Reviews

Raudonoji žemė, Juodoji žemė by Barbara Mertz

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x_tora's review against another edition

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I was having trouble getting into it. I'll try it again later.

doriastories's review against another edition

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4.0

A charming, well-informed and very readable description of life and death in ancient Egypt. Decidedly not geared towards scholars and very un-stuffy in tone, the author cheerful takes us from birth through death and well into the afterlife, looking at Egyptians from many walks of life. Conversational and practical in tone, it’s a great way to learn more about ancient Egypt without feeling intimidated or overwhelmed.

alexandragriffin's review against another edition

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informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

marschallin's review against another edition

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informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

lisa_setepenre's review against another edition

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4.0

I wasn't as enamoured with this as I was with Mertz's Temples, Tombs & Hieroglyphs, which I think is more of a reflection of my mindset when I read the first and less about the quality or content.

Mertz writes in a relaxed, conversational, often amusing way and she writes a popular history of Egyptian daily life. I think Mertz's two books are perfect to give an inexpert reader an overview of Egypt, and she provides a reading list for readers who want more. Personally, even if I didn't feel like I learnt anything new, I enjoyed Mertz's style of writing, even if it frustrated me at times.

sheepinthenight's review against another edition

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5.0

For most of this year I haven’t been able to focus enough to read anything to heavy. This helped get me over that. It took me awhile but I made it through and feel like I learned a lot. I never really got over the “ancient Egypt” phase I had as a kid and it was really nice to read a book on the topic that wasn’t tailored for small children.