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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 was terribly excited to finally read this book, though in the back of my mind there was a nagging suspicion that the author was familiar and I should recognize the name. Ignoring that feeling, I happily began reading, only to be disappointed almost immediately with the historical-fiction-like start to the book. So, I took a gander at the back inside cover and there she was, and I suddenly knew why I should have recognized the name: she was the same inane host of the 'Out of Egypt' series I'd suffered through a few months back. Cooney was a terrible host and she's not a great writer.
Hatshepsut herself is fascinating, if only there was a way we could know more about her. Unfortunately she was all but erased from history by Thutmose III. Unfortunately also, Cooney's writing leaves much to be desired, as the presentation of what few facts we do know falls far short of this great King's reign.
As much as I really want to know more about Hatshepsut and her reign, there was far more conjecture here than should be allowed when one is wanting to publish a non-fiction text. And truly, if that's the case, the book probably shouldn't be published if there is so little factual information to go on.
Hatshepsut herself is fascinating, if only there was a way we could know more about her. Unfortunately she was all but erased from history by Thutmose III. Unfortunately also, Cooney's writing leaves much to be desired, as the presentation of what few facts we do know falls far short of this great King's reign.
As much as I really want to know more about Hatshepsut and her reign, there was far more conjecture here than should be allowed when one is wanting to publish a non-fiction text. And truly, if that's the case, the book probably shouldn't be published if there is so little factual information to go on.
What a fascinating woman! Hatshepsut's life is totally worthy of biography, and the fact that she isn't a household name like, say, Cleopatra and Boudicca, is a real shame. She deserves to be.
This book is surprisingly readable and thoroughly human. Cooney really tries to get to the real woman behind all the grandiose monuments and relentless "ideological gymnastics" (that term amused me), discussing how she would have viewed the world and trying to understand her motivations and beliefs and relationships.
Of course, the inevitable result of this is that there is a lot of inference and speculation made in places, but whilst some people take issue with it, I found it really added to the heart of it all, and allowed us to connect with Hatshepsut (in what would otherwise have been a rather dry scholarly assessment of her reign based purely on the minimal surviving evidence). Plus Cooney makes it very clear in the introduction that this would be necessary - and explains her justifications.
I did think this edition could have been laid out better, like with chapter titles at the top of pages, and maybe sub-headers within chapters - to help navigation of what is otherwise block text. But perhaps other editions improve on this.
The most eye opening part for me was actually the conclusion, which pointed out that Hatshepsut is pretty much the only woman to ever achieve any real power in the ancient world (which really puts her achievements in perspective). Plus the discussion of how societies view powerful women - both in Ancient Egypt and the modern day. I actually wish this section had gone into more depth as it was very interesting and insightful.
This book is surprisingly readable and thoroughly human. Cooney really tries to get to the real woman behind all the grandiose monuments and relentless "ideological gymnastics" (that term amused me), discussing how she would have viewed the world and trying to understand her motivations and beliefs and relationships.
Of course, the inevitable result of this is that there is a lot of inference and speculation made in places, but whilst some people take issue with it, I found it really added to the heart of it all, and allowed us to connect with Hatshepsut (in what would otherwise have been a rather dry scholarly assessment of her reign based purely on the minimal surviving evidence). Plus Cooney makes it very clear in the introduction that this would be necessary - and explains her justifications.
I did think this edition could have been laid out better, like with chapter titles at the top of pages, and maybe sub-headers within chapters - to help navigation of what is otherwise block text. But perhaps other editions improve on this.
The most eye opening part for me was actually the conclusion, which pointed out that Hatshepsut is pretty much the only woman to ever achieve any real power in the ancient world (which really puts her achievements in perspective). Plus the discussion of how societies view powerful women - both in Ancient Egypt and the modern day. I actually wish this section had gone into more depth as it was very interesting and insightful.
I started listening to the audiobook back in September after first learning about Hatshepsut in an intro to art history course. It was definitely a long haul (despite its relatively low number of pages compared to other nonfiction books I've encountered) - I'll blame that on my busy life as a college student. What intrigued me most about The Woman Who Would Be King is Cooney's explanation for why Hatshepsut is not as well-known as other female leaders, such as Cleopatra. Hatshepsut's reign was greatly successful, during a time of peace and considerable prosperity, therefore, there is no 'tragedy' for us to remember her by.
Hatshepsut embodied the idea of the woman as a powerful facilitator in the continuance of a dynastic bloodline, while also causing contemporary scholars to view her as stealing the role of king from her nephew. Dr. Cooney questions these notions, asking why powerful women through history have been seen as dangerous or manipulative, even when they may have been making choices that were simply best for their people. My major critique of this is that this major theme could have been emphasized more consistently throughout the book. The middle section was the hardest to get through, since all of the details surrounding Hatshepsut and her nephew's co-regency did not always feel relevant to the overarching intention of the writing.
But, what's most interesting about Hatshepsut is the lack of solid evidence there is about her life (more than other historical figures, likely). Many of her sculptures were destroyed, and the mundane details of the life of a living deity were not recorded. I'm fascinated by how the author took this into account. She shapes a story that, although rooted in real information, also forms speculations about what Hatshepsut might have been experiencing or feeling. Listening to the audiobook (which was read by the author), I could hear in her voice the high amount of respect and appreciation Kara Cooney has for Hatshepsut. On one hand, I want to be critical of this, since likely this shaped the writing into one of praise for the Egyptian king rather than presenting information from a neutral perspective. However, I also love the book for it - as I mentioned earlier, it puts into question our historical narratives surrounding female power. So, I think I'm actually in favor of this approach to writing. The questions Cooney raises and the appreciation she expresses create a far more interesting book than I would have expected otherwise.
Hatshepsut embodied the idea of the woman as a powerful facilitator in the continuance of a dynastic bloodline, while also causing contemporary scholars to view her as stealing the role of king from her nephew. Dr. Cooney questions these notions, asking why powerful women through history have been seen as dangerous or manipulative, even when they may have been making choices that were simply best for their people. My major critique of this is that this major theme could have been emphasized more consistently throughout the book. The middle section was the hardest to get through, since all of the details surrounding Hatshepsut and her nephew's co-regency did not always feel relevant to the overarching intention of the writing.
But, what's most interesting about Hatshepsut is the lack of solid evidence there is about her life (more than other historical figures, likely). Many of her sculptures were destroyed, and the mundane details of the life of a living deity were not recorded. I'm fascinated by how the author took this into account. She shapes a story that, although rooted in real information, also forms speculations about what Hatshepsut might have been experiencing or feeling. Listening to the audiobook (which was read by the author), I could hear in her voice the high amount of respect and appreciation Kara Cooney has for Hatshepsut. On one hand, I want to be critical of this, since likely this shaped the writing into one of praise for the Egyptian king rather than presenting information from a neutral perspective. However, I also love the book for it - as I mentioned earlier, it puts into question our historical narratives surrounding female power. So, I think I'm actually in favor of this approach to writing. The questions Cooney raises and the appreciation she expresses create a far more interesting book than I would have expected otherwise.
4.5/5 stars - What I appreciate the most about this book is, first of all, the intriguing and well-told story of Hatshepsut, but second of all, the way Kara Cooney writes this to be purposefully accessible to a lot of readers who may not read a ton on nonfiction (me!) or may not know the historical context to rituals and the rulership of ancient Egypt (also me). Just before this, I had tried to read a biography of Cleopatra, and I was often confused or a bit lost on why things worked the way they did in ancient Egypt. Kara Cooney makes sure to go to the effort of explaining what ceremonies and rituals looked like, why they performed them, what the significance was to the people of the time, and how the passing of power happened from one king to the next.
These are all very significant parts of Hatshepsut's story. Indeed, they are why there is a story to tell in the first place. The context Cooney provides is crucial while never feeling like it's dragging along. Excluding the notes, the book is under 250 pages. Kara Cooney does all of that while providing context before and after Hatshepsut's life, what happened before her birth and what was done to her legacy after she died. All the while, the story never drags or is encumbered with unnecessary information and tells a complete and compelling story of the longest reigning female pharaoh of Egypt.
These are all very significant parts of Hatshepsut's story. Indeed, they are why there is a story to tell in the first place. The context Cooney provides is crucial while never feeling like it's dragging along. Excluding the notes, the book is under 250 pages. Kara Cooney does all of that while providing context before and after Hatshepsut's life, what happened before her birth and what was done to her legacy after she died. All the while, the story never drags or is encumbered with unnecessary information and tells a complete and compelling story of the longest reigning female pharaoh of Egypt.
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Moderate: Incest, Misogyny
Engrossing and informative. It becomes slightly repetitive in the second half, but that feels like the nature of things as so much of what is known is conjecture. Nevertheless, an intriguing look at one of Egypt's great kings.
A lucid and fascinating history occasionally marred by Cooney’s insistence on speculating about Hatshepsut’s personal feelings without evidence. “Mommy guilt”? Please.
This was an interesting history lesson and commentary about female rulers. I enjoyed how the author acknowledged that we don’t have as much information as we might want about ancient events, people, and politics, so she had to speculate on public opinion or interpersonal relationships. Her interpretations made sense and I think painted a good picture alongside the more concrete story that archeologists have uncovered. Some of this basically has to be fanfiction and guesswork because we sadly don’t have personal journals that walk through everything that ever happened. It brings up thought-provoking ideas about what ancient Egyptians were willing to put in writing and architecture and how much individuality is lost to history. I wouldn’t call this historical fiction, but if it was written in that way, I’d like that too.
It was written well and humanized people that we’ll never meet or hear from directly. It’s entirely possible that what really happened in Hatshepsut’s head can’t be discovered, but chronicling her life and achievements in this way still felt important. The lack of confirmation about what happened behind closed doors makes me want to look deeper and hope there’s something there. I think that’s how the author feels too which is why she constantly theorizes and gives many historical figures the benefit of the doubt. The child in me who loves ancient Egyptian mythology and history appreciated this. I learned a lot about things I had never heard of, and it was fun to hear how gender performance, sex, politics, and religion influenced each other in this period. Going through everything from her father’s position as king to her mummification and the destruction of many of her statues after her death gave me a stronger understanding of their culture. It’s very impressive to read about what Hatshepsut did to rise to power, and I’d recommend it.
It was written well and humanized people that we’ll never meet or hear from directly. It’s entirely possible that what really happened in Hatshepsut’s head can’t be discovered, but chronicling her life and achievements in this way still felt important. The lack of confirmation about what happened behind closed doors makes me want to look deeper and hope there’s something there. I think that’s how the author feels too which is why she constantly theorizes and gives many historical figures the benefit of the doubt. The child in me who loves ancient Egyptian mythology and history appreciated this. I learned a lot about things I had never heard of, and it was fun to hear how gender performance, sex, politics, and religion influenced each other in this period. Going through everything from her father’s position as king to her mummification and the destruction of many of her statues after her death gave me a stronger understanding of their culture. It’s very impressive to read about what Hatshepsut did to rise to power, and I’d recommend it.
“through all of antiquity…history records only one female ruler who successfully negotiated a systemic rise to power—without assassinations or coups—during a time of peace, who formally labeled herself with the highest position known in government, and who ruled for a significant stretch of time: Hatshepsut.”
“The challenges Hatshepsut faced and the sacrifices she made are familiar to powerful women of the twenty-first century: balancing the personal and the political, overcoming stereotypes of hysterical and unbalanced femininity, and making compromises never asked of powerful men.”
i learned so much from reading this book and am more than likely to read it again someday.
“The challenges Hatshepsut faced and the sacrifices she made are familiar to powerful women of the twenty-first century: balancing the personal and the political, overcoming stereotypes of hysterical and unbalanced femininity, and making compromises never asked of powerful men.”
i learned so much from reading this book and am more than likely to read it again someday.
Interesting book about Hatshepsut, a very powerful ancient king, the first woman to have this much power in Egypt, her rise to power, and the eventual attempted dismanteling of her legacy by her coregent and nephew, Thutmose III.