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A review by mediaevalmuse
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran
3.0
I picked up this book after seeing some praise for it on Tumblr, and after reading it for myself, I’m a little mixed. On the one hand, I loved Selene and the efforts the author took to portray Roman society. On the other, the book did a lot of things that annoy me about historical fiction in general. Overall, it’s an enjoyable read, but not one I’d recommend for someone who is looking for an accurate portrayal of history.
Things I Liked
1. Culture Shock: A lot of books I’ve read about Ancient Rome portray Roman culture as the height of civilization, despite many of the “barbaric” customs. With our main character, Selene, being the lens through which the reader sees Rome, we get a very different take on Roman culture. Everything seems to be shocking and the negative aspects are clearly highlighted. The book even makes an effort to separate Greek and Roman culture while also highlighting its similarities, which I appreciated (since a lot of people seem to say they’re the same). It’s a welcome change from books where Rome can essentially do no wrong.
2. Challenge of Slavery as an Institution: There were some moments in this book that asked readers to think about slavery as an institution. Roman slavery is different from the slavery in early America, and I think this book did a good job of portraying how it is still reprehensible despite appearances of slaves being valued members of a Roman family (such as the character Gallia). I liked that scenes in the book asked readers to contemplate what would happen to Rome if slavery were repealed or even if certain laws were changed to improve the life of slaves. Of course, this isn’t me saying that I condone slavery or think Roman slavery wasn’t so bad... I just like it when novels explore culture in a way that’s nuanced.
3. Octavian: The character of Octavian surprised me. One moment he was a paranoid, power-hungry caesar and the next, his attitudes were being positively influenced by the people around him. He desires power, but at one time, he intervenes in the treatment of a slave (surprising, given that the slave has no importance to the story as a whole). He also comes to treat Selene with some degree of reverence and respect, even admiring the work she does for his architect. I like characters that are complex, even if they are villainous or antagonistic.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Portrayal of Women: Look, Rome wasn’t a feminist utopia, but I do wish authors would default to something other than “women were breeders with no rights and were horribly oppressed.” Moran doesn’t quite go this far, but she toes the line, in my opinion. The book continuously talks about how girls were only valued for marriage, and several sexual assaults (or attempted assaults) occur in the book (one against Selene when she is only eleven years old). One minor character is only really in the novel to be an example of a thirteen year old girl who is married to an old man, only to be impregnated and have her daughter ordered to be abandoned to die because it isn’t a male child. The female characters in this book also seem to be at war with one another, with a few exceptions. Livia, in particular, was way too cartoonish for my taste.
2. Prose: Most of this book is dialogue, which means a lot of info is told to the reader instead of shown. Roman culture is told to Selene, which means a lot of it is simply related to us, the reader. I get a little tired of constant dialogue, which makes the prose feel uninspired and plain.
3. Pace: I feel like, because so much is explained to the reader instead of shown, this book moves at way too quick a pace. But also, in parts, it seems to drag. Perhaps it’s because of the focus of the novel: Moran is much more interested in Selene’s childhood in Rome than she is in the historical Selene’s marriage to Juba and her influence over his policies. It’s not that Selene’s childhood isn’t interesting - maybe such a meandering story through the various aspects of Roman life isn’t for me.
4. Historicity: There are several aspects to this novel that feel more modern than Roman, including the treatment of homosexuality. Same-sex relationships are treated with shock and speculation, though never openly condemned. Selene also seems to be shocked by a few things because they’re different from life in Egypt, but some of these things make out Rome to be barbaric and violent while Egypt is refined (a dichotomy I don’t think is as simple as that). A few other things felt modern as well, and while it can be a reflection of how ancient Rome was similar to today in some senses, I don’t think enough work was done to normalize ancient culture.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in ancient Rome, Roman culture, rule of Gaius Octavius (Augustus), life of Kleopatra Selene, and coming of age novels.
Things I Liked
1. Culture Shock: A lot of books I’ve read about Ancient Rome portray Roman culture as the height of civilization, despite many of the “barbaric” customs. With our main character, Selene, being the lens through which the reader sees Rome, we get a very different take on Roman culture. Everything seems to be shocking and the negative aspects are clearly highlighted. The book even makes an effort to separate Greek and Roman culture while also highlighting its similarities, which I appreciated (since a lot of people seem to say they’re the same). It’s a welcome change from books where Rome can essentially do no wrong.
2. Challenge of Slavery as an Institution: There were some moments in this book that asked readers to think about slavery as an institution. Roman slavery is different from the slavery in early America, and I think this book did a good job of portraying how it is still reprehensible despite appearances of slaves being valued members of a Roman family (such as the character Gallia). I liked that scenes in the book asked readers to contemplate what would happen to Rome if slavery were repealed or even if certain laws were changed to improve the life of slaves. Of course, this isn’t me saying that I condone slavery or think Roman slavery wasn’t so bad... I just like it when novels explore culture in a way that’s nuanced.
3. Octavian: The character of Octavian surprised me. One moment he was a paranoid, power-hungry caesar and the next, his attitudes were being positively influenced by the people around him. He desires power, but at one time, he intervenes in the treatment of a slave (surprising, given that the slave has no importance to the story as a whole). He also comes to treat Selene with some degree of reverence and respect, even admiring the work she does for his architect. I like characters that are complex, even if they are villainous or antagonistic.
Things I Didn’t Like
1. Portrayal of Women: Look, Rome wasn’t a feminist utopia, but I do wish authors would default to something other than “women were breeders with no rights and were horribly oppressed.” Moran doesn’t quite go this far, but she toes the line, in my opinion. The book continuously talks about how girls were only valued for marriage, and several sexual assaults (or attempted assaults) occur in the book (one against Selene when she is only eleven years old). One minor character is only really in the novel to be an example of a thirteen year old girl who is married to an old man, only to be impregnated and have her daughter ordered to be abandoned to die because it isn’t a male child. The female characters in this book also seem to be at war with one another, with a few exceptions. Livia, in particular, was way too cartoonish for my taste.
2. Prose: Most of this book is dialogue, which means a lot of info is told to the reader instead of shown. Roman culture is told to Selene, which means a lot of it is simply related to us, the reader. I get a little tired of constant dialogue, which makes the prose feel uninspired and plain.
3. Pace: I feel like, because so much is explained to the reader instead of shown, this book moves at way too quick a pace. But also, in parts, it seems to drag. Perhaps it’s because of the focus of the novel: Moran is much more interested in Selene’s childhood in Rome than she is in the historical Selene’s marriage to Juba and her influence over his policies. It’s not that Selene’s childhood isn’t interesting - maybe such a meandering story through the various aspects of Roman life isn’t for me.
4. Historicity: There are several aspects to this novel that feel more modern than Roman, including the treatment of homosexuality. Same-sex relationships are treated with shock and speculation, though never openly condemned. Selene also seems to be shocked by a few things because they’re different from life in Egypt, but some of these things make out Rome to be barbaric and violent while Egypt is refined (a dichotomy I don’t think is as simple as that). A few other things felt modern as well, and while it can be a reflection of how ancient Rome was similar to today in some senses, I don’t think enough work was done to normalize ancient culture.
Recommendations: I would recommend this book if you’re interested in ancient Rome, Roman culture, rule of Gaius Octavius (Augustus), life of Kleopatra Selene, and coming of age novels.