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411 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
411 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
informative
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
I'm an avid fan of Egyptian history since I was in year three of Primary school, but I am so ashamed of myself that I have never heard of Hatshepsut before. And now that I have heard of her, I am going on a rampage of active google search about her. Back to book, this would have been a very quick read for me if it weren't for my awful scheduling, what with the start of Spring semester and the God awful amount of essay that I have to submit.
For a history book, this was very easy to digest. There were several moments when I felt that the author was being overly dramatic at her chosen words, but I can overlook that part as the story and the way it flows was entertaining enough. I had to put down the book for a moment after reading the whole mummifying process (I must have been a definite ignorant person to now know how mummifying works before I read this book).
Anyone reading this book can tell that the author felt strongly that Hatshepsut was unfairly treated, by Thutmose III and even early historians, and you can't help but to follow her train of thought; it's nothing bad (because I do agree with her at some point), it's just that it would be better if she remains neutral (though I know it's hard).
For a history book, this was very easy to digest. There were several moments when I felt that the author was being overly dramatic at her chosen words, but I can overlook that part as the story and the way it flows was entertaining enough. I had to put down the book for a moment after reading the whole mummifying process (I must have been a definite ignorant person to now know how mummifying works before I read this book).
Anyone reading this book can tell that the author felt strongly that Hatshepsut was unfairly treated, by Thutmose III and even early historians, and you can't help but to follow her train of thought; it's nothing bad (because I do agree with her at some point), it's just that it would be better if she remains neutral (though I know it's hard).
Impressive. Cooney provides historical context as well as doubt and speculation and ends with a sobering note on how history remembers female leaders.
informative
slow-paced
Really enjoyable reading - looking at the performance of gender in a culture completely removed from the modern day was fascinating. But I just wanted more from this. It was extremely repetitive, with the same information sometimes repeated almost word for word no more than a paragraph apart. And although I appreciate that Cooney was aiming for a biographical narrative as much as possible, I would have found an extra section on the archaeological history of Hatshepsut (i.e. how we know what we know and why we interpret it the way we do) a valuable addition.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
reflective
slow-paced