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beejai's review against another edition
2.0
Yawn.
Pauline Gedge did a horrible job of bringing the reader into what is one of the most fascinating of historical periods. This in itself is quite an accomplishing considering how enthralling the time period is all by itself. I never enjoyed Thu as the main. She was a petulant child, and just as one dimensional as the rest of the characters.
The second star is because there were few blatantly off cultural or timeline errors. Gedge can't write a novel, but at least she can fact check. Feel free to skip this one. I sure wish I did.
Pauline Gedge did a horrible job of bringing the reader into what is one of the most fascinating of historical periods. This in itself is quite an accomplishing considering how enthralling the time period is all by itself. I never enjoyed Thu as the main. She was a petulant child, and just as one dimensional as the rest of the characters.
The second star is because there were few blatantly off cultural or timeline errors. Gedge can't write a novel, but at least she can fact check. Feel free to skip this one. I sure wish I did.
lisa_setepenre's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, I loved this!
I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it this much, since I don't have a strong interest in Rameses III and had heard reports that the narrator-protagonist, Lady Thu, was unlikable and unpleasant. I didn't have an issue with Thu herself, because while she did unlikable things and was presumptuous, she remained likeable.
I must have a thing for Gedge's pharaohs, because the Rameses III makes three out of three of her pharaohs I've fallen in love with, though this Rameses is more human and fallible than Amenhotep III and Rameses II. Though, this is probably because we got to see more of him.
While the ending did strike me as unfair, I don't think it's out of character. Thu has always been a character with great flights of fancy, and, particularly as she has lost so much, I wouldn't be surprised if she died on her deathbed dreaming of being rescued by Rameses.
Based on the little knowledge I have of this period, I'd say that the story jives well with historical knowledge. Even the very recent discovery that Rameses III's throat was cut could fit well within the story Gedge presents us. I don't know how it works in the sequel, [b:House of Illusions|1182858|House of Illusions|Pauline Gedge|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181707042s/1182858.jpg|1764312], though I'm dying to find out.
I wasn't really expecting to enjoy it this much, since I don't have a strong interest in Rameses III and had heard reports that the narrator-protagonist, Lady Thu, was unlikable and unpleasant. I didn't have an issue with Thu herself, because while she did unlikable things and was presumptuous, she remained likeable.
I must have a thing for Gedge's pharaohs, because the Rameses III makes three out of three of her pharaohs I've fallen in love with, though this Rameses is more human and fallible than Amenhotep III and Rameses II. Though, this is probably because we got to see more of him.
While the ending did strike me as unfair, I don't think it's out of character. Thu has always been a character with great flights of fancy, and, particularly as she has lost so much, I wouldn't be surprised if she died on her deathbed dreaming of being rescued by Rameses.
Based on the little knowledge I have of this period, I'd say that the story jives well with historical knowledge. Even the very recent discovery that Rameses III's throat was cut could fit well within the story Gedge presents us. I don't know how it works in the sequel, [b:House of Illusions|1182858|House of Illusions|Pauline Gedge|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181707042s/1182858.jpg|1764312], though I'm dying to find out.
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