Cleopatra's Daughter

A Novel

By: Michelle Moran

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.

Delivered to the household of Octavian's sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt. As they come of age, they are buffeted by the personal ambitions of Octavian's family and court, by the ever-present threat of slave rebellion, and by the longings and desires deep within their own hearts.

The fateful tale of Selene and Alexander is brought brilliantly to life in Cleopatra's Daughter. Recounted in Selene's youthful and engaging voice, it introduces a compelling cast of historical characters: Octavia, the emperor Octavian's kind and compassionate sister, abandoned by Marc Antony for Cleopatra; Livia, Octavian's bitter and jealous wife; Marcellus, Octavian's handsome, flirtatious nephew and heir apparent; Tiberius, Livia's sardonic son and Marcellus's great rival for power; and Juba, Octavian's watchful aide, whose honored position at court has far-reaching effects on the lives of the young Egyptian royals.

Selene's narrative is animated by the concerns of a young girl in any time and place---the possibility of finding love, the pull of friendship and family, and the pursuit of her unique interests and talents. While coping with the loss of both her family and her ancestral kingdom, Selene must find a path around the dangers of a foreign land. Her accounts of life in Rome are filled with historical details that vividly capture both the glories and horrors of those times.

©2009 Michelle Moran (P)2009 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Dramatic, engrossing, and beautifully written." ( Library Journal)

Not the Greatest...

I expected this book to be a lot more dramatic. Instead it's just the story of a girl who grows up in the palaces of Rome. I found the characters hard to follow and the plot really slow. It did get more interesting towards the end, but it's a lot to get through. It was interesting enough to finish, and the factual evidence in the end made the story worth reading.

The narrator ruins this

Moran writes such exciting stories that it’s a shame this narrator turns it into a public television bore fest.

Nice historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this audio book. Would recommend it others who like ancient historical fiction.

what an interesting book

As if you were there.It is so sad what the slaves went through.Great ending.Enjoy with an open mind.

Caught in a web of politics and power.

I've listened and read to the previous two Egyptian books that Ms. Moran had written, and had high hopes for Cleopatra's Daughter. Ms. Moran didn't disappoint.

Following the story of Cleopatra Selene - starting only a day or so before the death of her parents - the tale follows through her time in Rome until her marriage. From the start Selene's life is one at risk, as is that of her twin brother. Caught in the middle of the political games of Octavian, neither twin knows how long they will be in Rome, if they will die, or what will eventually become of them.

A beautifully written story, and as an audio book it worked very well indeed. The narrator kept the feel of the story and didn't distract from it at all.

Great story

What made the experience of listening to Cleopatra's Daughter the most enjoyable?

I love Michelle Moran's books. they are full of life. She really puts you back into ancient times. They narrator did a good job as well. She speaks very clearly and has an engaging voice.

A pretty engaging story

I like a good story. This one has a bit of everything, war, history, romance, royalty, slavery - so in a world of dissapointing stories lately, i give it a good solid B plus. The main character is likable,the narration is easy on the ears and the story does hold you. I don't think i'll relisten to it over and over or anything, but it was a good read. Which is saying a lot more than it sounds.

Pretty good

I really enjoyed this audiobook because of the historical accuracy. The narrator has a nice voice but it was easy to zone out during certain slow parts of the book. Overall, it was very entertaining.

Very Entertaining

If you could sum up Cleopatra's Daughter in three words, what would they be?

Interesting take on the Cleopatra & Mark Anthony story. I never realized that they had twins.

What other book might you compare Cleopatra's Daughter to and why?

None.

Which scene was your favorite?

The takeover of Egypt frm the children's view point and all that followed.

Learned a lot while on a road trip

What made the experience of listening to Cleopatra's Daughter the most enjoyable?

I listened to this book on a cross country road trip with my sister-in-law, and I loved chatting about different cultural aspects the book covered. The age at which a child becomes an adult in this time period is much younger than now, and we found that royal/noble children were forced to grow up even more quickly. The book does a nice job of highlighting this coming of age.

What did you like best about this story?

Juba! His character is much more complex than I originally thought.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I think I needed time to process each section of the book - the material was fairly dense and we sometimes had to jog our memories to recall who a specific character was. I think if we had listened to it in one sitting, the characters would have jumbled together.

Any additional comments?

This novel covers quite a few deep themes: slavery, class, conquest over an enemy, love, teenage pregnancy, and more - it does rush through some of them, but overall does a nice job tackling these big topics.