The Daughters of Palatine Hill by Phyllis T Smith

9781503952485

412 Pages
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Release Date: February 16, 2016

Fiction, Historical Fiction, Rome, Cleopatra, Women’s Fiction

After the brutal deaths of Mark Antony and Cleopatra, Emperor Augustus brings their younger children to Rome. The two brothers die during an epidemic but, Cleopatra Selene survives. Julia, Augustus’ only child, is married while Augustus in ill in Spain. Cleopatra Selene then becomes a project for Augustus’ wife, Livia to become a proper Roman lady.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is told in the first-person point of view by the three women. It shows how men rule women’s lives. At first, I thought Julia was going to be a spoiled girl, but she grows into an independent strong woman. Livia loves Augustus with her body and soul. Cleopatra Selene fears for her life believing that just being around Augustus’ family would remind them of her mother Cleopatra. I really enjoyed reading the book from each perspective. You could feel the emotions of each woman as times goes by. If you like historical fiction, you will enjoy this book.

This story was gripping, compassionate, and lyrical. I appreciate all of the research that went into the writing and felt that it was beautifully done.
Many thanks to Lake Union Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great historical fiction, beautiful writing, fantastic plot, great characters!
captured me right away and kept me reading!
Wroth a read!

I had high hopes for this book, and the characters and situations set in this particular time in history were initially appealing. But I couldn't get really engaged, and put this down about a quarter of the way through. Fans of that era might be more compelled to read this book.

Once I discovered that The Daughters of Palatine Hill was about Cleopatra & Mark Antony’s daughter, Cleopatra Selene, I hit the request button immediately. After the defeat of the Egyptian Queen, her daughter was taken to Rome & adopted into the family that was responsible for her family’s demise. This part of history has all the makings of a good historical fiction, but does Smith deliver?

The Daughters of Palatine Hill is the fictionalized account of Emperor Augustus (Julius Ceaser’s successor), his descendants, & the descendants of Mark Antony and Cleopatra.
*Side note: Because it was normal for a person to be married and divorced multiple times, this made the family tree a tad complicated. Also people tended to keep it in the family if you catch my drift…. Trying to figure out all the family ties made my head hurt. This is history folks, you can’t make this stuff up.

Despite the fact that this is a work of fiction, the people and events are based in history. I knew almost nothing about these historical figures going into this book, and really enjoyed this fictional account of their lives. From what I’ve researched, Smith does a great job staying accurate to the historical events while taking fictional liberties. This is why I love historical fiction, it sparks an interest in an era I don’t know much about before. This spark always leads me on my own journey for knowledge into history.

The Daughter’s of Palatine Hill is told in 3 alternating perspectives: Lavia (Augustus’s Wife), Julia (Augustus’s daughter from a previous marriage), and Selene (daughter of Mark Antony & Cleopatra). I found each POV & story equally interesting. I often find that I am more drawn to one POV over the other(s) in multi-perspective books, so I’m impressed that Smith was able to hold my attention with each separate character story. Each character felt distinct & well fleshed out. I would say that the focus of this story is more on Julia & Selene. I particularly enjoyed Julia’s portrayal for the fact that she was a very complex character. She definitely had her flaws, but Smith did an excellent job shedding light to the fact that Julia was definitely a product of her environment.

I found the treatment of women during these times to be horrifying. These women had little say in the outcomes of their lives. Women during this era were pawns for political reasons & social climbing through forced marriage, and in many cases forced divorce and forced re-marriage. I was appalled at how little control these women had. Let’s just say that I would never have survived during this time period.

The Daughters of Palatine Hill can 100% be read as a standalone novel. In fact, I did not ever realize that the author had written a previous novel, I Am Livia, which is about Livia Drusilla’s early life and her courtship with Octavian. You do not have to read I Am Livia in order to enjoy or this book. That being said, I will definitely be picking up the first book to learn more about Livia and her earlier days. I must know how Octavian swept Livia off her feet while she was both married and pregnant by another man… or at least Smith’s version of events.

The biggest weakness in The Daughter’s of Palatine Hill was the setting. When I read historical fiction, I need the author to put me in that time period. Unfortunately, there was almost no descriptions of the setting or context to the era. Despite the fact that the setting & historical context was lacking throughout the novel, it was still a good read since the focus was on the characters.

The Daughters of Palatine Hill is full of political intrigue, family drama, secrets, and scandal. I definitely recommend giving this one a go if you are interested in this era or these particular events in history.

*Big thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well-written and captivating. This was an eye-opening read that made me love history all the more.

*I never got around to reading and reviewing this book. I may do so in the future*

“The Daughters of Palatine Hill” was set in ancient Rome during the rule of Emperor Caesar Augustus. The narrative is told from the perspective of three women: Livia, the wife of Augustus; Julia, his daughter from an earlier marriage; and Cleopatra Selene, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony held captive by Augustus. Each of these women has an interesting viewpoint on the time in which they live.

Typically, books written about this era don’t hold my interest. Not so with this novel! The author’s style of writing quite simply draws the reader in. This is not just another story about Roman debauchery, its hardened soldiers, or its political intrigue (although there is indeed some of that). Instead, what “The Daughters of Palatine” does brilliantly is that it goes beyond the expected male-dominated story line and instead focuses on the day to day lives of women within influential Roman social circles. It’s a unique approach, and that’s what I really enjoyed about it. I would certainly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction who enjoy books set in this particular time period.