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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
Very fascinating history that wove in assumptions in lieu of written evidence. The first 25% and last 75% were the strongest in terms of narrative, flow and overall imagination capture. I felt the middle portion of the book a little harder to follow - with many details and milestones not really connecting for me. But all in all, I learned much about this period and look forward to reading more by the author.
A well researched book about Hatshepsut and her rise to become the only truly successful female kingship in the ancient world.
I annotated and made notes about this book for #nonfictionnovember. It’s been on my radar since the beginning of the year and I’m really glad I took the time to read it.
I annotated and made notes about this book for #nonfictionnovember. It’s been on my radar since the beginning of the year and I’m really glad I took the time to read it.
challenging
informative
slow-paced
informative
medium-paced
emotional
informative
slow-paced
tempted to give this 4 stars since my guess is that with the limited historical evidence there wasn’t anything else cooney could have done with this book but it felt lacking in some way. but again, any “narrative” would have been pure conjecture and i understand her hesitance to over rely on fictionalizing which would inherently bring in modern tropes.
Listened to this book on audible. It was really interesting to listen to and I am normally pretty picky about the books I can read and the books I can listen to. They don’t always overlap. I technically skipped over the part near the end where the narrator goes into embalming her body because I did not want to listen to that. Otherwise loved learning about a strong woman who out smarted those around her. Women make up less than .5% of written history sadly even though women, like Hatshepsut are amazing and entertaining and brilliant.
This book provides an unbiased introduction to ancient Egyptian religion and royal life through the story of one famous queen / king: Hatshepsut. There is a lot of speculation involved due to gaps in the archaeological record, but the author is diligent in acknowledging these points and explaining her reasoning. The only major flaw with this book is the last few pages, where she tries to make a completely unsubstantiated argument about modern power / gender dynamics vis a vis women in power based on how Hatshepsut's immediate successors sought to erase her legacy as pharaoh. Just skip that bit and this is a five star read!
adventurous
informative
fast-paced
I always really enjoy Kara Cooney's books! I came to this after having read her anthology of six Egyptian queens, and this did not disappoint. I liked that she was able to go more in-depth by focusing on only one individual, and I appreciated that she mentioned that she was making a lot of speculation as to the reasonings and motivations behind people's decisions. I think there could have been more background on the Egyptian political process, and the importance of an unassailable pharaonic line, as in her other book, because that provided a lot of helpful context. However, overall, I found this a really compelling read.
informative
slow-paced