THE SEARCH FOR NEFERTITI. The True Story of a Remarkable Discovery.

by Joann Fletcher

Nefertiti - 'the Beautiful' - is one of Egypt's most compelling and mysterious figures. Wife of the controversial pharaoh Akhenaten, she lived through perhaps the most tumultuous period in the country's long history. The so-called Amarna Period has long held a fascination - not just for the enormous changes it brought to the religion, art and administration of Egypt, but for the many mysteries which surround it. Mysteries, that is, until now. Leading Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher has taken a fresh eye to the evidence and arrived at one of the most dramatic discoveries in recent times. Working with a team of leading experts, she has identified a long-forgotten mummy as the body of a female pharaoh of the Amarna Period, whom she believes is Nefertiti herself. Lying for over three thousand years in an unused side chamber of Tomb KV.35 in the Valley of the Kings, it tells a story which will forever change the way in which we view Nefertiti - and indeed women throughout Egyptian history. Now at last we see the full significance of her role as co-regent and later Pharaoh of Egypt, as well as understanding the astonishing luxury and decadence of her life in Amarna - a life she led as the country around her began to disintegrate.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Egypt, Egyptology, Biography, Archaeology, Ancient History

350 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2004

About the author

Dr. Joann Fletcher is Honorary Research Fellow at York University and consultant Egyptology at Harrogate Museums and Arts. She specializes in the history of mummification and has studied mummies on site in Egypt, Yemen and South America as well as in museum collections around the world. Recently she led groundbreaking work in Egypt's Valley of the Kings to re-examine three royal mummies, one of which may be that of Nefertiti - news that has attracted international coverage.
She has made nuerous appearances on television as well as radio, and writes for both The Guardian newspaper and the BBC's History Online website. Her publications include Egypt's Sun King: Amenhotep III, The Egyptian Book of Living and Dying and The Oils and Perfumes of Ancient Egypt, and she has contributed sections in several major guide books to Egypt.

























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Reviews

[Iset · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an Egyptologist and historian, I approached this book with great excitement - to me the discovery of Nefertiti would be an event of monumentally exciting proportions - and I couldn't wait to see the evidence that Fletcher had to prove her contentious theory. I perhaps should not have approached the book with such high expectations, as the book didn't match them.

There are both good and bad points to recommend and detract from the quality of this book. The topic, of course, is fascinating, the quality of actual writing, good. Best of all, and quite against the grain for a heavy academic historical factual book, the language is accessible and clear. I found the subject of the early chapters somewhat curious, where Fletcher describes her childhood interest in Egypt and her time as a student. I kept wondering when I would hear about the search for Nefertiti, but she only makes mention of how, as a young Egyptologist, she began to suspect that the Younger Lady might be the missing queen. Is this an autobiography of the life of Joann Fletcher or is it a historical factual work about the search for Nefertiti?

Then she spends an extensive few chapters describing past archaeological work on the search for Nefertiti. Whilst technically this finally addresses the title of the work, Fletcher seems keen to highlight at all times the mistakes and false assumptions made by archaeologists in antiquity, promoting her own "correct" interpretation of events as opposed to the "obviously mistaken" work of those come before her. She also goes to pains to emphasise the intractability and unchangeability of the historical and archaeological establishment and community, and it looks like she does so to counteract the widespread denunciation of her theories by the archaeological community. I began to feel, uncomfortably, that Fletcher was more interested in trying to knock down her rivals than argue the case for her own theory and provide the evidence to support it.

Her idea that Nefertiti survived past Year 14 of Akhenaten's reign as the co-regent Ankhkheperura Neferneferuaten, and then took the throne as Ankhkheperura Smenkhkara, even her idea that the Younger Lady might be her, is widely discredited by the majority of Egyptologists, and Fletcher has since been barred from entering Egypt since she went to the press with her claims. The middle chapters of the book describes the period of Nefertiti's life from the material evidence. Only the final two, rather short, chapters of the book actually cover Dr Fletcher's examination of the Younger Lady and the conclusions she draws from this that lead her to conclude that this may be Nefertiti.

I enjoyed the book because of its topic and subject, but as an Egyptologist there are too many fundamental problems with it for me to credit it as proven fact. Her observations of the Younger Lady cannot provide definitive proof of her identity as Nefertiti, indeed some of her conclusions have been disproved with later examinations, for example her idea that the detached bent right forearm (which would indicate the status of a Pharaoh), belongs to the Younger Lady - later examinations indicated that it did not in fact fit with this mummy. She also spends too much time trying to emphasise the stoicism of the archaeological community and the mistakes of her predecessors, which suggests to me that she is trying to defend her discredited views by attacking the wider archaeological establishment for refusing to be open to change or reinterpretation of the evidence. Finally, I did not need to read the short autobiography of Fletcher's life.

[Mike Porter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met the author, researcher and Egyptologist, Joann Fletcher on a Med. cruise ship in 2011, heard her speak about her work that resulted in her conclusion that she'd found and identified the mummy that was Nefertiti, one of the few female Egyptian Pharaohs. Joann was an entertaining and compelling speaker and her book lives up to her reputation with me. Her detective work was assisted by her husband, a forensic chemist, but the investigative work and the writing is all the author's.

She writes the book as a story of her own career and her infectious love of Egyptian history, while giving the reader a sound background in this ancient people . Along the way she became interested in the period of history in which Nefertiti lived and the identity of 3 unidentified mummies found in a sealed side room of a major royal tomb, but long ignored by other scientists. This is a detective story and I found myself quite caught up in her experience. Could hardly put it down each night. Her sense of humor, her struggles with obstacles like unbelieving colleagues, and the innovative use of the latest technology make this a very interesting book. I now want to read more on Egypt. Their ancient society is now so much more real to me.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not having good luck with books today. The Search for Nefertiti opens with an autobiography of Joann Fletcher, which I found rather over-written and just ridiculous. What Egyptologist could just "take or leave" the pyramids (or at least, admit that they don't care for them)? Who comments, with surprise, that Egypt is "hot!"? I pulled away from the book and trawled through some reviews, and have to conclude this isn't worth the time: I've read a lot of theories about Nefertiti before, published since Fletcher's work, and I can't say her theories sound any more convincing, nor as borne out by the evidence. I think it might be interesting as an introduction to the study of Nefertiti, but I'm rather beyond that now -- and I'm not interested in Joann Fletcher's life.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always been an ardent admirer of strong women, women who know what they want and will fight to protect their interests, and Nefertiti, wife of the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten, was one such. Semiramis of Ninevah was another. This book is pretty thick and has a fair helping of archaeology in it, but it reads like a detective story, bringing the distant past to life and putting flesh and character onto the bones and mummy wrappings. After she and her husband died the Egyptians reverted to form, defacting their names on all monuments, desecrating their resting places, and probably killing their son Tutankhamen as well. But during the reign they instituted worshop of one god, the sun, removed the capital to the new city of Akhetaten and had themselves portrayed as a happy family, dangling the kids on their knees and caressing one another lovingly. Unheard of in staid and formal Egyptian iconography before and after. Their greatest sin however was to make enemies of the priesthood in Memphis and curb its power. Nobody really knows yet what the whole strange episode of this pair was about, but at least we have a beautiful bust of this charismatic and strong woman, which depicts her as a model of femininity for us, with the long neck, big eyes and enigmatic smile.

[Rick Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that Fletcher makes a very strong case that the young female in KV35 is Nefertiti, and in the years since she published her hypothesis several of the objections have been ruled out. On the other hand, I'm not sure her case that Nefertiti ruled as pharaoh in the years following her husband's death is as convincing. It's certainly a possibility, but I don't know that I would necessarily rewrite the history books just yet.

Overall this book contained wonderfully detailed description of artifacts discovered related to the Amarna period, and her evocative reconstructions of daily life and religious festivals from that time period are great fun to read.

Update: A search of the internet has informed me that DNA testing has shown the mummy of the young woman to be the mother of Tutankhamen and daughter of Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye.

[Stephen Simpson · Rating 1 out of 5]

So many things to dislike ...

First and foremost, it pushes a generally (if not widely) discredited theory about Nefertiti and offers pretty flimsy evidence for it.

Beyond that, it includes autobiographical passages that are at best tedious -- how many people are really eager to read books about largely unknown researchers whose biggest claim(s) to fame is pushing a flimsy controversial theory and getting banned from Egypt? Other passages include stunning revelations like "Egypt is hot".

And then there are the strange and scattershot digressions about Egyptology that go everywhere and nowhere.

While the author's expertise in hair and cosmetics could have supported an interesting (if somewhat niche) book about day-to-day life in Ancient Egypt, the differences among classes/professions, and so on, that's not what this book is.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Both a memoir of growing up to take a degree in Egyptology and a true detective book of finding and identifying Nefertiti's mummy (C.S.I. Amarna) with interesting tidbits of social history (make up trends, head lice among the royals etc) I was glad for the Kindle's dictionary feature -- osteophyte is not part of my everyday vocabulary!

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a strange one. I thought this was going to be a book about Nefertiti and the search for her mummy. What it ended up as was a biography of the author, with a little bit of history re Nefertiti thrown in, no real conclusion and a "others believe this but it is clearly wrong" mentality. Not quite what I expected.
I did not particurlary agree with the writer's conclusion re Nefertiti's mummy but the writer seemed to take it as fact because she wanted it to be true rather than provide any real solid evidence for it. Bit disappointing really.
The section re the hair on Egyptian mummies was a bit odd - I understand it was the writer's speciality on her dissertation. Not really quite sure exactly what it had to do with Nefertiti though.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fletcher is an archaeologist specialising in Ancient Egypt and this book centres around her discovery and investigation into an unidentified mummy in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. I know very little about Ancient Egypt and those that peopled it so I can't say how correct any of this. ALl I know is that reading the book I felt myself swept up by Fletcher's total love and excitement for her work. Plus it's always nice to see a fellow Yorkshire native doing well in their chosen field. I now want to know more about Nefertiti and other historical figures from Ancient Egypt which, to me, means this book is well written.

[Rene Averett · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the subject was fascinating and I enjoyed reading the first part of the book, by the middle point on, it was becoming repetitious and a not as well-paced. It reached a point where it no longer held my attention. If you enjoy scholarly works and Egyptian history, then this book would probably be compelling reading for you. As a more casual reader of this genre, it just bogged down for me and I actually abandoned it before the end.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I first read The Search for Nefertiti in 2009, after picking up my copy earlier in the immediate aftermath of Joann Fletcher's explosive claims she had identified the mummy of Nefertiti. I have a taste for controversy and I think the storm around Nefertiti and the mummy known as KV35YL has yet to be matched by anything in Egyptology's recent history. In recent years I came to the realisation that I may have been too influenced by the reaction to Fletcher to give The Search for Nefertiti a fair rating. I decided to give it a re-read and, not only review it, but to see if I gave it a fair rating.

Having completed The Search for Nefertiti, I feel that my original 1-star rating was in fact fair. This is a book that, while strong in places, is also incredibly frustrating. It isn't just that Fletcher's so-called "remarkable discovery" is, to quote Barbara Mertz, "balderdash" and built up on flimsy evidence. It's that the entire book is just bad.

There are three insurmountable flaws in this book for me: filler, attitude/tone and the theory itself. I'll get to them in a second.

The one highlight I remember from when I first read The Search of Nefertiti is the strength of Fletcher's writing. It's lively, engaging and, for the most part, easy to devour. Fletcher's love and enthusiasm for her subject is very clear. I really wished I liked what Fletcher was saying, because Fletcher is the kind of author that I would happily seek out in other circumstances.

Fletcher does sometimes fall prey to one of my biggest pet peeves in reference books, which is when the author verges into fiction as they claim to know exactly how their subject felt when they can't possibly know. Witness:

Outside the chamber, servants and officials are shown in extravagant poses of grief as they support each other, or simply fall to the floor in their distress, something that Nefertiti herself would no doubt have done in private. (p. 322, my emphasis)

I have to admit that even though I approached this book with a firm, opposing attitude to Fletcher's theory that the chapters where detailing Fletcher's interest in KV35YL and her two companions, her initial research and her examination of those mummies are some of the strongest and most interesting parts of the book. But then, I have a special liking for mysteries and the piecing together of evidence.

But let's talk about the major flaws I found in this book.

1. Filler.

The Search for Nefertiti is supposed to be about the theory that KV35YL = Nefertiti and how Fletcher came to her conclusions. Sure, it's completely normal and beneficial, not to mention expected, for Fletcher to include an overview of the Amarna Period and Nefertiti, but it should just be there to provide context. The problem is that Fletcher packs her book with filler to an absurd degree.

A large amount of book is not actually about the search for Nefertiti/KV35YL. Early chapters read like pages from Fletcher's autobiography, explaining how she first became interested in Ancient Egypt as a child, documenting the history of the institutions she studied at and detailing her career and studies as an adult. Fletcher also provides a history of how Akhenaten was rediscovered by Egyptologists, an overview of Egyptian mythology, discussion of the roles of royal women and a complete overview of Ancient Egyptian history from pre-dynastic times to the reign of Thutmose IV. When she finally moves onto discussing the Amarna Period, she does so in excruciating detail.

I don't care about how Amenhotep III's palace was decorated or how the royal complexes at Amarna were decorated. I'm reading The Search for Nefertiti because I want to know about Fletcher's discovery of Nefertiti's mummy.

Actually, I do care, because I'm a huge nerd. I care so much that I have books on all the topics that Fletcher covers (except her own life, of course) and I'm fine with that, because those books are about what they say they're about, rather than being a little about their topic and a whole lot more about various related topics.

But even for this nerd, there's just so much superfluous information to slog through to get to the purpose of the book. It makes for an incredibly frustrating read and like I said above, I believe that Fletcher should be giving us a historical overview anyway. But an overview of Nefertiti's life and times, not a complete history of Ancient Egypt up until this moment.

The actual chapters that deal with Fletcher's examinations of KV35YL takes up 41 pages in total, which more or less matches the pages Fletcher uses to give an overview of Ancient Egyptian mythology and civilisation up until the beginning of Amenhotep III's reign. On what planet does this seem fair? Those chapters also end the book, which makes it feel like Fletcher had to fill a specific quota of words or pages, wasn't sure she'd make it and so spent pages waffling on about things of minor significance to her topic and when she hit her quota, having barely started talking about her subject, she just slapped on a conclusion and left everything else untouched.

2. Attitude/Tone.

I found that there was a prevailing undertone to Fletcher's writing, particularly the times when she discusses previous work in Egyptology focusing on the role of women and the Amarna period, that was off-putting to me as a reader. It felt more and more that she was more interested in saying that these previous Egyptologists wrong and instead promoted her own interpretation as obviously the correct version.

One of the problems I found was that it seemed like she heavily favoured using early Egyptologists' interpretations of the evidence (often evidence freshly unearthed) to show how wrong they were while only drawing on more recent and contemporary studies if they supported her views.

There also seemed to be the implicit message in the text that anyone who disagreed with her and did not believe Nefertiti had reigned as pharaoh was a misogynist. There are numerous reasons why people don't accept this theory. Some of it, undoubtedly, has misogyny at its roots, particularly for early Egyptologists. However, there are Egyptologists who bring up perfectly well reasoned and convincing arguments for why Smenkhkara and even Pharaoh Neferneferuaten are not necessarily Nefertiti.

There is little attempt to counteract the widespread criticism of Fletcher's theory, the only thing that comes close is Fletcher's conclusion. In this, Fletcher immediately dismisses the responses to her work as being part of the "grand tradition of Egyptology, with its 'oh-no-it-isn't-oh-yes-it-s' approach" (p. 379) and turns philosophical, talking about how she "found" Nefertiti while others are still looking. There was a year between when the documentary first aired and when this book was published, which is more than enough time to take of stock of the criticism and offer more evidence or defend her theory. I can't help but wonder again if the manuscript was already drafted before the story broke and she just couldn't be bothered to address the criticism.

3. Theory

As for Fletcher's controversial theory and her less controversial interpretations, it is easy, twelve years on, to point out the ways her arguments unravel in the light of recent developments. We have archaeological evidence of Nefertiti as the Great Royal Wife in Akhenaten's Year 16, meaning that she did not become co-regent in Year 12. The mummified bent forearm that Fletcher claims belonged to KV35YL and was proof she ruled as king, was apparently DNA tested and revealed to belong to a male. KV35YL herself was later DNA tested and revealed to be the daughter of Amenhotep III and Tiye. This makes her unlikely to be Nefertiti, who never used the titles King's Daughter or King's Sister. A theory put forward by Nicholas Reeves that Nefertiti is buried inside Tutankhamun's tomb is currently being investigated. Of course, the DNA results have been contested and reinterpreted and Reeves's theory might end up being a furphy, much like Fletcher's was, but in 2016 it is far less likely that Nefertiti is KV35YL than it was in 2003/04.

But even without that knowledge, Fletcher's theory is undeniably weak. While she never does definitely state that KV35YL is Nefertiti, the evidence she presents is weak and inconclusive. Fletcher makes much of the detached right arm, saying that it's proof KV35YL was a pharaoh, but the typical pose for a dead pharaoh is famously both arms bent across the chest, not one. The examination fails to reveal a definite age for KV35YL, but Fletcher uses that to parallel with the mummy known as KV55, alternately identified as Akhenaten or Smenkhkara, which ends up acting as unstated support for her theory. The rest of the evidence offered is circumstantial and at best uncertain.

Fletcher's theories about Nefertiti's life feel uncertain. She seems to commit to the idea of Nefertiti ruling as Pharaoh Smenkhkara with her daughter, Meritaten, acting as her queen, while arranging the coronation of Tutankhaten (later Tutankhamun) as her regent, her third daughter, Ankhesenpaaten, as Tutankhaten's queen. But Fletcher then discusses the possibility of Nefertiti seeking a husband in the form of a Hittite prince named Zannanza which makes zero sense when she's just assured the succession in Tutankhaten, her regent. Fletcher carefully phrases her discussion about the Zannanza affair with a lot of "perhaps" and "maybes", but it feels disingenuous to talk about it all, as it doesn't make sense with her main theory about Nefertiti as Smenkhkara. Additionally, there is ample reason not to drag Nefertiti into the Zannanza discussion, as it's more commonly accepted that Ankhesenpaaten, as the widowed Ankhesenamun, was the Egyptian queen in the Zannanza affair.

Or is Fletcher, like some of her fellow Nefertiti devotees, incapable of seeing anything important happening in the Amarna Period without having Nefertiti's fingerprints stamped all over it?

Altogether, The Search for Nefertiti is a book that, while authored by an excellent writer, is disappointing in almost every other respect. It is full of extraneous detail and uses poor scholarly work to mask and defend even more poorly argued and evidenced theories. It is an incredibly frustrating read that was flat-out annoying at time.

[Joeri Ryckaseys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik was al fan van Joann Fletcher, maar nu nog meer. Dit boek van haar krijgt een dikke zes sterren. Joann heeft mijn bewondering omwille van haar open visie en 'out of the box thinking'. Ze slaagt erin haar eigen visie te ontwikkelen los van geldende regels en durft 'grote vooraanstaande Egyptologen' tegen te spreken wat haar vaak niet in dank wordt afgenomen.

Ik ben dit boek beginnen lezen omwille van de commotie omtrent haar stelling dat ze de mummie van Nefertiti ontdekt heeft. Er kwam heel wat commentaar op en zorgde voor een explosie binnen de Egyptologie. Dr. Zahi Hawass heeft haar er zwaar voor afgerekend (waarschijnlijk uit jaloezie als je het mij vraagt). Maar ik heb haar theorie een kans gegeven. Ik heb het boek gelezen en eerlijkheidshalve moet ik zeggen dat ze mij heeft overtuigt.

Het betreft drie mummies die gevonden werden in de vorige eeuw in KV 35, het graf van Amenhotep II. De mummies werden daar oorspronkelijk niet begraven maar werden daar herbegraven nadat hun eigen graven geplunderd waren. De mummies dateren uit de Amarna-periode. Op basis van de mummificatiemethoden, scans, onderzoek, teksten, ... gaat Joann opzoek naar de identiteit van de drie mummies. De "jongste vrouw" onder de mummies werd vroeger zelfs als "man" bestempeld. Nu blijkt dat het een vrouw is. Joann zet haar hele speurtocht uiteen en haalt daarbij sterk bewijsmateriaal aan. Ze krijgt naast heel wat verwensingen ook heel wat bijval in de academische wereld. Ik sta ook volledig achter haar. Ze eindigt haar boek mooi met een komische noot omtrent alle discussies omtrent haar theorie: "zo lang de mummie zelf niet opstaat en ons zegt wie ze was zal er altijd discussie blijven."

Het biografische stukje over Nefertiti was ook zéér boeiend. Het moet me wel een bitch geweest zijn. Een autoritaire vrouw die het falen van haar man (Amenhotep IV/Akhenaton) compenseerde door zelf de teugels in handen te nemen. Vermoedelijk zou ze zelfs de moeder van Tutankhamon laten liquideren uit jaloezie omdat de enige prins geboren werd uit de relatie met een 'lagere gemalin'. Maar het moet gezegd worden dat ze als vrouw stand diende te houden in een maatschappij waar een hoofdzakelijk mannelijke adel en clerus de macht probeerde over te nemen... sometimes you need to be a bitch to survive, right?

[Noble Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was skeptical after reading the first few pages of Fletcher's 'The Search For Nefertiti" for I don't really like the background/autobiographical portion of the book. However forcing myself through it, I really enjoyed the entire book. Fletcher isn't some pompous and arrogant professor but rather after a few pages, you get a sense that she was just star-struck about Egypt.
Now to put it into perspective, Fletcher in a sense, had to incorporate her story into the book, whether readers like the portion or not, since she was the one who discovered Nefertiti. So thus Fletcher becomes a character in this wonderfully woven story.
Fletcher first dives into the bizarre backgrounds in history, explaining Amarna and why this site is significant, after all, Nefertiti and Akhenaten did help make this site famous. Then she dives into the world which she knew, wigs, hair, makeup and this was followed by a brief history of mummification around the world which to me was a pleasant surprise.
Now, having explained Amarna, Fletcher goes into detail the rule of Akhenaten and the role the Nefertiti took, ruling as co-regent. There is a big mystery involved here. And later it describes her eventual end and the rule of Tutankhamen reigned for but a brief time. Fletcher makes Nefertiti feel alive and real. And her "Discovery" was even more interesting with facts that Nefertiti's last days and the subsequent generation that took over may enlighten readers as to the nature and dangers of ruling a nation.

5/5 stars

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author made a good case for an unidentified mummy found in a royal tomb as being that of Nefertiti. But the book was published in 2004, and DNA studies since then have determined that the woman was King Tut’s mother, but not Nefertiti. Ah, well. She also made a very good case for Nefertiti having ruled as a co-regent with her heretic husband, Akhenaten, and perhaps having ruled briefly alone in her own right after Akhenaten’s death. Disputable, but enough evidence for thought. What was most interesting about the book was the author’s excellent descriptions of day-to-day life in a royal household during the Amarna era, where the degree of luxury included bedrooms with en suite bathrooms complete with limestone shower trays and matching toilet seats set over sand-filled containers. Indoor plumbing! (after a fashion. There wasn’t running water; you had to rely on servants to pour warm, scented water over you while you stood in the shower tray).

Also really interesting was the author’s specialty focus on wigs and hair styles that can assist in dating finds. I had no idea so many wigs of human hair and hair extensions survived the centuries. What was not interesting was a chapter that when through the pharaohs and, and who married whom and sired whom. About as entertaining as the begats in the Bible. Overall, though, I really enjoyed it.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first come to meet Joann Fletcher and her passion for all things Egypt through a couple of documentaries so I was pleased to come across this book. It is an interesting read and to me came across as part autobiography and historical exploration. There is some downside and upside to this.

It did take some time to get into this book as for the first couple of chapters Fletcher meanders between telling her life story and the history of Egypt. It is not until the halfway mark that Fletcher really finds her groove. As she explores, explains and provides a readable and highly engaging journey through Egyptian history.

I am what one would consider an armchair historian, I read, query and appreciate what is being is presented. I can not tell you if Fletcher's conclusion as to whether Nefertiti survived Akhenaten and took the throne. it is plausible as any of the other theories that are out there. As Fletcher points out the influence and role of women has been diminished and overlooked. I know Fletcher's theory was not well appreciated by other historians and I can understand why.

This is a good read and a good in depth introduction to the myth that Nefertiti has become.

[Virani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decidí hacer una relectura de este libro años después del anuncio que hizo Fletcher acerca de la identificación de Nefertiti con la momia conocida como The Younger Lady.
Sinceramente, tengo sentimientos contradictorios. La descripción del período de Amarna me ha gustado muchísimo y he disfrutado con esa parte del libro. Sin embargo, los dos últimos capítulos han sido bastante decepcionantes. Apenas aporta pruebas de su identificación de la reina, pasa por encima de los trabajos que realizó y te deja con la sensación de querer saber más y más, de ver cómo defiende con pasión su hipótesis. Otra parte que tampoco me apasiono fue la biografía de Fletcher, es innecesariamente larga.
Sensaciones muy agridulces, quizás lo recomendaría para conocer más de Amarna desde otra perspectiva y para conocer las (pocas) ideas originales que defiende Fletcher en el texto.

[Sarah Kimberley · Rating 4 out of 5]

⚱️After reading and thoroughly enjoying Cleopatra’s Daughter, I’ve been drawn to Ancient Egyptian history and archaeological books all over again. Many keen eyes have fallen on the land of the Nile- with its illustrious rulers, their worshipped Gods and opulent wealth. Through an array of astonishing artefacts and research, Fletcher pieces together a golden dynasty of Pharaohs and mummies ✨

While I find the title rather misleading ( it feels as though Nefertiti is peppered throughout the text) I think Fletcher’s writing is full of richness and beauty. Queen Nefertiti is one of my favourite Egyptian deities from the Amarna Period, and I think it would be a great blow to treat her as a footnote in the story of the ancient past. I don’t think she was covered enough but nonetheless I was swept away by Fletcher’s storytelling.

Queen Nefertiti was more than what her painted limestone bust suggests; in fact she was a prolific ruler and a bit of a powerhouse ( I love the image of her fiercely riding a chariot, whip in hand). Though her body has never been found, I do think there is more to her than meets the eye.

[Catherine Shereshewsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much for a layman too little for an expert

I enjoyed this book but feel too much le to be taking notes for a midterm exam. Perhaps it's the subject, but keeping which dynasty with is appropriate BC date was hard enough. But wth the name repetition and variations I felt I needed pictures which in this Kindle edition were omitted. (WHY?). But a good story nonetheless with an almost surprise at the end.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! If you are interested in Ancient Egyptian history and mummies, this book is for you. Joann gives a wonderful overview of Ancient Egypt and its timeline along with anecdotes about those times relating to her work, which is primarily with hair. She takes you on the whole journey of her career and the steps that led her to search for Nefertiti and the evidence she has compiled to assert who Nefertiti was and is all in an easily consumable format that anyone can read.

[Kamila Jast · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Egyptology in general, I have always been particularly fascinated by mysterious Nefertiti, her final burial place and 18th dynasty of Amarna period. At last Nefertiti is found and a years long agonising search for Nefertiti complete, as Joann said in her interestingly written story. Thanks to this book I believe I can now put my mind at rest whilst others may still be looking for Nefertiti.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where are photos and maps and diagrams?

Maybe they are in the paper book but reading this ebook was made very difficult by the TOTAL lack of images, even though at a few points in the book there was a reference to some sort of image. Books with images etc. in paper should be transferred with them to the ebook.
Otherwise, it was fascinating = long and maybe a bit too much personal background but still interesting and worth reading.

[Margie Dorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out to be my main summer read. I heartily recommend it for anyone even a little interested in ancient Egypt. The main reason I did not give it five stars is because I was so very disappointed that my digitalized copy did not include the pictures which were so frequently referred to in the text. The narrative included much, much more than the simple story of Nefertiti. I heartily recommend, but perhaps you can check it out from your library and read it with pictures included!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting account of the author's experiences as an Egyptologist, a sort of historical detective memoir. Even though this was published in 2004 and her hopeful identification of the Younger Lady mummy as Nefertiti has since been pretty much disproven, we learn a lot from her studies, especially from her in-depth knowledge of hair styles on mummies and wall paintings. Also Fletcher produces convincing evidence that there were other female pharaohs than the one acknowledged by the male leaders in the field over the recent centuries.

According to one reviewer, the author was banned from studying in Egypt as a result of her conclusions. If true, it seems a bit of an overreaction.

[Cynthia T Cannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really liked this book about the search for the queen

Amazing story of this search for the powerful Queen Nefertiti. Subsequent research recently has shown this person to have been Akhenatens sister and King Tutankamen's mother. This historic change in Egypt's culture is very interesting.

[Pat Beard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well if you like books with lots of tedious details you will love this one. I finally ended by skimming - reading topic sentences and going on with the paragraphs only the 1% of time I found something of interest. I also found it very frustrating that she didn't share the reconstructed face taken from the X-rays.

[Beverly Hollandbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enthusiastic recount by an Egyptologist about her discovery of the mummy of ancient pharaoh Nefertiti. But she gives us non-historians no charts, no maps, no illustrations, no genealogy charts-nothing to help us keep track of the legion of name-changing kings and queens of Egypt. I like these kinds of nonfiction, but this one just left me confused.

[Juanita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review: The Search For Nefertiti by Joann Fletcher. 4* 05/30/2020

The book starts out with an account of Fletcher’s life and her studies before she go into the data she collected on Nefertiti. I did enjoy the book because of the history of Egypt, culture, and many points on Nefertiti and the people around her in that era. I thought it was very educational, interesting but there was some controversy of some of the data that Fletcher was writing was wrong. I can’t answer whether she was correct or not. This was the first time I have read anything about Nefertiti but what I read was intriguing.

Fletcher did her research with the help of her husband, a forensic chemist. This book is very dense with its information and with the works of archaeology that it could get overwhelming to remember what Fletcher was writing and on what basics she was referring too. I have always been fascinated with Egypt and their culture so I did enjoy the book.

[Helaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only regret is that I read this book after visiting the Valley of Kings tombs and Karnak Temple. I could have looked at these amazing places with a little more insight (and for a little more detail) than I did if I have read it before the trip.

[Naz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased as I love Joann Fletcher documentaries (including this Doscovery one) but despite that this was still written really well, an easy "story" like read. The last chapter did get a bit *sings bone song* otherwise fascinating and a great insight into royal life and politics. Love it.

[Debbie Mcclelland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last 4 or 5 chapters are the best in finding Nefertiti.

The rest of this massive book pertains to the history of the Armarna period, which is well done, but if you are in a hurry, go to end first!