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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This one set in the time of Cleopatra, featuring her half-sister/handmaiden.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Asides from the sex scenes, not unusual for historicals these days, I must say Jo Graham has officially impressed me! I liked 'Hand of Isis' so much better than I liked Black Ships. Where I felt that some of the conversations felt forced in Black Ships none were here. Both the historical settings of both novels were magnificent but I think Hand of Isis wins!
Charmain is the Hand of Isis beside her sisters Iras and the infamous Queen Cleopatra. The novel follows her story from her first meeting with Cleopatra to the day she died.
Graham weaves a beautiful tale of a life of Cleopatra from the view point of one of her most valued handmaidens. She brings to life these historical characters.
If you're a fan of stories about Cleopatra then you must read this!
:)
Charmain is the Hand of Isis beside her sisters Iras and the infamous Queen Cleopatra. The novel follows her story from her first meeting with Cleopatra to the day she died.
Graham weaves a beautiful tale of a life of Cleopatra from the view point of one of her most valued handmaidens. She brings to life these historical characters.
If you're a fan of stories about Cleopatra then you must read this!
:)
Three sisters bound by love for one another fight for the peoples of Egypt. Sacrifice is a key theme, and not always by death but also in how you live your life. By sacrificing a character's wants, they stay devoted to the greater good of the people of Alexandria. I love the way Graham would compare lifestyles of the Romans and Egyptians. The rights of women were vastly different in Roman society which probably shaped sexism against women through the ages when you read about these differences! The city of Alexandria was a free, multicultural, technologically advanced, educated society where women played a strong role. The people loved their leader, Cleopatra. The ending was emotially sad to read as this incredible culture came to an end as it gets swallowed up by Rome.
Religion also plays a strong role in the characters' lives. Though Graham gives room for both Egyptian gods and Jewish beliefs, she does not strongly tie them together. Reading about the angel Michael standing next to Anubis and Isis at the weighing of the heart ceremony did not quite mesh.
Some things I did not like: (1) The language was a strange mix of modern and historical terms. It did not always flow well (i.e., they talk about a "gynecologist" coming but then refer to the months of pregnancy as "moons." It felt ackward reading these two references in the same paragraph). Plus there were many words that were unfamiliar which made it difficult to get into the story because of. I do not like to have to research my stories as I read them. A few words here and there are okay, but there was not enough description to visualize something when all you see is unfamiliar, undefined terms. (2) Midway through the book, there were more and more "risque" scenes. I felt as if the women were more interested in their sexual encounters than being with their children! (3) The oracle scenes when Charmian would have visions of her past life (some scenes of which were from Grahams first novel, which I had not read) were a little confusing. It just did not flow well between the present of the book and her visions. You could not always figure out where you were.
The ending did make up for these flaws. It was touching and heartwarming at the same time as you realize that love transcends death and sacrifice can shape the world to come. History has remembered Cleopatra mainly as a seducer of men. She was really just a strong women who did whatever was necessary for the good of her people and who, being mortal, fell in love. How would a male-dominant society where women were not evem allowed to learn to read remember a strong female leader? The ending was extremely well done, beautifully written, and tied up the book well. It felt very Romeo and Juliet between Cleopatra and Antony (the original star-crossed lovers!). I also believe that Marcus always loved Charmian!
Religion also plays a strong role in the characters' lives. Though Graham gives room for both Egyptian gods and Jewish beliefs, she does not strongly tie them together. Reading about the angel Michael standing next to Anubis and Isis at the weighing of the heart ceremony did not quite mesh.
Some things I did not like: (1) The language was a strange mix of modern and historical terms. It did not always flow well (i.e., they talk about a "gynecologist" coming but then refer to the months of pregnancy as "moons." It felt ackward reading these two references in the same paragraph). Plus there were many words that were unfamiliar which made it difficult to get into the story because of. I do not like to have to research my stories as I read them. A few words here and there are okay, but there was not enough description to visualize something when all you see is unfamiliar, undefined terms. (2) Midway through the book, there were more and more "risque" scenes. I felt as if the women were more interested in their sexual encounters than being with their children! (3) The oracle scenes when Charmian would have visions of her past life (some scenes of which were from Grahams first novel, which I had not read) were a little confusing. It just did not flow well between the present of the book and her visions. You could not always figure out where you were.
The ending did make up for these flaws. It was touching and heartwarming at the same time as you realize that love transcends death and sacrifice can shape the world to come. History has remembered Cleopatra mainly as a seducer of men. She was really just a strong women who did whatever was necessary for the good of her people and who, being mortal, fell in love. How would a male-dominant society where women were not evem allowed to learn to read remember a strong female leader? The ending was extremely well done, beautifully written, and tied up the book well. It felt very Romeo and Juliet between Cleopatra and Antony (the original star-crossed lovers!). I also believe that Marcus always loved Charmian!
I did not enjoy this as much as The Black Ships, but it was still fun. I do love myself some historical fiction. It was nice to approach the Cleopatra story from a slightly different angle, and the characters were all lovingly crafted - even the antagonists (who at times are also protagonists...)
As is to be expected with ancient Egypt, there is much mysticism in this book, as in the others in this series. But it all works well, and is certainly more believable than the magic one encounters in fantasy novels.
I think everyone knows the basic plot of Cleopatra, Caesar, and Marcus Antonius, so there are no surprises there. The story's success is in its heart. I did wish it relied a bit less upon Graham's other novels; although not reading them will not greatly impact one's comprehension of the story, they are a sort of Easter egg.
As is to be expected with ancient Egypt, there is much mysticism in this book, as in the others in this series. But it all works well, and is certainly more believable than the magic one encounters in fantasy novels.
I think everyone knows the basic plot of Cleopatra, Caesar, and Marcus Antonius, so there are no surprises there. The story's success is in its heart. I did wish it relied a bit less upon Graham's other novels; although not reading them will not greatly impact one's comprehension of the story, they are a sort of Easter egg.
medium-paced
I had to wait so long to read this book...and then it wasn't as good as I'd hoped it would be. Unlike some other reviewers, I haven't read any other Cleopatra books, so I'm not comparing it to anything else (except maybe Graham's first book, Black Ships--which left me wanting to travel and eat exotic food; this did not.) I understand that Alexandria was the New York City of its day, but at times it seemed almost too modern, between its philosophy about women and culture, its science, the library, and the way the characters spoke to one another. The love scenes were oddly unnecessary--and I'm the sort who likes a bit of smut thrown in for good measure. Charmian wasn't even an entirely likable character--and whatever happened to Asetnefer? Why did Iras have virtually no part for most of the middle of the book? Sigismund might have been the most likeable character of all (or maybe the only likable character). Overall, kind of blah and not what I'd hoped for and looked forward to, but a pretty quick read if you can manage to push through the middle.
This one was less satisfying than its predecessor - a pretty standard entry in the "historical fiction about a powerful woman narrated by her semi-fictional BFF/servant/handmaiden" subgenre. I generally don't love those because the narrator seems less fully-drawn in many ways than the powerful woman the book is really about, and that's very much the case here.
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this book. I read it a long time ago when I was in high school but decided to read it again as an adult. I think I loved it even more. The novel follows Charmian, both half-sister and slave to Pharaoh Cleopatra VII, last queen of Egypt. Charmian and her strong bond with Cleopatra and their other half-sister, Iras, definitely made the book for me. It was interesting seeing Cleopatra's reign through the eyes of Charmian, including both her rise and her downfall. What was really interesting is that these characters were very closely tied to characters in Jo Graham's earlier book, Black Ships, which takes place on Aeneas' flight from Troy after the Trojan War. Characters such as Charmian are reincarnations of those beloved characters. I found it super touching, especially as one of Charmian's lovers in the book seem to find each other over and over again through time.
One of my only gripes with Hand of Isis is that the middle of the book dragged a bit after Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras comes back to Alexandria from a long stint in Rome, but because I loved the characters, I stuck to it. Graham's writing really shines with the ending. Of course, I know what happens to Cleopatra, but the way Graham wrote it made me absolutely bawl.
One of my only gripes with Hand of Isis is that the middle of the book dragged a bit after Cleopatra, Charmian, and Iras comes back to Alexandria from a long stint in Rome, but because I loved the characters, I stuck to it. Graham's writing really shines with the ending. Of course, I know what happens to Cleopatra, but the way Graham wrote it made me absolutely bawl.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide
Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Violence, Murder, Pregnancy, War
While I will admit that this book had an interesting premise, there's no getting past the fact that it took me over six months to get around to finishing it. I'd pick it up, read for a while, put it away. There was nothing that gripped me, made me hold my breath and wait for the next turn of the page. The author handled some subjects with admirable delicacy, but for the most part, this book was boring. I probably won't read it again, but I won't get rid of it either.