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charlottesometimes's review
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Historically inaccurate
saint_augustine15's review
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
leeang's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
alexandrabree's review against another edition
3.0
I remember reading a few of these books when I was in middle school so the details are.. fuzzy at best. I remember wishing I could read more of them. Historical fiction was always one of my favourites. Will reread these at some point maybe with my own children
rakoerose's review
3.0
While a nostalgic read, also one that shows its age. I still adore what this book gave me as a kid, which was a story centered around a girl with incredible autonomy when a lot of media did not so so.
Would it be so terrible to be a princess in exile?
The writing style and plot is very much aimed at its age group, and would probably be a bit boring to those beyond it. However, the intensities of Cleopatra’s life still make this interesting. I also just like the epistolary format, the inner conflicts that come from the diary style. Cleopatra is a wonderful figure of history and it’s fun to try and imagine these early years of her life.
There are some… rather large and glaring inaccuracies in this book which, as a child, can be easily overlooked. In particular issues with placing so much emphasis on monotheistic religions without much mention of Cleopatra’s own polytheistic Egyptian beliefs, as another reviewer here explains in much better detail than I could! The only Egyptian god mentioned here is Isis, when the list is extensive.
I also found the Marc Antony elements of this… startling. In this book Cleopatra is only 12-14 years old and enters into a romance with Antony who is in his mid to late 20’s… Incredibly troubling considering it’s 1) inaccurate because Antony did not have feelings for Cleopatra in their few meetings at this stage and 2) possibly incredibly damaging for the young demographic of this book to see such a large age gap romanticized. If this diary had been from the time when she was 28, I’d have less issues!
Can it be stated that for the time it’s accurate that 12 year olds were married? Yes. But considering the inaccuracies already laced here, I think leaving Antony out of this narrative would have been fine.
Overall, I think this book is okay. My nostalgia painted it in a better light for me, and some of the core themes are good. I just think some things were sacrificed in the name of making the plot more intriguing!
Would it be so terrible to be a princess in exile?
The writing style and plot is very much aimed at its age group, and would probably be a bit boring to those beyond it. However, the intensities of Cleopatra’s life still make this interesting. I also just like the epistolary format, the inner conflicts that come from the diary style. Cleopatra is a wonderful figure of history and it’s fun to try and imagine these early years of her life.
There are some… rather large and glaring inaccuracies in this book which, as a child, can be easily overlooked. In particular issues with placing so much emphasis on monotheistic religions without much mention of Cleopatra’s own polytheistic Egyptian beliefs, as another reviewer here explains in much better detail than I could! The only Egyptian god mentioned here is Isis, when the list is extensive.
I also found the Marc Antony elements of this… startling. In this book Cleopatra is only 12-14 years old and enters into a romance with Antony who is in his mid to late 20’s… Incredibly troubling considering it’s 1) inaccurate because Antony did not have feelings for Cleopatra in their few meetings at this stage and 2) possibly incredibly damaging for the young demographic of this book to see such a large age gap romanticized. If this diary had been from the time when she was 28, I’d have less issues!
Can it be stated that for the time it’s accurate that 12 year olds were married? Yes. But considering the inaccuracies already laced here, I think leaving Antony out of this narrative would have been fine.
Overall, I think this book is okay. My nostalgia painted it in a better light for me, and some of the core themes are good. I just think some things were sacrificed in the name of making the plot more intriguing!
jennymock's review against another edition
4.0
I've been meaning to read this for several years in order to determine if it was worth book talking to my middle grade readers. My younger readers may have trouble with the story due to the large number of characters and the rapid pace of the story. My advanced and older students who enjoy adventurous, historical fiction and/or the diary format will enjoy this novel. It'll definitely increase their background knowledge of this time period, but stress that they read the historical notes at the end that explain just how much we don't know of Cleopatra's life then recommend nonfiction books that pair with this story (there are a ton).
carolineinthelibrary's review against another edition
2.0
This was probably one of the more "meh" Dear America: The Royal Diaries books I've read. I'm not sure if Cleopatra was just an odd pick for a kid's story or if the timing in history was weird, but considering all that Cleopatra did in her later teen and early adult years, this seemed super uneventful. The epilogue covered more of what she did in a short bit than the entire book did.
meaganmart's review
3.0
I loved these books as a child and I've been going through my bookshelves deciding what to keep and what I'm ready to donate. I will keep this novel for my nieces or for any future kids I might have. I was interested in how they represented the different cultures who called Alexandria (and all of Egypt) home, I was also glad they emphasized Cleopatra's Macedonian heritage and the fact that her family were not native Egyptians. This isn't a groundbreaking novel by any means, but it is interesting and would be a good stepping stone read for a child interested in ancient Egypt.