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mrsj_readsbooks's review
4.0
This is a must have if you are at all interested in Egyptian History. Each chapter begins with a fictional look into the lives of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. I found these snippets into everyday life fascinating. John and Colleen offer a behind the scenes look into the life of King Tut’s parents. I will be adding a trip to Egypt to my bucket list
hagiasophia's review against another edition
3.75
I learned a lot and the book was very easy to read. However, I was unclear on the timeline of events, and we focused more on individual archaeological finds rather than bigger picture ideas. I understand that this is partly because there is so much we don't know, and also that both authors are archaeologists, so their emphasis tends to be on material remains. I would have enjoyed more discussions of the theology of the time, and a bit more background on Egyptian religion and culture to help situate Akhenaten and Nefertiti in the broader scope of ancient Egyptian history.
tahlia__nerds_out's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
2.5
I have mixed feelings about 2022’s “Egypt’s Golden Couple: When Akhenaten & Nefertiti Were Gods On Earth”. Each chapter begins with an annoying & unnecessary fictional short that feels like padding. The focus on art is fascinating, but the authors tend to make sweeping statements without consistently proving them or disproving conflicting theories. I didn’t like it as much as the 1998 ”The Murder of Tutankhamen” by Bob Brier, Ph.D; I look forward to seeing how the 2023 ”Pharaohs of the Sun” by Guy de la Bédoyère compares.
shannasbooksnhooks's review
adventurous
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Art treasure the bust of Nefertiti certainly is, but key to unlocking Nefertiti's secrets, even a mirror of her actual appearance, it is not.
This was a fun biography of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, rulers of ancient Egypt who lived 3,000 years ago. And the title really speaks to what their rule was: "gods on earth." John Darnell and Colleen Manassa Darnell, an Egyptologist power couple, really do a good job breaking down the rule of Akhenaten with Nefertiti at his side. Akhenaten is often heralded as the first ruler to set up a monotheistic religion in a traditionally polytheistic kingdom, but thanks to the Darnells' look at Akhenaten's life and reign, we also get an in-depth look at where Akhenaten's "monotheism" stemmed from and if it could truly be labeled as a "monotheistic" religion. And by the end of the book, we get the end of Akhenaten's reign, the transition to the reign of his son, Tutankhamun (originally Tutankhaten), and the end of Akhenaten's "cult" of Aten, the sun disk. It did feel like it had a few unnecessarily lengthy parts, but I did overall enjoy this book. (Maybe I need the physical copy now given I have the audiobook and ebook...)
This was a fun biography of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, rulers of ancient Egypt who lived 3,000 years ago. And the title really speaks to what their rule was: "gods on earth." John Darnell and Colleen Manassa Darnell, an Egyptologist power couple, really do a good job breaking down the rule of Akhenaten with Nefertiti at his side. Akhenaten is often heralded as the first ruler to set up a monotheistic religion in a traditionally polytheistic kingdom, but thanks to the Darnells' look at Akhenaten's life and reign, we also get an in-depth look at where Akhenaten's "monotheism" stemmed from and if it could truly be labeled as a "monotheistic" religion. And by the end of the book, we get the end of Akhenaten's reign, the transition to the reign of his son, Tutankhamun (originally Tutankhaten), and the end of Akhenaten's "cult" of Aten, the sun disk. It did feel like it had a few unnecessarily lengthy parts, but I did overall enjoy this book. (Maybe I need the physical copy now given I have the audiobook and ebook...)
adkwriter15's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.25
It's been a while since I've sunk into a good Ancient Egypt nonfiction, and I was excited to see two of my favorite rulers get a new book. The book is primarily about what we know and how we know it, which is not always the case in books covering history. In particular, they walk through hieroglyph translations in a really fascinating way that certainly would have worked better in the print book. For that element alone, I highly recommend reading instead of listening to this, as I did. There are some odd elements, like fictional recreations of scenes (which, fine, I guess) and also somewhat irregular moments of the Darnells themselves on their travels, wrapped around the otherwise standard nonfiction text. Some people may enjoy these moments more than me, but perhaps I've gotten stuffy about not wanting the fictional recreations to muddle how I'm thinking about the information myself. The audiobook narration felt a little dry to me, and in some places she mispronounced words, which threw me off. In some sections, I zoned right out, and in others I was very taken in. Take that with a grain of salt, though, because my inability to concentrate probably also has to do that I listened to the bulk of this while waiting for a root canal appointment and wasn't really all there. I imagine that a fan of this historical period will enjoy this--just read it to get a better experience than the audiobook.
caidyn's review
medium-paced
2.75
Oh, this book annoyed me so much. One of my biggest pet peeves with nonfiction is when they have some huge narrative about what happened/what was said or felt by someone when we have no proof of it. And this book had chapters that were mainly dialogue between Akhenaten and Nefertiti or their children or ceremonies they did. I found myself skimming for that reason, so I barely picked up any of the actual history I picked the book up for.
enchantressreads's review
I’m not sure why I requested this ARC, because this is not for me at all. The authors put so much work into this book, and it would be rude of me to give it a bad review or rating.