Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Cleopatra's Daugher, by Michelle Moran


This book was excellent! I am truly surprised I haven't fallen behind on my laundry because it seems all I've been doing is reading this wonderful, very informative book.

I've been fascinated by Cleopatra lately and found this book, thinking it would give me some insight to what things were like during that time period.  I was so right! When I read the back cover and some other notes from the author at the end of the book, she says this book is a work of fiction, but is based on a lot of recorded history about what took place.  Most of the characters, their personalities, the places and events, the food they ate, the way they dressed, and even a map that's included at the beginning are all most accurate depictions of what really happened.  I've decided I really love reading historical fiction... it proves to be very informative as well as capturing the reader's attention and not reading like a history book.

This was a story from the point of view of Cleopatra Selene, Queen Cleopatra's daughter.  It tells of her capture by Octavian, soon to be Emperor of Rome, after he concurred Egypt, her mother and father's suicides, her life in Rome, the friends she makes, her brothers' deaths, her marriage to Juba II, her education as an architect and so many other things that happened during her coming-of-age years.  It's a love story, a story of tragic losses, and definitely a story I will always remember.  I'm definitely going to be checking out some of this author's other books.

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