Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile, Egypt, 57 B.C. (The Royal Diaries) (copy 1)

Reviewed April 2001

Read on Cal-train returning from San Francisco vacation, as usual very interesting portrayal of a young Cleopatra. I'm not sure if I cared for the authors constant second guessing of the horribleness of life in Egypt. For example, Cleopatra wonders if she will continue with the

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bloody executions, and she frowns on the chained up men forced to row across the sea, anyone who could keep a leopard as a pet in her room would understand power and bloodsport. Pictures are also included in this book and a family tree, the author admits that it is a confusing one, and was she right! People seemed to like to name their children after themselves and call them something else, making for very confusing history. This just took 2 hours to read and I really enjoyed it.

10-2001

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An excellent novel, basically told from Cleopatra's point of view as a young girl.

The gold-edged pages were one of the big attractions of this book when I read it in fifth and sixth grade, possibly more so than the story itself. At the beginning it promised to be exciting, with plots of murder, but the story itself did not measure up, as it dragged on about the life of a

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privileged Egyptian princess. It was readable, and I distinctly remember the pet cheetah, hourglasses used for telling time, and servant-assisted baths, but I think I found the whole novel to be more "exotic" than well-written fiction.

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This is a great why for younger adults to get a feel for Cleopatra's life and history. Interesting, easy to read, and fun.

Cleopatra VII: Daughter of the Nile is part of the Royal Diaries series that features fictional journals of royal figures throughout history. The reader is immediately captivated by the life of 12 year old Cleopatra - her father, Ptolemy has disappeared fearing for his life, and her sister,

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Trypthphaena has assumed reign of the kingdom. Ultimately she learns that Trypthaphaena and her supporters are out to kill her and Ptolemy. Cleopatra is also gravely concerned about her father's alcoholism and his ability to rule Egypt, and gradually she realizes that she must rise to meet the challenges of ruling an empire and become Queen of the Nile. The reader can relate to Cleopatra's fears and worries while trying to maintaining an air of confidence at most times. Cleopatra's diaries are rich with detail and the reader can practically feel what it is like to be in the comfort and luxuries of an Egyptian palace, to experience the excesses and slums of Ancient Rome, and to truly relive the culture and lifestyle of the time. The language suggest that although Cleopatra is only an adolescent, she is highly educated and has many resources at her disposal to learn Latin, about other cultures - truly a royal lifestyle. The journals also communicate themes that are relevant to modern times - navigating through a dysfunctional family, coming of age, and development of a self-identity. The author provides resources as an afterword with art and pertinent historical figures that support the details featured in the journals. Great historical fiction book for ages 9-12.

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I thought this was a fun suspense ful book about Cleopatra and her hard childhood up to when she grew up to be married then to her sad death. I learned a lot and had a wonderful time learning about Egypt and Rome. I can't wait to read the next Royal Diaries book.

My daughter, who is about to embark upon studying Ancient Egypt in her 6th grade social studies class, borrowed this book from the school library for both me and for herself. it's an engaging read, but I'd actually like to go back and cross-check it with Schiffman's biography to see if Cleopatra

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did indeed travel to Rome with her father to enlist Pompey as his ally. As an adult who has read her biography, I found the encounters and flirtations between the preteen/teenage Cleopatra and the adult Marc Antony more than a bit contrived. However, if it gets my 10-year-old daughter more enthusiastic about her 6th grade history class (and about reading history in general), I'm fine with the bit of storytelling truth-stretching.

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This book is the "diary" of the Egyptian princess Cleoparta VII. Cleopatra's father, the pharaoh, is not liked by the people of Egypt, and she suspects her older sister Tryphaeana is trying to kill her. But her father wants to sail to Rome and get help from the Romans, who are their enemies. I like

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this book because it is from Cleoparta's point of view, and it really shows what she would wonder about and have to face. It also got me interested in ancient Egyptian history.

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As this was my first Royal Diary I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was happy to see they still have the same charm that Dear America and My Name is America has. I really enjoyed it. I went through it pretty quickly once I sat down to actually read it. I thought it was well written and kept me

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intrigued and wanting read. 4.5 out of 5 stars. I loved it.

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This was a pretty good YA historical fiction about Cleopatra.  This was better than some of the others in the Royal Diaries series I've read.  The story was well-researched and the main character was very interesting.  Gregory really tried to capture Cleopatra's daily life as well as the main

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events in her life as a young princess.  The historical note tells the reader what parts were embellished" and what was taken from fact.  This was good enough to recommend to my students."

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It started a bit slow. The daily musings of cleopatra and her siblings caught on. King ptolemy was potrayed as a wuss basically.
The writing was very mundane. I had to firce myself to read it till the end.

It started a bit slow. The daily musings of cleopatra and her siblings caught on. King ptolemy was potrayed as a wuss basically.
The writing was very mundane. I had to firce myself to read it till the end.

Of the four "Royal Diaries" I've read, this one was by far the best. Maybe it was because Cleopatra's life as a child was so much more interesting than that of Anastasia Romanova or Marie Antoinette or Isabel of Aragon, or, since there was less known about Cleopatra's childhood, the author was able

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to use more imagination in making Cleopatra a personality who was capable of and did rule Egypt.

Kristina Gregory used as much actual history and events as she could, but what Cleopatra actually thought about her father, her older sister, her personal fears and ambitions are, of course, speculative. Nevertheless, it is a wild, frightening and believable story.

Some may wonder whether the events are appropriate for 8-10 year-olds for whom this series is aimed, but I feel that showing how a girl of 12 was able to maneuver and survive (at least through her adolescence) attempts on her life, her father's alcoholism, the contempt of the Romans by using her intellect is uplifting. The extra information at the endof the book and the pictures of the main characters also feeds the imagination.

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I loved this book when I was like 11, so much so that I still own it and intend to keep it forever, but did anyone ever notice just how creepy Mark Antony is?

Like, dang man, you're like almost thirty and she's literally half your age, and is going through puberty, so can you refrain from flashing

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her and drunk kissing her in the darkness? That's literally sexual harrassment, not romantic.

I know this is supposed to be like, pseudo-historical, but could they have made her a little bit older? Even 18 would have been better, so it isn't so pervy. Or since this is a book for children, they could have, idk not written that storyline?
Other than that, I loved this book and still read it sometimes just to feel nostalgic.

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I loved this book when I was like 11, so much so that I still own it and intend to keep it forever, but did anyone ever notice just how creepy Mark Antony is?

Like, dang man, you're like almost thirty and she's literally half your age, and is going through puberty, so can you refrain from flashing

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her and drunk kissing her in the darkness? That's literally sexual harrassment, not romantic.

I know this is supposed to be like, pseudo-historical, but could they have made her a little bit older? Even 18 would have been better, so it isn't so pervy. Or since this is a book for children, they could have, idk not written that storyline?
Other than that, I loved this book and still read it sometimes just to feel nostalgic.

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Such an excellent book. Well written, beautifully researched and well grounded in the times, relatable protagonist. A bit shocked at the realism occasionally observed, in terms of (especially royal) brutality. Good for adults or young adults who are ready for it.