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berenikeasteria's review against another edition
5.0
Of all Gedge’s novels, this is possibly the series where she changes the most, historically. This book, and the sequel, are based on the harem plot to murder Ramesses III (detailed in the Turin papyrus). Don't open the spoiler link if you don't want to known what happened historically versus what happens in the book.
Generally speaking, I prefer my historical fiction to be as accurate as possible, but my primary concern is always whether or not a story is well-written, and Pauline Gedge always writes a darn good book. She’s one of those consistently good authors who I know is always going to provide me with an exceptional read. As per usual, Gedge’s sheer mastery over the English, her flair and inventive usage was delightful and a pleasure to read. Somehow Gedge always creates unexpected and surprising plot twists too, even though she writes historical fiction and I’m aware of the historical facts. Thu, Hui, and the other characters are perfectly formed – deep, subtle, complex characters revealed piece by piece through show rather than tell. And Gedge’s novels always feel authentic even when she changes details – or later research contradicts what she wrote – because she does her research, she recreates all the ambiguity and complexity of real life instead of glossing over and simplifying the story, and Gedge, more than any other author I’ve ever read, understands the zeitgeist of ancient Egypt and the way ancient Egyptians thought about themselves and the world.
Thu in particular is remarkably appealing – I wasn’t sure, before I started reading, if Gedge, much as I trust her consistent good work, could really write a book with someone who, historically, was a conspirator to murder, as the protagonist and make me empathise with her character. Well, she can. Thu aspires for a better life than the obvious path laid out for her and the circumstances she is born into. She has ambition to improve her lot and she wants more from life. When life’s luxuries are handed to her on a plate, like anyone who’s been through hardship, can we really blame her for seizing them and revelling in them? Who hasn’t dreamed of winning the lottery? Thu is incredibly human. She callously steps on others to achieve these dreams of a better life, and it’s reprehensible, but as a reader there’s a mixture of horror at what she does and identifying with her aspirations. Even Thu’s most reprehensible acts are driven by understandable emotions and the bad things that happen to her, and whilst most of us probably wouldn’t act as she does, I think the basic emotions of hurt, betrayal, and desperation are the same. Thu’s distress feels palpable. She aspires to universal dreams, and is betrayed by those she trusts and abandoned by those she loves. I didn’t quite root for her in the same way I did for Hatshepsut in Child of the Morning, Tiye in The Twelfth Transforming, Caradoc in The Eagle and the Raven, and Ahmose, Kamose, and Aahmes-Nefertari in Lords of the Two Lands, but I wanted her to succeed in creating a better life for herself, and I understood and sympathised with her. The story is definitely a tragedy, written in raw emotion.
Pauline Gedge definitely reigns supreme over ancient Egypt historical fiction. Endorsed by a bona fide Egyptologist :) .
10 out of 10
Spoiler
Recent re-examinations of Ramesses’ mummy have revealed that his throat was indeed cut. The perpetrators, Tiye, her teenaged son by the pharaoh, Pentaweres, and a whole host of administrative and bureaucratic officials, seemingly succeed in their plan to assassinate Ramesses, but not to put Pentaweres on the throne – the next pharaoh was Ramesses IV, another of Ramesses III’s sons – and were put on trial, executed, or ordered to take their own lives. In The Lady of the Reeds, also known as House of Dreams, Thu is a half-Libyan peasant girl plucked from her village life, where she chafes and dreams of achieving great things in life, and educated and trained to become one of Ramesses III’s concubines. Her star rises high, but plummets when she becomes pregnant and Ramesses cruelly casts her aside. In sheer desperation she plots with her sponsor, Hui, and his friends, to murder Ramesses, but the pharaoh survives and Thu is sentenced to die, abandoned by her so called friends, until by Ramesses’ mercy she is allowed to live and condemned to live out the rest of her life in squalid service to her home village’s local temple.Generally speaking, I prefer my historical fiction to be as accurate as possible, but my primary concern is always whether or not a story is well-written, and Pauline Gedge always writes a darn good book. She’s one of those consistently good authors who I know is always going to provide me with an exceptional read. As per usual, Gedge’s sheer mastery over the English, her flair and inventive usage was delightful and a pleasure to read. Somehow Gedge always creates unexpected and surprising plot twists too, even though she writes historical fiction and I’m aware of the historical facts. Thu, Hui, and the other characters are perfectly formed – deep, subtle, complex characters revealed piece by piece through show rather than tell. And Gedge’s novels always feel authentic even when she changes details – or later research contradicts what she wrote – because she does her research, she recreates all the ambiguity and complexity of real life instead of glossing over and simplifying the story, and Gedge, more than any other author I’ve ever read, understands the zeitgeist of ancient Egypt and the way ancient Egyptians thought about themselves and the world.
Thu in particular is remarkably appealing – I wasn’t sure, before I started reading, if Gedge, much as I trust her consistent good work, could really write a book with someone who, historically, was a conspirator to murder, as the protagonist and make me empathise with her character. Well, she can. Thu aspires for a better life than the obvious path laid out for her and the circumstances she is born into. She has ambition to improve her lot and she wants more from life. When life’s luxuries are handed to her on a plate, like anyone who’s been through hardship, can we really blame her for seizing them and revelling in them? Who hasn’t dreamed of winning the lottery? Thu is incredibly human. She callously steps on others to achieve these dreams of a better life, and it’s reprehensible, but as a reader there’s a mixture of horror at what she does and identifying with her aspirations. Even Thu’s most reprehensible acts are driven by understandable emotions and the bad things that happen to her, and whilst most of us probably wouldn’t act as she does, I think the basic emotions of hurt, betrayal, and desperation are the same. Thu’s distress feels palpable. She aspires to universal dreams, and is betrayed by those she trusts and abandoned by those she loves. I didn’t quite root for her in the same way I did for Hatshepsut in Child of the Morning, Tiye in The Twelfth Transforming, Caradoc in The Eagle and the Raven, and Ahmose, Kamose, and Aahmes-Nefertari in Lords of the Two Lands, but I wanted her to succeed in creating a better life for herself, and I understood and sympathised with her. The story is definitely a tragedy, written in raw emotion.
Pauline Gedge definitely reigns supreme over ancient Egypt historical fiction. Endorsed by a bona fide Egyptologist :) .
10 out of 10
counthannahreadsalot's review against another edition
5.0
Exactly what I anticipated it’d be when I first picked it up, and every bit as good as I’d hoped. It follows an Egyptian peasant girl, Thu, as she relentlessly pursues glory and riches, weaving a path from her tiny village on the Nile to one of the Pharaoh’s many concubines in the capital city.
You can taste all of the wonderful foods described in this book, from the honey cakes to the dates to the wine. Settings are brilliantly described too, especially the scenes where Thu swims in the Nile. These illustrations bring life to the time period and color the parts of the plot centered around court politics or religious practices, both of which could have been difficult to follow and understand in a less well-written book. All the characters are very well developed and have clear motivations, which also makes for an interesting read. There was even some very casual gay representation in minor characters, which I found very interesting both for this being a book written in the 90s and for the time period in which it was set.
Thu is a brilliant character, coldly ambitious, arrogant at times, ruthless when she needs to be, but nuanced and logical. You understand the reasoning behind every one of her decisions, and even if you don’t agree with the choice, you can understand how she got there. I found her very likable, and a good demonstration where unchecked ambition can lead.
Thu’s relationships with other characters, especially both Ramses the king and Ramses the prince, and Hui, were fascinating. The way they built over the course of the novel as Thu was first enamored with court life and all of these men, and began to observe inconsistencies and negative traits in each of them as her carefully constructed court life began to fall apart, was brilliant. Just enough seeds were planted that you could see things coming down the road if you were paying attention, but not obvious enough that Thu definitely should have noticed. I also thought these subtle clues were interesting, because Thu not noticing things like Hui’s telling her the medicine to prevent pregnancy was not too old for use as a lie also played into, in turns, her trust, naiveté, and arrogance.
I also found the ending very interesting and unconventional - Thu is almost killed and then banished, which isn’t necessarily a happy ending, but she makes it one by finally understanding that true freedom doesn’t come from court trappings and riches, but instead it’s something you make for yourself. Overall a super enjoyable read and one that definitely felt based in a fair amount of historical accuracy. You can enjoy some fun overarching conclusions about ambition, power, and trust, or you can just enjoy a fun fictional story set in Egypt.
You can taste all of the wonderful foods described in this book, from the honey cakes to the dates to the wine. Settings are brilliantly described too, especially the scenes where Thu swims in the Nile. These illustrations bring life to the time period and color the parts of the plot centered around court politics or religious practices, both of which could have been difficult to follow and understand in a less well-written book. All the characters are very well developed and have clear motivations, which also makes for an interesting read. There was even some very casual gay representation in minor characters, which I found very interesting both for this being a book written in the 90s and for the time period in which it was set.
Thu is a brilliant character, coldly ambitious, arrogant at times, ruthless when she needs to be, but nuanced and logical. You understand the reasoning behind every one of her decisions, and even if you don’t agree with the choice, you can understand how she got there. I found her very likable, and a good demonstration where unchecked ambition can lead.
Thu’s relationships with other characters, especially both Ramses the king and Ramses the prince, and Hui, were fascinating. The way they built over the course of the novel as Thu was first enamored with court life and all of these men, and began to observe inconsistencies and negative traits in each of them as her carefully constructed court life began to fall apart, was brilliant. Just enough seeds were planted that you could see things coming down the road if you were paying attention, but not obvious enough that Thu definitely should have noticed. I also thought these subtle clues were interesting, because Thu not noticing things like Hui’s telling her the medicine to prevent pregnancy was not too old for use as a lie also played into, in turns, her trust, naiveté, and arrogance.
I also found the ending very interesting and unconventional - Thu is almost killed and then banished, which isn’t necessarily a happy ending, but she makes it one by finally understanding that true freedom doesn’t come from court trappings and riches, but instead it’s something you make for yourself. Overall a super enjoyable read and one that definitely felt based in a fair amount of historical accuracy. You can enjoy some fun overarching conclusions about ambition, power, and trust, or you can just enjoy a fun fictional story set in Egypt.
beejai's review
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
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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