Kleopatra

Written by Karen Essex

385 pages

Published by Warner Books

Review by Edna Saltman

Receives:

For those who love the intrigue of the story of Cleopatra, you will find just the very beginnings of it here. In Kleopatra by Karen Essex we see the young princess as she grows from child to young woman at a time when her father seems unable to maintain control of his Egyptian kingdom. There are Romans to cater to and bills to pay, and young Kleopatra learns early how to handle the Romans. She must do what her father constantly struggles to do—maintain the kingdom.

This novel is unique precisely because there is no Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra sauntering around. Essex's Kleopatra is intelligent, daring, and brave, and she learns to use her intelligence to manipulate those around her into doing her bidding. Here we see a tantalizing beginning to the future affairs between the Greek Egyptian princess and her infamous Roman lovers, but those are stories for the sequels to this novel. Here, Essex helps us to understand the reasons behind the affairs.

This novel is recommended for readers with an interest in Greek-ruled Egypt or Cleopatra herself. After reading this novel you will come away with knowledge about the time period and the woman herself you did not have before.

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Edna Saltman is a wife, mother, bartender, and part-time writer and reviewer. She enjoys reading any and all books and can find nice things to say about most of the books she reads. She is currently working on a degree in writing, and she is writing her first novel, Heartbreak Ridge.