I enjoyed this one. As I didn't really know much about Cleopatra's Daughter. Other than that she was the only one who survived.

From an academic classicist, this is a smart examination of what is known (and what we can know) about Cleopatra Selene, the only surviving child of Cleopatra and Marc Antony, whose subsequent life is a window into the melding of Roman and Hellenistic power. Cleopatra Selene, trusted to leave Octavia's household as the wife (and joint ruler with) Juba of Mauritania, another captive royal child, spent twenty years carefully threading the needle of recognizing her Egyptian and Hellenistic heritage but remaining a close friend, ally and family member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, building up her kingdom as an economic success producing luxury goods, and creating a "brand" for herself that appears in the material record in striking and poignant ways. Draycott has found an example of the original meaning of "well-behaved women never make history"--Cleopatra Selene fulfilled Augustus' purpose as a client ruler, neither providing reasons for her heritage to be weaponized as it had against her mother, nor challenging Roman authority. However, as Draycott points out, in these glimmers of a life, there's an outline of someone whose charisma, judgement and rule were worth supporting and remembering.

I have to appreciate the amount of research that went into this biography of the daughter of Cleopatra: there just isn't a lot out there and so much of the book has to be well informed suppositions about how she lived rather than who she was. It means we will never get a feel for Selene as a person but we do get an idea of what she may have experienced in her very eventful life.

Why does the daughter of Cleopatra deserve a biography? Quite simply, she had a fascinating life, outlived the loss of her kingdom and parents, became a queen in her own right, and managed to not only survive but also thrive in the Roman world that so defeated her more famous mother and father. Had Shakespeare written about Cleopatra Selene, she might very well have been as famous as her parents.

The book is chronologically presented and features images of items discussed in the quest to uncover Selene's life. This includes coins, statues, mosaics, stele, and more. Most are not directly attributable to Selene but include enough iconography to make an educated guess that she is the subject. And that is what most of the book is about: using the author's thorough knowledge of the period to fill in so many of the blanks. E.g., we may not know exactly what she did or did not do - but we do know what others in her situation (e.g., political prisoners living/raised in Augustus' home) went through from various historical sources. So connections can be made and we do have an idea of why/how she ended up as she did.

Because it was such a turbulent era (the fall of Egypt and rise of Imperial Rome), the author spends time giving us more information about Selene's relatives and parents. We also learn more about her husband - King Juba of Mauritania - and her son Ptolemy. So the stage of Selene's life is set nicely - from pampered princess with 3 royal brothers to political Roman prisoner to Queen in Northern Africa.

The read is a bit dry and those not used to having to rely on so much speculation may be frustrated. But as a biography, the author does an excellent job of setting up the life and putting the few scattered puzzle pieces together to give us an idea of Selene's life - if less so the type of person she was. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Cleopatra's Daughter: From Roman Prisoner to African Queen by Jane Draycott is an excellent nonfiction delving into the shrouded life of Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. It was fascinating.

Everyone know who Cleopatra was…she is beyond infamous…but her daughter? …not so much. And she is equally as fascinating, I feel, as her mother. Ms. Draycott presents a biography, the first that I know of, detailing as much as she could research and find concerning this intricate and intriguing woman.

Extensively researched and beautifully presented, this biography gives us as much as insight as possible at this time of this true to life woman, that deserves so much more attention than what has been given.

I truly enjoyed this.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Liveright/ W.W. Norton & Company for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/18/23.

This book should rightfully be called Cleopatra Selene, her Life and Times. I really enjoyed learning more about this marginalized historical figure, hidden behind her more famous parents. I wish there was more information available about Kleopatra Selene and hopefully this book will generate more interest in research about her.