Penelope Lively

Cleopatra’s Sister

Cleopatra’s Sister is the tenth novel by Booker Prize winning author Penelope Lively.

Detached and unworldly palaeontologist Howard Beamish is on a journey that is to change his life. Travelling to Nairobi, his plane is forced to land in Marsopolis, the capital of Callimbia, where Cleopatra’s sister entertained Antony. Also on the flight is Lucy Faulkner, a journalist with a sketchy knowledge of Callimbia’s political turbulence. As chance throws them together, Howard and Lucy become embroiled in a revolution that is both political and personal.

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"Every sentence is a pleasure to read."
Sunday Express

"A fluent, funny, ultimately moving romance in which lovers share centre stage with Lively's persuasive meditations on history and fate. . .a book of great charm with a real intellectual resonance at its core."
New York Times Book Review