Unveiling the Enigmatic Legacy of Cleopatra Selene: A Fictional Journey through History

Cleopatra VII: The Last Pharaoh. What a daunting title to hold in history. Associated with sexual scandals, political turmoil, and ambiguous ambitions that led to the death of her brother and sister; she stopped at nothing to secure her power. Was she just another power-hungry tyrant, or a product of a misogynistic power struggle? A quick Google search can help you answer those questions because we’re not talking about Cleopatra in this review. Instead, we are talking about her two children- Selene and Alexander: the twin Ptolemaic rulers who were taken as captives by Octavian during the Roman siege of Egypt. This final siege, which served as the backdrop of Marc Antony and Cleopatra’s apparent suicides, is where our story begins.

                Cleopatra’s Daughter, written by Michelle Moran, is a historical fiction depicting life for Selene and Alexander in Palatine after their capture. Of course, as you can assume based on the title, the novel is written from Cleopatra Selene’s perspective. What she thought of Rome the City, Rome the Empire, the people of upper society, Octavian and his sister; Octavia (the same woman whom her father, Marc Antony, left for Cleopatra!) all revealed to us as the readers. First, your mother and father commit suicide and then you are forced to live with the woman your father left for your mother? Talk about the drama! Oh, and did I mention these twins were only ten years old when this all happened? Yeah, insane. The story progresses with Selene and Alexander meeting their half-siblings they knew nothing about as well as other children within the families surrounding the First Roman Emperor. Too much, too soon. How could this whole story come to life when the main character and her brother are only ten years old? Well, when you're born from scandal with the expectation of ruling an entire empire….you’re kind of used to it. In the historical note section at the end of the novel, Michelle addresses these concerns as well as outlines where each character’s inspiration came from and draws from historical facts about the events of this story.

                Using the backdrop of the warm climate of Egypt at the beginning of the story, we’ll need a wine with a lighter body.  But, not too light, because as the story progresses our characters move into a colder climate. As we, the readers, begin to understand Selene’s mindset, we begin to realize just how intellectual and complex she is. We learn about her educational background and begin to see her process romantic feelings for a first-time crush and then process her first true love! Hmm, so I’m thinking of something with a medium body with complex flavors that change as it opens up (to mimic Selene’s feelings). I suggest we look at Meiomi Pino Noir. This California-based wine has a medium body texture that opens with notes of dark chocolate and a hint of strawberries. But, as the wine starts to breathe, the bitterness of the dark chocolate flavors fades into ripe strawberry shortcake sweetness.

                This wine and novel pair perfectly together as the two tell a story of dark bitterness that transforms into rich and palpable depth leaving behind a beautiful poignant feeling in your chest.

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