As someone who has always said Cleopatra VII is overrated, this book was made for me. I loved the casually informative tone of the book and how it tried it's best to keep the numerous Cleopatras and Ptolemys clear. Despite it being a history book, there was a clear throughline and it was easy to understand--almost like there was a narrative, or this was a lecture being given by a casual professor.

In particular, I loved how this truly traced the rise and fall of the dynasty through the lens of the Cleopatras. Would highly recommend, especially to those who find history books hard to read.

Most people know Cleopatra, the famous queen who allegedly chose death by asp instead of facing defeat at the hands of the Romans, but not many may know she was the last in a long line of queens that shared her name. There was, in fact, seven Cleopatra's in the Ptolemy dynasty that became queen, each with her own interesting tales to tell. The book takes a look at all seven women, their lives, and what was going on in Egypt during their reigns. It's clear a lot of research went into this book, as there is a good amount of detail about not only the queens and the royal family, but also of Egypt, its political and social landscapes, and the culture surrounding royalty. Any chance to learn more about Egyptian women who held power is interesting, as they weren't always well documented, and some were erased from the records after their death. But, women in Egypt often ruled, whether as a co-ruler, a regent, or pharaoh in their own right, and it's always fascinating to see how these women wielded their influence. While I did feel like the writing was a bit dry and sometimes hard to slog through, this book was a good read and offers a lot of information about these little-known women.

The Cleopatras: The Forgotten Queens of Egypt was one of my most highest anticipated books of the year but for me, personally, it wasn't the best book I've ever read about ancient Egypt. However, I would still recommend it to people who want to learn more about the extraordinary Ptolemy dynasty and the amazing Cleopatras that stood out among the men.

I don't think I'm mistaken if I say that most people only know of one Cleopatra in particular, which is Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator. She was the (obvioiusly) 7th Cleopatra and the last queen of Egypt. I knew a bunch of other Cleopatras came before her but I never really delved into their stories before nor do I think there are any books that are just about these seven women in one book (although I could always be mistaken). But that's why I'm glad that Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones has written this book because all of the Cleopatras deserve the attention.

Three star rated books are always the hardest for me to review so with this one it isn't an exception. It's always a kind of struggle for me. I liked this book but I didn't end up loving it as much as I would've wanted. It was fascinating for sure. I just felt like it didn't start out very strong but as the book went on and I read chapter after chapter I must say that it did gain strength.

The Cleopatras is divided into three parts. Part one is called Beginning, part two is called Expanding Horizons and part three is called Terminal Decline. The third part, which contained the last five chapters + epilogue, was my favorite part. I thought those chapters were the most interesting and the ones that read quicker for me. Maybe because I finally got used to the mention of so many Cleopatras and Ptolemy's. I knew this going in, of course, that in ancient Egyptian dynasties there were many queens and kings with the same name but even with this in the back of my head I still somewhat struggled with keeping everyone straight. By the time I reached part three I think I finally got a handle on them.

This was my first book by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and although I didn't end up fully devouring and loving the book, I still want to read some of his other books because I could definitely feel the enthusiasm he has for the ancient world. This was something that I could clearly tell from his writing. I would love to read his book on the Persians. I think it sounds highly fascinating!