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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
I had not known about Hatshepsut, an interesting, smart, politically savvy woman who defied all odds and wisely used her connections and bestowed favors astutely in order to gain acceptance as not just daughter of king or wife of king or mother of king (actually, she never gave birth to a son so could not claim that title) but claimed the title of king itself, despite having an already acknowledged king on the throne. well done!
This was an interesting look at how a woman in ancient times was able to carve out a place for herself and become for all intents and purposes a god on earth. I recommend it if you enjoy history, though some parts were a bit dry, overall it was a fascinating look at the religious and cultural beliefs of ancient Egyptians.
Hatshepsut, daughter of King Thutmose I, began her rise in power at the age of 9-10 when she became the God's Wife of Amen (a female spiritual leader involved in many religious rituals). Through tradition and some strategic scheming, she eventually rose in power. I pitied her, I was impressed by her, and I was sad to see that history failed to recognize her accomplishments for so long.
Having zero background knowledge going into this book, I learned a lot about Hatshepsut, ancient Egyptian customs, and political dynamics. Kara Cooney is clearly an expert and does her best to make the content attainable for even the most clueless reader (e.g. me). This is still a pretty dense read for the casual reader, and I just don't think I can give it a higher rating personally. If you happen to be an ancient civilization buff, check this out!
Reading Women 21 - woman in politics
Read Harder 21 - book about non-western world leader
Popsugar 21 - book with a family tree
Having zero background knowledge going into this book, I learned a lot about Hatshepsut, ancient Egyptian customs, and political dynamics. Kara Cooney is clearly an expert and does her best to make the content attainable for even the most clueless reader (e.g. me). This is still a pretty dense read for the casual reader, and I just don't think I can give it a higher rating personally. If you happen to be an ancient civilization buff, check this out!
Reading Women 21 - woman in politics
Read Harder 21 - book about non-western world leader
Popsugar 21 - book with a family tree
A breathtaking, eye-opening account of the most powerful woman in the ancient world. Kara Cooney's feminist biography explores exactly why Hatshepsut is relatively unknown to modern readers, especially in comparison with Cleopatra, who lived thousands of years later. Cooney's book is also a wonderful introduction to Egyptology. She explains how the ancient Egyptians thought about their world and what they chose to document and what to leave out of their official record, and what we can learn from their emissions. I feel such a loss for all that we will never know about Hatshepsut, but commend Cooney for writing this magnificent tribute to a powerful woman who should never be forgotten.
2.5 stars.
I think I had really high expectations for this book, and was extremely disappointed to find that it was dry and full of assumptions. It is possible that I am not as educated about Ancient Egypt as I should have been before reading this book, as some of the information that was not about Hatshepsut herself seemed to drag on and on. Towards the end, when discussing the events after Hatshepsut died, I was fascinated. But for the majority of the story, I received too much information about other Egyptian personalities and ways of life that only confused me and left me zoning out.
I think I had really high expectations for this book, and was extremely disappointed to find that it was dry and full of assumptions. It is possible that I am not as educated about Ancient Egypt as I should have been before reading this book, as some of the information that was not about Hatshepsut herself seemed to drag on and on. Towards the end, when discussing the events after Hatshepsut died, I was fascinated. But for the majority of the story, I received too much information about other Egyptian personalities and ways of life that only confused me and left me zoning out.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
This is as clear a look as current Egyptology can provide about the mysterious, Hatchepsut, who ruled as "king" of Egypt for 22 years, only to have her history chiseled away by the king she kept off the throne.
Dr. Cooney really gets into the conditions that allowed Hatchepsut to rise at the rate that she did: the growing power of the cult of Amen, which she served by age nine as the God's Wife of Amen; the ever-present parasites and threats to health that weakened her husband, Thutmose II, leading to his death and Hatchepsut's accession to regent for her 2-year-old nephew when she herself was a teenager.
Cooney represents Hatchepsut's vast building and exploration projects as being based on the idea that Hatchepsut wanted to keep hold of the throne, satisfying the Amen cult and blowing away regular Egyptians with her ambition and grandeur.
Occasionally, the reader understands how little Dr. Cooney really has to work with in this biography. There are many "may have" statements, and her fascinating look at Hatchepsut's daughter Nefrure is still a leap into the void, trying to read between the lines of ancient hieroglyphics and references chiseled away 3,000 years ago.
Dr. Cooney really gets into the conditions that allowed Hatchepsut to rise at the rate that she did: the growing power of the cult of Amen, which she served by age nine as the God's Wife of Amen; the ever-present parasites and threats to health that weakened her husband, Thutmose II, leading to his death and Hatchepsut's accession to regent for her 2-year-old nephew when she herself was a teenager.
Cooney represents Hatchepsut's vast building and exploration projects as being based on the idea that Hatchepsut wanted to keep hold of the throne, satisfying the Amen cult and blowing away regular Egyptians with her ambition and grandeur.
Occasionally, the reader understands how little Dr. Cooney really has to work with in this biography. There are many "may have" statements, and her fascinating look at Hatchepsut's daughter Nefrure is still a leap into the void, trying to read between the lines of ancient hieroglyphics and references chiseled away 3,000 years ago.
The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting biography of King Hatshepsut, a successful female pharaoh who history has vastly overlooked -- as Cooney posits, mostly because of her inherent success.
Cooney asserts many fanciful ideas and interpretations of how Hatshepsut thought and may have acted. She begins her book by admitting outright, "I have had to break many rules of my Egyptological training in order resurrect and reanimate Hatshepsut's intentions, ambitions, and appointments, by engaging in conjecture and speculation, and creating untestable hypotheses as I attempt to fill out her character and decision making processes)..." My warning bells flashed red, and I almost didn't make it past the Author's Note. Despite these glaring flaws, I am glad overall that I read this updated biography.
Cooney's work as a social historian is where the biography shines. Most of the author's flights of fancy about what so-and-so might have done are forgivable as they often lead her to include facts about daily life, rituals, etc. that were common in ancient Egypt, even if we can't prove Hatshepsut, Thutmose, or Nefrure did X, Y, or Z.
Some of her hypotheses are quite thought provoking:
-Rather than focusing on Hatshepsut's ambition, Cooney posits an intriguing alternative theory for Hatshepsut's power grab: solidifying her dynasty in the face of Thutmose III's immature years.
-Cooney does have many interesting interpretations of Hatshepsut's behavior. For instance, she suggests that Hatshepsut's masculinization of her imagery corresponds to Thutmose III's maturation. This process further legitimizes Hatshepsut's position as pharaoh while further preventing Thutmose from claiming what was rightfully his. (Cooney doesn't dare acknowledge this latter rationale for her motives; instead Hatshepsut is justifying herself to the people and the gods.)
-Thutmose III's later destruction of Hatshepsut's images also has an interesting theory: for legitimizing his son's claim to the throne without having to link through the female's line.
And I also enjoyed seeing the Egyptological disputes about the identity of Hatshepsut's mummy, and I learned that the pharaoh title dates to Hatshepsut's reign.
And now the ugly:
All that aforementioned speculation leads to many far fetched claims based on little to no evidence. One small example: "All the evidence indicates that elites from established families worked with the new appointees." As Cooney previously acknowledged, Egyptians did not publish negative press. How would we know? The only evidence is that Hatshepsut was successful in her ambitious tasks as fulfilled by her appointees. Tensions, however, cannot be guessed at.
Additionally, Cooney also seems to be caught up in the romance of Hatshepsut: imagining her slim form going about her business. Oy.
The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting book that gives Hatshepsut her due as a worthy, female historical presence that is too often forgotten. If read with a critical eye, it is well worth the time.
Cooney asserts many fanciful ideas and interpretations of how Hatshepsut thought and may have acted. She begins her book by admitting outright, "I have had to break many rules of my Egyptological training in order resurrect and reanimate Hatshepsut's intentions, ambitions, and appointments, by engaging in conjecture and speculation, and creating untestable hypotheses as I attempt to fill out her character and decision making processes)..." My warning bells flashed red, and I almost didn't make it past the Author's Note. Despite these glaring flaws, I am glad overall that I read this updated biography.
Cooney's work as a social historian is where the biography shines. Most of the author's flights of fancy about what so-and-so might have done are forgivable as they often lead her to include facts about daily life, rituals, etc. that were common in ancient Egypt, even if we can't prove Hatshepsut, Thutmose, or Nefrure did X, Y, or Z.
Some of her hypotheses are quite thought provoking:
-Rather than focusing on Hatshepsut's ambition, Cooney posits an intriguing alternative theory for Hatshepsut's power grab: solidifying her dynasty in the face of Thutmose III's immature years.
-Cooney does have many interesting interpretations of Hatshepsut's behavior. For instance, she suggests that Hatshepsut's masculinization of her imagery corresponds to Thutmose III's maturation. This process further legitimizes Hatshepsut's position as pharaoh while further preventing Thutmose from claiming what was rightfully his. (Cooney doesn't dare acknowledge this latter rationale for her motives; instead Hatshepsut is justifying herself to the people and the gods.)
-Thutmose III's later destruction of Hatshepsut's images also has an interesting theory: for legitimizing his son's claim to the throne without having to link through the female's line.
And I also enjoyed seeing the Egyptological disputes about the identity of Hatshepsut's mummy, and I learned that the pharaoh title dates to Hatshepsut's reign.
And now the ugly:
All that aforementioned speculation leads to many far fetched claims based on little to no evidence. One small example: "All the evidence indicates that elites from established families worked with the new appointees." As Cooney previously acknowledged, Egyptians did not publish negative press. How would we know? The only evidence is that Hatshepsut was successful in her ambitious tasks as fulfilled by her appointees. Tensions, however, cannot be guessed at.
Additionally, Cooney also seems to be caught up in the romance of Hatshepsut: imagining her slim form going about her business. Oy.
The Woman Who Would Be King is an interesting book that gives Hatshepsut her due as a worthy, female historical presence that is too often forgotten. If read with a critical eye, it is well worth the time.
I had no idea that there was so much information about Hatshepsut. I had heard about her, but thought that most traces of her had been destroyed. I am pleased that wasn't actually the case. Hatshepsut was an aberration in Ancient Egypt, but apparently she managed to be a very efficient king who ruled well. I was heartbroken over the destruction of her legacy by her nephew. Without her, he might not have had a throne. Hatshepsut is a template for a future female leader. She should be emulated to the upmost extent by any female desiring to lead.
informative