Kleopatra [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Kleopatra is spelled this way in the book to emphasize the connection of the Ptolemies to their Greek forebearers through Alexander the Great's conquest of Egypt. They could usually not speak the language of Egyptians, even though they had been in power for around three centuries. Greek was the official court language. Kleopatra stands for glory to the father. And that was Kleopatra's strength. She was consistently loyal to her father's interests.

The story tells the few known incidents in Kleopatra's life between ages 3 and 18, prior to meeting Julius Caesar when he arrived in Alexandria to collect a debt owed by Kleopatra's father to a Roman money lender. Most scenes in Kleopatra develop the sibling and political rivalries between Kleopatra and her step-sister, Thea, and her older sister, Berenika.

The Ptolemies were very aggressive in their preference for incest. Kleopatra's father and mother were brother and sister. Her father betrothed Kleopatra to her much younger half-brother, after having married his step-daughter, Thea. If her father had been in better health at the end of his life, he might well have married Kleopatra as well. The entire dynasty was made up of such marriages.

The Ptolemies were not popular in Egypt, and were concerned about the rapid expansion of Rome. Most of the rest of the book develops these domestic and foreign policy issues, as the backdrop against which Kleopatra prepared herself to potentially be a ruler.

I have read a number of histories about Cleopatra, and found the material here to be highly consistent with what is reported in those sources. Obviously, a lot of hard work by Ms. Essex went into preparing this book.

Ultimately, unless these lurid dynastic and political events intrigue you, there is not a lot to draw a reader to this subject. The interesting part of Kleopatra's life starts with the next volume, which is due out in August 2002 according to the sampler section at the end of this novel.

In our age when we see women making strides in all directions, many will be curious about how a woman became only the third female to rule as Pharoah in Egypt. Preparation, loyalty, and a strong will helped, but ultimately there was a lot of serendipity involved. Had there been an older male heir, she would probably never have enjoyed power.

Those who already know the history of how Julius Caesar came to power in Rome and Kleopatra did the same in Egypt will find little need to read this book. Those who do not yet but would like to know the background to Shakespeare's tragedy of Antony and Cleopatra will find this book more appealing than reading a history, assuming they have a strong stomach.

Kleopatra's advisor, Haphaestion, told her to be cold-blooded. Where in your life do you need to be totally rational in making decisions? Is there some way that you could change your life so that you can be more loving and emotional in your decisions? Which way of deciding do you prefer?

Be loyal to values that are worth upholding!

Kleopatra as a clever und highly intelligent Queen, who wanted to keep her country independent from the Roman Empire. The prose is beautiful and the well known story convincingly told. The historical trivia is entertaining and keeps to the well accepted facts. For the history and the research she deserves 5 stars.

However, from the point of a reader of historic novels, I feel somewhat disappointed. The reason I bought this book (and the sequel) was not to get a precise biography of the late Roman Republic. For this you might as well read good biographies, like that by Michael Grant. A historical novel should contain a bit more fiction, a bit more speculation, and a bit of controversy, which may not be approved by the history professor next door, but fits into the storyline or is expected by the reader. Somehow I got bored in the middle of the sequel, since I knew the history well and was not offered something "new" to keep me hooked. Minus 1 star.

Another point irritated me. You notice through most parts of the book, that it is written by a female American writer. The book is a women's book for a female audience. In both volumes you get just about a hint of sexuality at the beginning as a teaser, the violence is modest, the characters sometimes very politically correct. I accept the author's intention to describe Kleopatra in a different way than the wanton seducer of all men around her. This is historically correct and not my point. But Kleopatra was not a woman following Christian moral in a Hellenistic time half a century before the birth of Christ. For a book dealing with a time period of war, conquest, male dominance and brutality the setting is simply to sterile and clean to be convincing. And Kleopatra could be transferred directly to modern day America, where she could apply for an office in your local church or charity. I got the impression the author (or the publisher) did not want to alienate mainstream female book club members, therefore Kleopatra was described as any woman's best girl friend. I understand that, but it costs another star from a male reader.