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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
After enjoying [b:Black Ships|2192272|Black Ships (Numinous World, #1)|Jo Graham|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1442089577s/2192272.jpg|2198000], I was eager to see what Graham could do with the Cleopatra story. Well -- marvelous! This is a perspective on Egypt's queen I hadn't read before, through the eyes of her half-sister and hand-maiden (born to a slave or the same father, Pharoah, and pledged to Egypt's service). The writing is so accomplished but never calls attention to itself. Graham isn't a historian (good!) so I'm not commenting on what we know of the event. But the way she animates her main characters and brings us into the life of ruling a regional power is fascinating. Her female leads are spot on -- smart, capable, in control of their lives and decisions until the end. Among other things, sex (and one riveting scene of rape) are handled brilliantly. The rape victim never becomes degraded, but the pain and shock of that moment reverberate through the book. And when the main character has ho-hum sex with suitors we feel her disappointment and distance. But when she's with her lover later -- a bisexual Roman aide to Caesar's right-hand man and Cleopatra's final lover -- the heat sizzles, especially when there's a menage a trois with the aide's male lover. It's not salacious, but beautiful and the love that connects them is lovely. Highly recommended.
Generally liked it since I'm nerdy for Roman things. I wasn't particularly moved by the end, considering how it ends.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think some characters were underdeveloped (Iras, Asetnefer ) and it was too big a chunk of time to handle, it felt rushed. I loved it even so, loved the connection with black sails, loved Agrippa's characterization
Friend Who Studies the Ancient World:
FWSTAW: Ah it's one of THOSE representations of the ancient world...
Me: Yeah, I'm starting to think I should have studied the ancient world!!! This is much better than Colonial Geraldine Brooks.
I look forward to hearing about your newfound knowledge of late republican roman administration of egypt and neareastern ancient religion from that august book :)Me: Did they really have this much sex?????
FWSTAW: Ah it's one of THOSE representations of the ancient world...
Me: Yeah, I'm starting to think I should have studied the ancient world!!! This is much better than Colonial Geraldine Brooks.
Reading about history is quite fascinating, and I probably would have given this four stars if not for the descriptive sex scenes...those were a bit much.
Three sisters, unique, but inseperable wind their way through one of history's greatest stories. From the narrator Charmain, orphan of a pleasure slave and Ptolemy Auletes, Pharoah of Eygpt, we learn how to freely give oneself to all that we love and to open ourselves to love in all its forms. From Iras, we discover that the search for knowledge and the value of freedom can be enough to fulfill us. From Cleopatra, we learn what it must take to rule an empire as a woman.
This wonderful account of the days of Cleopatra will keep the reader riveted to the page, providing a new side to the famous story. The story was seamless and the characters well developed. Charmain is a loving and exquisite narrator, bringing faith, honesty, and a deep well of love to a story of politics, deception, and war. Graham's attempt to portray the culture of ancient Eygpt may be off-putting to some readers, yet it provided an honest and real account of life in times not our own and lands unfamiliar to us.
This wonderful account of the days of Cleopatra will keep the reader riveted to the page, providing a new side to the famous story. The story was seamless and the characters well developed. Charmain is a loving and exquisite narrator, bringing faith, honesty, and a deep well of love to a story of politics, deception, and war. Graham's attempt to portray the culture of ancient Eygpt may be off-putting to some readers, yet it provided an honest and real account of life in times not our own and lands unfamiliar to us.
A very enjoyable, and mostly light, read. The tension increased as the story advanced to its inevitable conclusion. Charmain (Cleopatra's half-sister and handmaiden) is a memorable character. Though in some ways the story is meant to center on her relationships with Cleopatra and their other sister, by the second half of the book I found her relationships with the men in her life to be more interesting.
3.5 Stars. This was a book I read a long time ago when I was in middle school and I decided to reread it again. The book is very descriptive and I have to admit it was a bit hard to follow in the last half. There are names tossed at the reader that all sound alike but are different people, which I found confusing. I know this was based on many different historical accounts so I'm assuming most of the names of the battles and people are accurate, but still it can be a little overwhelming. I do love that this book plays with the ideas of traveling souls and reincarnation, and I wish that was more explored and explained. This is book 3 in a series that I feel can be read as a standalone since it takes place decades/centuries after the first two.
I thought when I read Margeret Atwood's CLEOPATRA, the story was finished for me. Hand of Isis took me back to a very familiar story, and world, but through the eyes of one of Cleopatra's sister-handmaidens, Charmian. The book was well narrated with clearly defined characters and drew me in from start to finish... I would recommend this audiobook to anyone.
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!