Cleopatra's Daughter

A Novel

By: Michelle Moran

Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon

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.

longtime favorite

found this at a garage sale years ago and it became an instant favorite. i reread it once a year or so

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.

Great for Adults, but....

As an adult, I loved this story and recommended it to several people!! I begin this story to listen with my 11yr old daughter, which I quickly realized was not appropriate. So, reader be
aware!

Enjoyable story. Excellent Narration

I have heard a million different versions of Anthony and Cleopatra, and this is the first offering I have ever heard of that features their children that survived them. It is very well done. Not a crafted epic, but an enjoyable story with a very good narrator.

If you listen to it, you will probably think the author is taking a lot of license with the facts but she was very accurate and gives an epilogue at the end that explains the few details that were changed.

Well narrated and wonderful story!

I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. She blends the facts in with her fictional characters very well. Having listened to and watched several biographies on Caesar Octavian I was impressed the all the historical facts she incorporated into the story while bringing the people to life. I would highly recommend to other listeners even if you're not interested in ancient roman history. It stands on its own!

I love this book. have for years.

the Narration was wonderful, EXCEPT, her pronunciation of the name SELENE. How do you mispronounce the MAIN CHARACTERS name? Every time she said it, it pulled me out of the story.
also I realize that the GREEK pronunciation says the E at the end but it's soft not drawn out. more of an AE than an EE.

LOVED the book, narrator is another story.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The narrator was very difficult to understand until about 2 hours in when I got used to her voice and accent. My first impression was that I was listening to a cross between Margaret Thatcher and Mrs. Doubtfire and I was unsure that I would be able to get through the book. HAVING said that, I did get used to her voice but the narrator of Michelle Moran's other books Nefertiti and The Heretic Queen had an amazing airy delivery that I would have preferred for this book as well.

cleopatras daughter

interesting historical novel and would like to read more to see what is real and what is not. however the history and learning about the period and its rulers was enlightening. a nice way to learn about rome and egypt at the time.