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410 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
410 reviews for:
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
Kara Cooney
3.71 AVERAGE
I liked the subject of this book, but there was too much conjecture and guess work. I would have appreciated a bit more fiction work from the author or less guessing. But then it would have read like a text book, which the book already bordered on anyway.
This was a fascinating, well-researched, and enjoyable read about a powerful woman, who with her intelligence and influence, managed to raise herself higher than any woman before her.
The author made this very easy to read and while there are a lot of facts that are not known, she offers up researched and informed suggestions on how these people may have felt and behaved thousands of years ago.
Having limited knowledge of Egyptian history I loved finding out about royal life, the systems of the pharaohs, the religion and the daily life of these people.
The author obviously had great respect for the woman she was writing about and you cant but help be sucked into it, admiring and rooting for Hatshepsut too. I loved learning about her life and how far she was able to rise. What I found most incredibly frustrating was that even thousands of years ago women were still downtrodden and treated dreadfully to the point that Hatshepsut had to physically present herself as a man to regain the respect she was losing. And yet still, in this society where women are treated as second, Hatshepsut was able to climb to the top and will be remembered so, even after the men tried to wipe her face from all the pictures of her as king.
The author made this very easy to read and while there are a lot of facts that are not known, she offers up researched and informed suggestions on how these people may have felt and behaved thousands of years ago.
Having limited knowledge of Egyptian history I loved finding out about royal life, the systems of the pharaohs, the religion and the daily life of these people.
The author obviously had great respect for the woman she was writing about and you cant but help be sucked into it, admiring and rooting for Hatshepsut too. I loved learning about her life and how far she was able to rise. What I found most incredibly frustrating was that even thousands of years ago women were still downtrodden and treated dreadfully to the point that Hatshepsut had to physically present herself as a man to regain the respect she was losing. And yet still, in this society where women are treated as second, Hatshepsut was able to climb to the top and will be remembered so, even after the men tried to wipe her face from all the pictures of her as king.
informative
medium-paced
It was mostly speculative, since there’s not enough evidence to support the author’s claims one way or another - as she says multiple times throughout the book. It’s well written and reads like a narrative, I’m just not convinced I learned anything concrete.
informative
slow-paced
I tried and failed at reading this. The story has just too few actual facts and the events happened too long ago.
The description of the ancient society was interesting but generally the pace of the book is slow and arduous for someone who is not really interested in ancient Egyptian history. Was too hard to read for me.
The description of the ancient society was interesting but generally the pace of the book is slow and arduous for someone who is not really interested in ancient Egyptian history. Was too hard to read for me.
informative
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
First off, despite my great affection for this book, I will admit it is not light reading at all. If you’re in the mood for a biographical novelization type of book, this isn't exactly it, close but not quite. All that aside, the book is fascinating and thorough. The author has a long background in the subject matter, and her extensive use of end notes and huge bibliography make me feel like she did ample research and can be trusted as an expert on the subject. Cooney makes a point to explain, not only as much as possible about the life of Hatshepsut, but also about ancient Egypt, including the quality of life, and especially ideologies and beliefs of the day. My favorite thing was Cooney’s ability to write in such a way that made me feel like I knew Hatshepsut and it made me sad to read about the destruction of her monuments and her name long after her death. I think Cooney was able to do this because, to me, it seemed like she had a....I don’t know if fondness is the right word, but she definitely had respect for Hatshepsut and all that she fought to achieve and accomplish. Cooney had evidence behind all of her claims and she addressed counter-arguments to her own very well.
Definitely recommend this one!
Definitely recommend this one!
Come on now. Rewrite this. Accept that it's a short book. Write it. Get it out there. But it's repetitive information paragraph after paragraph and the author should try very hard to take themselves out of the writing. The book reads like a White Anglo Saxon review of an ancient culture which would have been acceptable in 1800's England, but not today. There is judgment in each page.
Spoilers.
There's this awesome woman who did amazing things in Egypt that was available to her but would never have been available in a Western civilization. Her attachment to the gods as a Priestess of Amen placed her above her peers, and she rose to the role of King. Not Queen--King. She was the King of Egypt. That's awesome. Let' celebrate that. Let's say what we know, and acknowledge what we think. But let's exit our view of history.
Spoilers.
There's this awesome woman who did amazing things in Egypt that was available to her but would never have been available in a Western civilization. Her attachment to the gods as a Priestess of Amen placed her above her peers, and she rose to the role of King. Not Queen--King. She was the King of Egypt. That's awesome. Let' celebrate that. Let's say what we know, and acknowledge what we think. But let's exit our view of history.