Thank you to both NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC!

The story of Clodia Metellii, an often overlooked driving force behind many progressive voices in the final days of the Roman Republic. Covering her upbringing, education, and first marriage to Metellus, the first half of the book examines the political scene in Rome that influenced Clodia's youth and helped shape her and her brother's progressive tendencies. In the latter half of the book, following the death of Metellus, the book covers the evolving political landscape of Rome as the republic inches closer to collapse, with Clodia driving and supporting progressive voices clashing against the traditionally conservative Senate, most vocally represented by Cicero.

Boin does an excellent job providing context for this, especially when pulling from sources that often refused to recognize the agency of women in politics, and in general. The book is also filled with dozens of facts about every day Roman life that are often overlooked in denser history tomes.

For all of that, the ending does feel abrupt, following a lengthy speech from Cicero. Despite this, Boin shows how even powerful women in Rome, and across the Mediterranean, were effectively excluded from public life in so many ways.