August 31, 2015
Holleman’s historically detailed and multilayered debut captures the hostile dynamics between the last generation of the Ptolemaic dynasty as Berenice, elder sister of Cleopatra, leads a coup to oust her hated father as ruler of Hellenistic Egypt. While the more famous Cleopatra makes cameos at the beginning and end of the book, the action centers on Berenice’s struggles to establish her rule and preserve her imperiled kingdom, while their youngest sister, Arsinoe, finds her own life in danger from various threats. Holleman mines the tense though at times static scenes with scintillating visual details of gorgeous palaces, rich temples, and the famous library of Alexandria, evoking a world in which the ancient heroes Alexander and Odysseus—and Greek tragic characters such as Antigone—come to life. The book deftly imagines the intricacies of the life of an ancient ruler, in which the rhythms of the Nile and native Egyptian deities mesh uneasily with Greek rites. Berenice is portrayed as ruthless and conflicted, fearful of being seen as soft, while Arsinoe grows increasingly aware that her visions are not dreams but portents, a difficult gift. Holleman’s imaginative, textured portraits of the lives and ambitions of these little-known heroines will appeal to readers of historical and literary fiction alike.
August 1, 2015
Holleman's innovative debut explores the lives of two lesser-known sisters of Cleopatra. In history as in fiction, Cleopatra has eclipsed her siblings. In this novel, the future queen's older sister, Berenice, 19 at the time, leads a rebellion against her father the pharaoh, Ptolemy the Piper, forcing him to flee Egypt along with his favored daughter, Cleopatra; Cleopatra's mother, Ptolemy's concubine, grabs her two young sons and takes off, too. Berenice's mother, Tryphaena, Ptolemy's discarded sister/consort, has goaded her daughter into avenging her downfall. Once on the throne, Berenice rapidly takes control, understanding that unless she raises a sizable army, her father will eventually return, depose her-and make Egypt a vassal state of the burgeoning Roman Empire. The novel's dual protagonists, Berenice and her youngest half sister, Arsinoe, alternate point of view under the chapter headings Elder and Younger. Only 8, Arsinoe is left behind when her parents flee-in Cleopatra's shadow, she has always been deemed insignificant. Little is known about the real Arsinoe, and Holleman must imagine the particulars of this overlooked child's quandary: figuring out her new status and negotiating a place in the court of a half sister with an inherited grudge. As Berenice struggles to reign alone after the death of Tryphaena, she hopes to shore up her military forces by marriage: her first husband, however, is so brutal she has him killed; and the second, who wins her heart, is a military liability. Although readers will sympathize with Berenice as she battles formidable odds, they may understand Arsinoe less: during the three-year time span of the novel, she behaves like the privileged but naive child she is-her challenge, to survive despite being written off by her entire family, is more nebulous. Holleman succeeds in teasing vivid throughlines from an incredibly complex period of transition as Hellenistic civilization gives way to the rule of Rome. Her language, anachronism-free, artfully captures the matrix of myth and epic which nurtures and inspires her characters. A high-stakes family drama.
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October 15, 2015
Holleman fleshes out the little-known story of Cleopatra's sisters, who were abandoned when she and her father, Ptolemy XII Auletes, fled Alexandria for Rome. The stories of Berenice (who seizes the throne) and Arsinoe (who just tries to stay alive for three years) are told in alternating chapters. The Egyptian court was filled with conspiratorial eunuchs, power-hungry politicians, and lazy, brutish guardsall ruled by the queen of melodrama, Berenice, the Shining One. Abundant historical references and details of court life create a strong setting for a dialogue-driven story, featuring a hysterical, self-centered ruler completely without people skills. Unfortunately, some of the dialogue verges on the overwrought. Further, much of the action, including numerous horrible deaths, takes place offstage but is extensively rehashed onstage, reducing the sense of immediacy and slowing the pacing. On the other hand, Arsinoe, the smarter sister with consummate avoidance skills, is a well-realized character, and the well-researched novel covers little-known material from a fascinating historical period. Readers may wish to refresh their knowledge of the times with Stacy Schiff's biography Cleopatra (2010).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
Starred review from August 1, 2015
Although Cleopatra, daughter of King Ptolemy of Egypt, is easily one of the most famous women of the ancient world, the names of her two half-sisters have been almost lost to antiquity. Breathing new life into these historical personalities, first-time novelist Holleman has written a marvelous story of the two years when Berenice, the older sister, ruled Egypt while Cleopatra and her father were in Rome pleading for aid in taking back the Egyptian throne. The account of Berenice and her youngest sister Arsinoe are narrated in alternating chapters from their own points of view. While Berenice fights to maintain her hold on the throne as the first queen to rule Egypt alone in centuries, eight-year-old Arsinoe struggles to survive two bloody coups. Though both sisters are equally fascinating, Arsinoe is the one readers will identify with most as she deals with being abandoned by her beloved Cleopatra and surviving Berenice's ascendancy to the ultimate (and very bloody) return of the king. VERDICT Holleman offers a fresh take on the Ptolemy dynasty and has delivered what promises to be just the first in a exciting series about Arsinoe, youngest sister of Cleopatra. [See Prepub Alert, 4/27/15.]--Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 15, 2015
Ignored by big sister Cleopatra and their half-sister Berenice, who seized the Egyptian throne at age 21, barely adolescent Arsinoe must wend her way through the vicious infighting of the royal court, even as her father, the deposed Ptolemy, masses troops for a march on Alexandria. Former Salon editor Holleman's debut novel has generated big in-house enthusiasm. With a 75,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.