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lizzieaxxe's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
geolatin's review against another edition
5.0
I first read this when I was 13 or 14 and loved it. Now, several decades later, it holds up to my fond memories. This is fun to read in conjunction with "Mara, Daughter of the Nile", because it's more or less the same story from 2 different perspectives.
firerosearien's review
4.0
Wonderfully evokes Ancient Egypt, although some plot points strain credulity.
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
3.0
The language of this is so poetic. "The night folded around them with a sweetness and poignancy heightened by the new pale stars that prickled silver fire in the water of the lily ponds, by the scented winds, and by the nearness of each other." Wow! Lovely.
Gedge is vivid in her descriptions of the ancient land and the lifestyle. Her narrative is rich and beautiful. Conversely, this could also cause the story to drag a bit. And while some things are richly defined, other moments (like the raising of Hatshepsut's two oblieseks) were vague and hard to clearly see in your mind's eye. There was also no clear definition of time, place, or family written into the story. Time transitions were poor and a bit confusing.
The other thing the author does is shift the point of view quickly. At one moment you're seeing things in Hatshepsut's mind, but then it switches to her father's point of view without warning, and then it switches to his viser's, etc. It was hard to follow sometimes.
Overall, this story is based on the known history of the time. While now-a-days some of these thoughts are now known to be inaccurate, all historical novels are in danger of falling into this trap, so you cannot fault the book because of this. Its a good story of a strong woman who easily shows others what a real women is made of. She's smart, vibrant, and strong in body and spirit. Its a story with a strong female protagonist leading the journey. Its a good story which unfortunately got a little slow here and there. Nice story and well written but a little too much conversation.
Gedge is vivid in her descriptions of the ancient land and the lifestyle. Her narrative is rich and beautiful. Conversely, this could also cause the story to drag a bit. And while some things are richly defined, other moments (like the raising of Hatshepsut's two oblieseks) were vague and hard to clearly see in your mind's eye. There was also no clear definition of time, place, or family written into the story. Time transitions were poor and a bit confusing.
The other thing the author does is shift the point of view quickly. At one moment you're seeing things in Hatshepsut's mind, but then it switches to her father's point of view without warning, and then it switches to his viser's, etc. It was hard to follow sometimes.
Overall, this story is based on the known history of the time. While now-a-days some of these thoughts are now known to be inaccurate, all historical novels are in danger of falling into this trap, so you cannot fault the book because of this. Its a good story of a strong woman who easily shows others what a real women is made of. She's smart, vibrant, and strong in body and spirit. Its a story with a strong female protagonist leading the journey. Its a good story which unfortunately got a little slow here and there. Nice story and well written but a little too much conversation.
emileaf626's review against another edition
2.0
This book didn't hold my attention well. It can't be easy to make something like ancient Egypt that uninteresting.
This would obviously be the fault of the publisher rather than the author, but the ebook copy I read was full of typos. Periods in the middle of sentences. Multiple sentences lacking any punctuation at all. Random misspellings were scattered throughout the book, including spelling Hatshepsut as Hafshepsut, and God as Cod.
I initially read this book because of the introduction by Michelle Moran, who is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I recommend skipping this book altogether, and reading Moran instead.
This would obviously be the fault of the publisher rather than the author, but the ebook copy I read was full of typos. Periods in the middle of sentences. Multiple sentences lacking any punctuation at all. Random misspellings were scattered throughout the book, including spelling Hatshepsut as Hafshepsut, and God as Cod.
I initially read this book because of the introduction by Michelle Moran, who is one of my favorite historical fiction authors. I recommend skipping this book altogether, and reading Moran instead.
muddler's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
5.0
In all honestly, I'm not too fussed on Hatshepsut, but this made me love her . Okay, she did come across as a little too good to be true at some points, but Gedge really made me love her.
One of the things I really adored is the complexity in the relationships Gedge creates. While some Egyptologists love the idea of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut hating each other as bitter rivals and Child of the Morning does, to a degree, conform to this, the relationship between the two rivals is marked by a great deal of affection, even love.
Another thing I have to mention is the relationship between Hatshepsut and Senmut – it's a thing of incredible beauty.
I don't agree with all of the decisions Gedge made, particularly that ending, but it's an amazing, amazing read that I loved every page of.
One of the things I really adored is the complexity in the relationships Gedge creates. While some Egyptologists love the idea of Thutmose III and Hatshepsut hating each other as bitter rivals and Child of the Morning does, to a degree, conform to this, the relationship between the two rivals is marked by a great deal of affection, even love.
Another thing I have to mention is the relationship between Hatshepsut and Senmut – it's a thing of incredible beauty.
I don't agree with all of the decisions Gedge made, particularly that ending, but it's an amazing, amazing read that I loved every page of.
vegancleopatra's review
3.0
I found this novel difficult to judge. It is 2.5 stars for me. Something felt missing from the book and I could not quite put my finger on it. The characters felt as though they were at a distance, I never felt a full grasp of them or cared very much for them. The shifting viewpoints took away from the story in my opinion, it would have been better told simply from someone close to Hatshepsut or from Hatshepsut’s viewpoint only.
The novel was originally written in 1977, which leaves a great deal of time since them for archeologists to discover more facts about Hatshepsut and her reign. I do wonder what Gedge actually had to work with at the time, I feel it would give me greater ability to judge the novel. As it is, the novel felt incomplete in a way--perhaps due to lack of inclusions Gedge should have made or Gedge's inability to replace what history has not left us (or what we have yet to discover).
I found out after reading the novel that Gedge wrote this novel in a very short period of time, in less than two months. I dare say that could have contributed to what I felt was missing. At times you did feel as though Gedge took a fact from history and simply inserted it even if it did not flow with the story.
A few things really bothered me about the novel. For instance, there were no dates given in the novel whatsoever. This was very annoying, as the time frame of Hatshepsut is known (at least general dates). Time passed without mention except to say "two years later" and such without any smooth transition in my opinion. It left you feeling like there was a gap, such as Gedge not having any historical events in which to include. It could have been handled more smoothly.
Also, there were no maps, family lineage, time frames or anything of the such included in the book. I wonder if the most recently published book differs in this capacity. I also wonder if Gedge altered anything to improve the novel in terms of what has been discovered since 1977?
BTW, the figure on the cover of this particular edition is from the Fourth Dynasty, Hatshepsut is from the EIGHTEENTH Dynasty. Very frustrating! This individual is NOT Hatshepsut and there is only about a thousand years between them. *sigh* Don't do such things publishers, I'm sure there was something better available at the time.
The novel was originally written in 1977, which leaves a great deal of time since them for archeologists to discover more facts about Hatshepsut and her reign. I do wonder what Gedge actually had to work with at the time, I feel it would give me greater ability to judge the novel. As it is, the novel felt incomplete in a way--perhaps due to lack of inclusions Gedge should have made or Gedge's inability to replace what history has not left us (or what we have yet to discover).
I found out after reading the novel that Gedge wrote this novel in a very short period of time, in less than two months. I dare say that could have contributed to what I felt was missing. At times you did feel as though Gedge took a fact from history and simply inserted it even if it did not flow with the story.
A few things really bothered me about the novel. For instance, there were no dates given in the novel whatsoever. This was very annoying, as the time frame of Hatshepsut is known (at least general dates). Time passed without mention except to say "two years later" and such without any smooth transition in my opinion. It left you feeling like there was a gap, such as Gedge not having any historical events in which to include. It could have been handled more smoothly.
Also, there were no maps, family lineage, time frames or anything of the such included in the book. I wonder if the most recently published book differs in this capacity. I also wonder if Gedge altered anything to improve the novel in terms of what has been discovered since 1977?
BTW, the figure on the cover of this particular edition is from the Fourth Dynasty, Hatshepsut is from the EIGHTEENTH Dynasty. Very frustrating! This individual is NOT Hatshepsut and there is only about a thousand years between them. *sigh* Don't do such things publishers, I'm sure there was something better available at the time.