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mari1532's review against another edition
4.0
Brief Summary: This book examines the biographies and legacies of six women who ruled Ancient Egypt: Merneith (consort and regent in the First Dynasty), Neferusobek (Pharoh of the Twelfth Dynasty), Hatshepsut (consort and Pharoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty), Nefertiti (consort of the Eighteenth Dynasty), Tawosret (Pharoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty) and Cleopatra VII (Pharoh of Ptolemy Dynasty).
Thoughts: I had listened to Cooney's Great Courses on women in Ancient Egypt and was excited to dive into this book. I enjoyed it immensely. My favourite was the section focused on Nefertiti, who of the six women discussed is probably the second most recognizable. However, I did not know a great deal about her story. Cooney does an excellent job of discussing the known biographical information of Nefertiti as well as the new research concerning what may have happened to her after the death of her spouse. It is always fascinating to learn about new research.
I also enjoyed the discussion of Cleopatra. I think one of the things that is most difficult to remember when learning about Cleopatra in particular is that she was the loser of a conflict and as a result much of what we know about her is through the patriarchal and xenophobic Roman Generals who defeated her. As a result, Cooney's approach to discussing Cleopatra as a successful ruler was refreshing and a counterbalance to many of the sources from the period in which Cleopatra lived.
I will say that the thing I liked least about this book was how it kept linking the lack of favour for female rule in Ancient periods to today. I think that it was fine to draw that line in the introduction, but it felt a little repetitive after a while. Also, it is difficult to make historical figures out to be proto-feminists, which it did feel like Cooney was trying to argue in certain areas throughout the book. That is not to say that some of the six women discussed did not do things for the women in their societies, but I think it would be a leap to say that their use of power improved the lives of all women within society.
If you are interested in female rulers, Ancient Egypt, or history more generally this is an interesting read that will encourage you to seek out more information.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Colonisation, War, and Classism
kloughlin's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Incest
Moderate: Death, Suicide, and War
Minor: Infidelity, Abortion, and Murder
fkshg8465's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and War
melodyseestrees's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Incest
Moderate: Infertility, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Murder
semeyers's review
4.0
I have always been interested in Ancient Egypt, so finding a book that focused on it's powerful women was right up my alley. I was invested from the start and did learn a lot about ancient Egyptian culture, rule, the role of women in the society, and how they were able to rise to power to begin with. I did not know that most women rulers of Egypt were actually considered true Kings, that sacrifice was so rife in early Egyptian burials, nor had I ever heard of Neferusobek or Meritneith. This book did inspire me to check out more books on ancient Egypt, including the author's other book, The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt.
However, the author's interjections did wear me down. I went in knowing there would be relating of ancient Egypt to modern politics, but it could have been done much more smoothly. Instead of working it within the beginning or end of a chapter or, better yet, dedicating a final chapter entirely too it, the author ends up throwing in comparisons here and there in each chapter. The effect is jarring, threw me off every time it happened, and by Chapter 4 or 5 I was getting annoyed. In addition, the author references many very specific political instances relating to the 2016 election which have quickly dated the book. Even listening in 2021, the book seemed "old" to me as many of the - again, very specific - instances she referenced have quickly faded from the zeitgeist.
Overall, I do recommend this book! Just know what you are going into!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, and Incest
mariakureads's review against another edition
3.0
In some cases I could see what she meant and in others, it felt more as if the author was driving her opinion on to the book which changed the flow of the paragraph for me.
Overall, I enjoyed how this book highlighted these six women, provided their backgrounds and story, even if it was still unclear as Egyptologists are still uncovering more so I'm very intrigued by what the book provided as a starting point of interest.
I do wish that some of what was mentioned in the footnotes were actually part of the book as it could have helped highlight certain moments as to why there is uncertainty within the community as to what were the events that lead certain moments to be written as such.
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Murder