombed, a very frightening thing for Lia and her family.

Lia and her family leave Turin when their savings run out and her father finds a job in Milan  This will be another stop on what will turn out to be several more stops as her family struggles to stay safe and free during the war. Their travels will take them from Milan to Rome and then to a Catholic boarding school outside of Rome, in the countryside. Through it all, Lia keeps her sense of humour and begins to mature into a strong, intelligent young girl.

Discussion

Just A Girl: A True Story of World War II is based on the experiences of journalist and author, Lisa Levi during World War II. In 1994, Levi published a memoir for adults about her experiences as a child in Italy during the war: Just A Girl is an adaptation for younger readers.

Just A Girl is one of the few books written for very young readers, introducing them to the Holocaust in a gentle and informative manner. Along the way Lia Levi explains events and cultural practices that her younger readers might not know or understand. For example, she explains what being Jewish means and what Passover is. Levi explains concepts that young children might take literally, such as "losing" your job. The author also explains in simple terms about the war. "On one side there were the Germans (commanded by a very bad man named Hitler, who hated Jews even more than Mussolini did), and on the other side there were the French, the British, and others, who had joined the war to make the bad people lose." Later on, Levi adds an explanation to help children understand that not all people are bad. "First of all, I need to tell you something important. In the war that I'm telling you about, the Germans were the bad guys. But you must not thing that being German makes someone a 'bad guy'. Like all the people in the world, there are kind and very kind Germans and bad and very bad Germans. At the time of our story, the German soldiers were under the orders of the very evil Hitler, and they willingly carried out the bad things they were ordered to do." 

Levi's experience is a good starting point to introduce young people to the Holocaust because as she mentions the last chapter, A Letter From The Other Side Of The Ocean, she was one of the lucky ones who escaped both deportation and death. She writes that although her childhood was "difficult, and sometimes stormy" it was not an unhappy one. Although Lia had to move many times, was separated from her parents and eventually had to hide as a Catholic student in a Catholic convent, she and her sisters were relatively very well of compared to Jewish citizens in other countries.

The title of the book comes from something Lia's mother told her after the war. Lia had written a letter to the radio station in the hopes of winning a prize. Her letter opened with "Dear radio, ...I am a Jewish girl..." When her mother read Lia's letter, she tore it up. Lia's mother tells her, "You're not a Jewish girl....You're a girl. Just a girl....You're Jewish, but that's something personal. It doesn't need to be a label you wear on your forehead." Her mother tells Lia that being Jewish is just one of many facts about herself, ones that she does not have to divulge to anyone, and that she has the same rights as everyone else. In her note at the back, Lia tells her young readers that the Nazis turned religion into race.

Just A Girl is a wonderful starting point to introduce younger readers to the Holocaust. In this regard, it is a very important book, given that approximately thirty percent of young people today have no knowledge of the Holocaust. In some respects, this is not surprising since it was eighty-three years ago that World War II began - almost three generations ago. Young people have no parents (like myself) or grandparents (like my children) to talk to about the war or the Holocaust. Books like Just A Girl, museum exhibits and memorials are all we have left to remind today's young people that hate can lead people to do to terrible things. 

Book Details:

Just A Girl: A True Story of World War II by Lia Levi
New York: HarperCollins     2022
135 pp.

Vision Saints Series Part 1

The Vision book series is a series of short biographies of Catholic saints and holy men and women. They were written for children, aged nine to twelve, and published in the 1950's. Because each book is written by a different author, the quality and style of writing varies. Some books are about well known saints like Thomas Aquinas or St. Theresa of Lisieux, while others are about lesser known saints such as Mother Cabrini and Father Damien. With the passage of time some of the books about men and women who led exemplary lives are dated in terms of the person's status in the church. For example, Father Damien de Veuster's cause is now complete and he is a saint whose feast day is May 10th.

Saint Pius X: The Farm Boy Who Became Pope by Walter Diethelm, tells the story of Guiseppe Sarto who became Pope Pius X. Bepi as he was affectionately known, was a poor farm boy who grew up in the village of Riese. This account stresses Bepi's life of holy poverty. As a priest, bishop, cardinal and even as the archbishop of Venice, Sarto gave away everything he had to help the poor.

Guiseppi Sarto was not just concerned about the material needs of people but also about their spiritual needs. While the spiritual director of the seminary in Treviso, Father Sarto diligently instructed his seminarians, leading them in prayer and doing all he could to ensure they would become faithful priests.

As Pope Pius X, he continued his support of the poor, giving away vast sums of money to support orphans and to help educate children. Pius X is most noted for changing the rules regarding the reception of Holy Communion for children. Before his pontificate, children did not make their First Holy Communion until they were eleven or twelve years of age. He was responsible for changing the rules to allow children as young as seven to receive the sacrament as long as they understood what the sacrament involved. Pius X was deeply distraught over World War I which was just beginning in 1914. He died before the war grew to involve most countries in Europe, desolate at the thought that so many would loose their lives.

In St. Helena and the True Cross, Catholic author Louis de Wohl traces Helena's transformation from the ambitious pagan wife of Legate Constantius to the devote Christian mother of her son, Emperor Constantine. Helena is believed to have been a royal princess of the Trinovants and the daughter of King Coel.

The story begins with Legate Constantius tricked into leaving his command in the province of Southern Britain to travel to Rome. Believing the request to come from the new emperor, Maximian, Constantius arrives in Rome to learn this was not the case. His two month journey has allowed a rebellion  led  Carausius and his Roman soldiers to succeed.

Back in Britain, Helena and her thirteen-year-old son Constantine flee north along with Centurion Marcus Favonius to escape the troops of Admiral Carausius who quickly takes control of the province of Britain.

Seven years later, Constantine, now twenty-years-old and his mother Helena are living in hiding in Verulam and still waiting for Rome to reclaim Britain. Carausius has been murdered and replaced by the traitorous Allectus. Then suddenly news arrives that Rome has returned to reclaim Britain. From a stolen report Helena learns that Constantius is leading a large force that has already reclaimed certain areas. She decides to return to their villa in the south.

However, things are not what Helena and Constantine expect. Helena and Constantine learn from Constantius's aide-de-camp, Legate Curio, that Constantius is now emperor over the West (Occident) while Galerius rules over the Orient (the East). Both Diocletian and Maximian ordered Constantius and Galerius to divorce their wives and remarry. Constantius is now married to Emperor Maximian's daughter, Princess Theodora.

A devastated Helena, returns to their house in Verulam with Constantine and Favonius. It is during this period of suffering over the abandonment by her husband that Helena first learns of the Christian faith through a slave. Out of curiosity she decides to see Albanus, a Christian priest who explains the beginnings of the faith to her. Although skeptical at first, Helena eventually comes to respect the Christians and advocate for them when they are persecuted. She begins to find the cruelty of the Romans towards slaves and Christians offensive.

When her son, Constantine eventually becomes Emperor, defeating Maxentius and capturing Rome, Christianity is made the state religion and the old Roman gods are abolished.  Through a series of visions, Constantine comes to believe that the God of the Christians is on his side. Soon after, Helena becomes a Christian. But the ambitious Helena, now elderly woman, is determined to find the one true cross of Christ. To that end, she travels to the Holy city of Jerusalem and begins her search.

In De Wohl's novel, Helena is portrayed as a dynamic character, regal, ambitious and open minded. Her suffering as a result of the abandonment of herself and her son by her husband Constantius opens her to the possibilities offered by the Christian faith. But Helena's conversion is gradual and takes place over many years.

Helena's discovery of the Christ's Holy Cross is also portrayed in this novel. Tradition holds that St. Helena discovered the true cross during a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 326 A.D. Christians, now free to practice their religion were able to travel to the Holy Land and Helena undertook this journey with the intent of finding these holy relics. Helena traveled to Mount Calvary where she found a temple to the goddess Venus built by the pagan Romans to prevent Christians from worshipping at the place of Christ's crucifixion. Helen was able to locate three crosses as well as nails and the inscription placed on Jesus's cross. She was able to determine the true cross by having a very ill woman in Jerusalem touch all three crosses. Only one cross, the true cross healed her. In de Wohl's novel, a young boy is cured of a withered arm.

In Father Damien And The Bells, authors Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan have written an engaging account of Damien de Veuster's journey to sainthood. Damien, who was born Joseph de Veuster, grew up in Tremelo, in Flanders, Belgium. His father was a farmer. Joseph or Jef as he was called, was the youngest in the family and was responsible for tending the sheep.

August and Jef loved to hear their mother read stories from The Lives of the Holy Martyrs and Hermits. After four years of study at the Werchter village school Joseph stayed home to help his father on the family farm. He was a strong young man who loved physical labour. However his father, Francis de Veuster worried about Joseph and believed that he was different and destined for something else. So he arranged for his son to attend the academy in Braine-le-Comte, located in Hainault, southern Belgium so that Joseph could learn French. After that he would learn the grain business to help the family farm.

Meanwhile Joseph's brother Auguste entered the seminary of the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts, taking the name Pamphile.

At Braine-le-Comte, Joseph soon endeared himself to his classmates. But he was a deeply spiritual young man, often spending his nights in prayer. He was beginning to feel the call to a priestly vocation. At this time his sister Pauline entered the Ursiline Sisters in Holland. When his letter to his parents suggesting his vocation was not immediately answered, Joseph mentioned his intentions to Pamphile during one of his visits. His brother suggested he join the Fathers of the Sacred Hearts and eventually that is what came to happen. Upon his entry he took the name of Damien.

In the seminary of the Picpus Fathers in Louvain, Damien's unusual physical strength and good health did not go unnoticed. He practiced many denials, often sleeping on the floor and giving up his portion of meat at meals. In July of 1863, Pamphile learned he was to sail to the missions in Honolulu, Hawaii in October. But it was not to be. Pamphile became ill in October, during the typhus epidemic of 1863 and was unable to travel. Determined to take his brother's place, Damien wrote the Father General asking permission to travel to Hawaii. His request was granted.

This was to set Damien on the path as a missionary in Hawaii and ultimately his life's work with the lepers on Molokai. Father Damien's love of hard work, his unusual physical strength and his compassion for those suffering from what was in his time an incurable disease were to mark his ministry.

Discussion

Overall the quality of these three Vision novels is good. Each writer succeeds in giving readers a sense of what life was like in the time the saint lived. Each book manages to identify for young readers,  the virtues that these holy men and women practiced, and which ultimately led them to lead sainthood.

In the case of St. Pius X, it was his practice of prayer and poverty at an early age that set him on the path to sainthood. He routinely gave everything away he had, including his money, food and even his coat. St. Helena, is remembered for  her work for the church and for the poor and for her determination to find the relics of Christ's crucifixion. In the case of St. Damien, young readers will get a definite sense of how the practice of the Catholic faith was a part of daily life for Dutch Catholics. This holy family produced four religious vocations: his older sisters Pauline and Eugenie became nuns and his older brother Augustus became a priest.

For all three saints the path to holiness took a lifetime. For St. Pius X and St. Damien their faith was nurtured within the family where it was taken seriously and a part of everyday life. For St. Helena her conversion occurred gradually over the course of her life, nurtured by the example of the Christian community. De Wohl suggests that the kindness of Christians towards her situation led Helena to consider the faith, as her gods offered her nothing. She was resistant to conversion because as a Roman citizen she struggled with the manner of Christ's death - his crucifixion. "How could she believe in a God who allowed himself to be crucified, who died the most shameful death, hanging between two criminals?" For Helena, the cross was a barrier to her conversion. Albanus tells her that the cross is the obstacle to most Christians but that unlike the pagan gods, the Christian God has suffered both with us and for us. In de Wohl's account, it is her discussion with Albanus, who relates how trees are central to many pagan religions, that plants within Helena the seed of a desire to find the true cross.

Helena was a woman who did nothing by halves. From Butler's Lives of the Saints we read, "It appears from Eusebius, that St. Helen was not converted to the faith with her son, till after his miraculous victory; but so perfect was her conversion, that she embraced all the heroic practices of Christian perfection, especially the virtues of piety and almsdeeds...."

Many of the Vision books have been republished by Ignatius Press in the last 20 years with refreshed covers that are appealing to modern readers. Excellent for children and teens interested in learning more about specific saints. Suitable also for adults.

Book Details:

St. Pius X: The Farm Boy Who Became Pope by Walter Diethelm, O.S.B.
San Francisco: Ignatius Press   1994
163 pp.

St. Helena and the True Cross by Louis de Wohl
San Francisco: Ignatius Press   2012
158 pp.

Father Damien and the Bells by Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan
San Francisco: Ignatius Press    2004
168 pp.

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear & Julie Morstad

Bloom tells the story of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli who was most famous for her creations during the interwar decades of 1920 and 1930's. Elsa was responsible for many significant contributions to fashion.


Elsa Luisa Maria Schiaparelli was born in Rome, in her family's home at the Palazzo Corsini, in 1890. She was born into a family with several accomplished intellectuals. Her father, Celestino Schiaparelli was a scholar whose research focused on the Middle Ages and who was Dean of the University of Rome. His brother, Elsa's uncle, Giovanni Schiaparelli discovered the canals on Mars. And a cousin of the Elsa's father and uncle, Ernesto Schiaparelli was the director of the Museo Egizio in Turin and a noted Egyptologist.

Elsa seemed destined from the beginning to be rebellious and unsettled.She had a rebellious childhood often playing pranks that had serious consequences. She attended the University of Rome, studying philosophy. During this time she wrote a book of poetry titled Arethusa, that her parents considered scandalous. Their response was to force her into a convent but she was able to leave after undertaking a hunger strike.  She left her family in Rome in 1913 and worked as a nanny in England to avoid marrying a Russian man whom her parents favoured. However, in London she became involved with Willem de Wendt, who also used the surname of de Kerlor and who was a sort of psychic involved in many different schemes including fortune telling. Many considered him a swindler. Elsa became engaged to him a day after meeting him! They married and were eventually forced to leave England, travelling to several countries before moving to America.

Elsa was eventually abandoned by de Kerlor in 1920, leaving her to care for their daughter, Maria Louisa Yvonne Radha whom she nicknamed Gogo. She returned to Paris in 1922 where she continued to receive support from her mother.  Although she had no training in the making of patterns and the sewing of clothing, Elsa began designing her own clothing. At first she made pieces for various clients. Her first big success came with hand knit sweaters featuring a black and white trompe l'oeil design. These took the fashion world by storm and Elsa's fashion career was off and running.

In the 1930's Elsa Schiaparelli became involved with many famous artists who were part of the Surrealist movement. These included Salvatore Dali, Jean Cocteau, Alberto Giacometti and Leonor Fini. In collaboration with these artists, Elsa created some very distinct and creative pieces of clothing, including a dress with a lobster painted on by Dali, and an evening coat featuring what appears to be a vase of roses but also two profiles facing each other.

Elsa's contributions to fashion included the wedge shoe, the jumpsuit, paper clothes, transparent raincoats, specialty furs, the scarf dress, and coloured hosiery. She popularized pants and shoulder pads and her signature colour was a vibrant magenta which she named "Shocking". Many famous actresses of the period wore her clothes including Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Katherine Hepburn and Joan Crawford.

Kyo Maclear presents a very simple version of Elsa Schiaparelli's life, bringing out some of the more interesting details that are sure to capture the interest of younger readers. Elsa's life is portrayed as that of a child not welcomed by her parents. Hoping for a boy, her parents had no name for her and gave her the name of a nurse. According to the story in Bloom, Elsa's sister Beatrice was the favourite of their parents who often referred to  Elsa as "Brutta". Although her life was complicated, Elsa persevered, overcoming "Mamma's harsh words and Pappa's judgement" and opened her first shop at the age of thirty-seven!  According to Maclear, Elsa's success is marred by the belief that her parents and Beatrice "will never approve of the path I have taken."

Throughout Bloom,  Maclear incorporates quotes from Elsa's autobiography, "Shocking Life: The Autobiography of Elsa Schiaparelli". This picture book employs brilliant magenta throughout - reminiscent of Elsa's favourite colour.  Elsa's story is brought to life by the colourful artwork of  Julie Morstad who utilized liquid watercolour, gouache, and pencil crayons to create the illustrations for Bloom.

There's no doubt Elsa Shiaparelli is a fashion designer largely forgotten by most today. But her influence can be found in much of the clothing considered fashionable by women. Bloom helps to remind readers, young and not-so-young about this famous Italian designer whose major competition was Coco Chanel!

Book Details:

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear and Julie Morstad
New York: Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers      2018

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.

Germania by John Wilson

Germania is a  novel about a Roman legion ambushed and slaughtered in the wilds of Germania. .The story is told by Lucius Quintus Claudianus, a member of the 19th Legion Scorpio, specifically the IXth cohort. In the opening chapter of Germania Lucius, nearing 100 years of age is living at his sister's grandson's villa just by the northwestern gate of the town of Herculaneum in 79 AD - the year of Mount Vesuvius' famous eruption which destroyed both Herculaneum and Pompeii. 

Lucius decides to write his story, "I have just returned from the roof and it is what I saw there that has prompted me to begin this tale. Although the sun still shines above and the sky to the west is as blue as a robin's egg, the picture is altogether different to the east. There a cloud hangs, turning the landscape below it as dark as midnight. It is no ordinary cloud, such as presages a thunderstorm, but an unnatural one that blossoms up in a vast column from the unknown depths of the mountain."

And so Lucius begins to tell us about the events that led up to a long forgotten tragedy, all the while unaware of the disaster about to unfold before him in Herculaneum. As a young apprentice signifer to the IXth Cohort, Lucius and a group of warriors are ambushed and captured by barbarians while on their way to Vetera to join the 19th Legion. They are quickly rescued by Cherusci warriors who are loyal to Rome and are part of the Roman Auxilliary forces. 

It is at this time that Lucius meets Freya, a Cherusci warrior who is travelling with her uncle Arminius. It is through Freya that Lucius begins to understand what life is like for the barbarian tribes that live on the borders of the Roman territory and what it is like to serve Rome but never be accepted as a an equal in Roman society. When Lucius offers Roman ways as a means to be civilized, Freya questions what being civilized will mean to her way of life and her tribe. It is this struggle to see the benefits Rome offers in contrast to the loss of a way of life and freedom that precipitates barbarian rebellion against Rome.

When the 19th Legion enters Illyria, Bato, leader of the Bruesci tribe rebels and attempts to force the Romans out of Illyria. The ensuing battle is described vividly and provides thrilling insight to Roman warfare. Although Bato is seemingly defeated this time, Freya soon comes to understand what her uncle Arminius is planning. When Arminius must choose between Rome and Cherusci, Freya must decide who she will be loyal to, Arminius, the Cherusci and their way of life, or Lucius and Rome.

Discussion

Germania is a novel that explores the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest which occurred in 9 A.D. The battle was fought between Roman soldiers and the Germani people. The battle began when the Roman legions led by Publius Quinctilius Varus were ambushed by the Germanic chieftain, Arminius. 

Arminius was a prince in Cherusci tribe, the son of the Cheruscan chief, Segimerus who was an ally of Rome. He learned to speak Latin, had Roman citizenship and was well educated. He eventually served in the Roman cavalry and became a commander in the auxiliaries. Arminius returned to Gaul where he served sd an officer in Varus's auxilia as well as a trusted advisor to Varus who was governor of Germania. But behind the scenes, Arminius was rallying the various Germanic tribes including the Cherusci, Marsi, Bructeri and many others to form an alliance against Rome.

Varus was considered a ruthless ruler in Germania and Arminius was not really loyal to Rome. Along with the other Germanic tribes, a plan was devised to ambush the three legions under Varus's command. Since the Roman army was well armed and very well trained, special tactics were needed. Arminius convinced Varus to set up a summer camp in Cherusci lands where they could be observed by the tribe. The plan was then to attack the Romans on their way back to their winter camp.

Arminius set his plan in motion, having his allies create unrest, while he influenced Varus's actions over the summer months. Varus began his move to the winter camp on September 7, 9 A.D with the XVII, XVIII and XIX Legions. Arminius left Varus, telling the Roman commander that he was organizing the Cherusci auxiliaries but in fact was organizing men from the Angrivarii and Bructeri to attack. The next day as the Roman army made its way through the Teutoburg Forest, they were attacked. Because of the dense bush, the Roman soldiers were strung out along a long line which made attack not only easy but successful. It is estimated that between 15,000 and 20,000 Roman soldiers were killed, with a small number likely being enslaved. The Roman defeat was so complete that it shocked Emperor Augustus. Although the Roman defeat in the Teutoburg Forest is often listed as the main reason for limiting the Roman incursion in Germania, there were likely other factors at work as well.

Wilson's writing is vivid, exciting and he manages to include a great deal of historical fact and information about Roman legions in Germania. The ending while tragic is supremely satisfying. Highly recommended.

Book details:

Germania by John Wilson
Key Porter Books Limited 2008
278pp