Cleopatra Confesses

May 9, 2011
Before she was a queen, Cleopatra was a girl, and Meyer's incarnation of the future monarch longs to be treated as normalâwandering the marketplace, learning to danceâeven as she secretly hopes to someday rule Egypt. Meyer's short chapters can occasionally make the narrative feel choppy, but her lush, detail-rich prose ably evokes Cleopatra's life as a young princess, beginning at age 10 and continuing on until she turns 22. During this time, readers are treated to royal intrigue and the cutthroat politics of Cleopatra's two older sisters, Tryphaena and Berenike, who are desperate to prevent Cleopatra's rule, since she is the favorite daughter of their father, King Ptolemy XII. This is sibling rivalry at its most vicious: crossing her sisters could cost Cleopatra her life, let alone her throne. The arrival of Marcus Antonius midway through the novel (and later of Julius Caesar) provides only the briefest hint of romanceâMeyer (The Bad Queen) roots her heroine squarely in the realm of politics. Narrating with the poise and confidence of a born leader, this Cleopatra should win readers over. Ages 12âup.

May 15, 2011

Having made her way through the European princesses of note (Duchessina, 2007, etc.), Meyer dishes up historical-fiction-lite in this imagined account of Cleopatra's coming of age. 

Readers follow the mildly compelling first-person account in sections, from the 10-year-old touring the Nile with her father, through the teenage power struggles with her maniacal sisters, to the securing of her throne, which she pointedly ensures at the cost of her virginity: "As the night goes on, the magnetism between us grows as strong as the pull of the moon on the tides. By the next morning I am Caesar's mistress. I am not Caesar's conquest. He is mine."  The occasionally vivid voice of an intelligent young woman lapses into uncharacteristic moments of denseness (as she fails to heed advice she's just given herself) or starchy historical or cultural explanations for the readers' benefit, often inserted into conversation ("But you are right—[Caesar] has a wife in Rome. Her name is Calpurnia. His first wife, Cornelia, bore him his only child, Julia, and both are dead. He divorced his second wife, Pompeia..."). For such an exciting history, the narrative arc lags under the inconsistent voice.

Readers who hungry purely for lots of effective detail of an ancient culture, time and place may find this a digestible-enough vehicle for it, with oodles of backmatter for support. (Historical fiction. 11-14)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

July 1, 2011

Gr 7-10-This fictional memoir of Egypt's alluring, mysterious queen resonates with historical authenticity, plausible emotional dilemmas, and passion for power and survival. Living among a cast of both historical and fictional characters, Cleopatra narrates her story from age 10 in 59 BC to her death at age 39. A Greek descendant of Alexander the Great, she is portrayed as a keen observer of her father's oppressive rule and unpopular submission to Rome; as an intellectual who studies the papyrus scrolls in the Library at Alexandria and learns the language of the Egyptian people; as a patient, shrewd competitor among her siblings for Ptolemy XII's throne; and as an adolescent who seeks friendship on her own terms with Charmion, a loyal court dancer who later reveals their shared lineage. Key events in history are captured in this riveting, personal tale that seeks to fill gaps in documentation with realistic dialogue, descriptions of daily routines, daring marketplace adventures, royal excursions up the Nile, and poignant reflections on the fear and anxiety of living among a ruthless, ambitious family. Readers will savor the angst and "confessions" of an adolescent Cleopatra who secures a place in history as a charismatic, determined royal who raises an army against her brother after being banished from Egypt and who forges political and romantic liaisons with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony to save Egypt and herself. A rich assortment of characters, places, and events is woven into this appealing, well-paced, informative examination of Cleopatra's dramatic life and times.-Gerry Larson, Durham School of the Arts, NC

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2011
Grades 9-12 Moving beyond popular, archetypal images of Cleopatra, this historical novel focuses on the Egyptian queen's childhood and coming-of-age, especially the bitter struggle for power in her own family. Narrated in an immediate, first-person, present-tense voice, Cleopatra begins her story when she is 10 years old and is close with both her tutor and her father, who wants her to succeed him, and she is hated by her two older sisters. Then her father returns with a handsome Roman, Marcus Antonius, and at 18, Cleopatra becomes queen. Meyer has conducted extensive research into her subject, including travel to Egypt, and the thorough details about traditional rites, luxurious lifestyles, and social and political history occasionally threaten to overwhelm the story. What will hold readers most is the young queen's personal viewpoint, especially the extreme sibling rivalry. Could her sisters kill her? Could her little brother? And who are the spies?(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)