Play Book Tag discussion
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2016-19 Activities & Challenges
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PBT Horizons—September Planning and Reporting
BC - there was a great article in New Yorker (I think) by Aciman about his mum, and he tells a bit about his childhood there. I added this book to my TBR after reading the article. Maybe it’s time to check it out
Kszr wrote: "Palace Walk was amazing. I never got to the third book in the trilogy, but I may re-start it was so good"Good to know! My Library has it, so that is my first choice. GR's only lists the next 2 in Arabic-but I assuming there are translations available since you read the 2nd one?
Joanne wrote: "Kszr wrote: "Palace Walk was amazing. I never got to the third book in the trilogy, but I may re-start it was so good"Good to know! My Library has it, so that is my first choice. GR..."
Yes, the entire trilogy is readily available in English, as it is probably considered his masterpiece. Midq Alley is also always available in English. Not so easy to find his other works in English.
Theresa wrote: "I'm finding, surprisingly, the focus on the Middle East to be particularly wonderful in Horizons. It all started when I read [book:Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell: Adventurer,..."I loved Desert Queen also! I'm excited about Egypt.
I just a read 5 star review of this light charmer set in Egypt which may just be what someone needs: 
The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde
I think I am going to read Death Comes as the End - Agatha ChristieI'm reading The Murder of Roger Ackroyd this month.
Gradually getting through a pile of Christie's sitting on my shelves.
Kszr wrote: "Palace Walk was amazing. I never got to the third book in the trilogy, but I may re-start it was so good"Nicole R wrote: "I posted this on the monthly tag thread as well, but here are my thoughts for a book for myself:
I would like to read something that is about/set in Egypt and is by an Egyptian author (making it a..."
I just noticed that Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz is also being read by the Never to Late to Read Classics group, as their classics in translation pick.
Cora wrote: "I have been holding off on reading Revolution for Dummies: Laughing through the Arab Spring in hopes that Egypt would come up for Horizons. That will my selection this month."My library had this ready for me on Saturday!
EgyptVoices from the Other World by Naguib Mahfouz
Hardcover 96 pages
DOES fit the monthly tag "cultural"
This is a collection of five short stories from one of the most prominent authors of Arabic fiction. These were originally published in 1936, '38, '39, '41 and '45, before they were translated in 2000 to 2003. The stories are inspired by ancient Egypt and read like folk literature.
Maybe it's because of the time they were written, but I was a bit disappointed to find them rather lacking in substance. Some read like they could have been expanded into a longer form, but were just cut short. The first story felt like a fable but any "lesson" that could be learned from it was not very edifying, it seems to me. The last and title story might be a bit gruesome to most because it details the steps taken in preparing a body for mummification.
Overall an interesting read, but a bit flat to me.
Yemen/Egypt/Middle EastIntolerable: A Memoir of Extremes / Kamal Al-Solaylee
4 stars
The author was born in Yemen in the 1960s. He was the youngest of 11 siblings and was only 3 years old when the family moved to Beirut (Lebanon), then not long after, they moved to Cairo (Egypt), where he spent his years growing up, and figuring out that he was gay. Most of the family eventually headed back to Yemen, but long before then, Kamal knew he had to get out of the Middle East. He yearned to go to England or the US, where he felt he would be able to be himself and not hide. He managed a scholarship to study in England, and from there, he eventually made his way to Canada.
This covered the 1960s (when the people of Yemen and Egypt were relatively free and not so constrained by religion) up to and including 2011. As Kamal yearned to leave, he hated to leave his mother and sisters behind, the way women were being treated by the time he got out. Some of his brothers had gone fervently religious, too much for Kamal’s liking. He tried to not look back on his life there, and even speaking to his family was difficult, as he was still hiding who he really was and it reminded him of how bad things were in the country he was born in. As things got worse in the Middle East, and in Yemen in particular with a civil war happening in 2011, he did seek out news from home.
This was really good. It was also very interesting, to read the cultural differences between the Middle Eastern countries he lived in and the Western countries. As a Canadian myself, it was really nice to see how accepted he was in Canada (Toronto, though I am from the West), regardless of his nationality and his sexual orientation. Completely not book-related, but as someone who has taken bellydance classes off and on, I had to take a brief break from reading to look up a famous Egyptian bellydancer his father hired to perform at one of his sisters’ weddings.
Culture: EgyptRevolution for Dummies: Laughing through the Arab Spring - Bassem Youssef
4 1/2 stars
Revolution for Dummies is the memoir of Bassem Youssef. Youssef was an Egyptian heart surgeon who changed careers amidst the revolution of the Arab Spring to a political satirist. What started as a small internet show became the most watched television program in the middle east. Youssef, known as the Egyptian Jon Stewart, modeled his show after his idol's Daily Show. He did not hold back from making fun of those in power and exposing their hypocrisy and abuses through satire. Eventually, those in power decided that they could not tolerate the show and Youssef was forced to flee the country. This book is his memoir of the time from the beginnings of his show until its end.
This book really helped me understand what was going on in Egypt at the time. I do have vague memories of the major names in the news, but never really understood what was truly happening. After reading this book, I feel like have enough understanding to follow along with current events in that part of the world. I also appreciate that whenever I found myself feeling incredulous about what the Egyptian people were able to believe/justify about their leaders, Youssef would give me an example from our own country and our own leaders to help me understand how this could happen anywhere, even here.
Egypt (also fits monthly tag(The Last Watchman of Old Cairo by Michael David Lukas
4 stars
This book coves three time frames to tell about a family and their dedication to protecting the documents of an ancient synagogue in Cairo. A package containing papers is sent to Joseph, a student in American, as a final gift from his dying father. Joseph travels to Cairo to try to find out more about his family history and the job of watchman many of them held at the synagogue. This role was passed on from father to son for generations. Ali was the first to be trusted with this position long ago and his story is especially moving. The author breaks up the tale by introducing two older sisters visiting the country in the late 1800’s who also have an interest in the papers and their own goals to save them.
The book has themes of family, religion, loyalty, traditions and forgiveness. Joseph may be looking for why he was originally sent the few papers in the beginning of the book, but his search will lead him to more. This historic fiction novel was well written and the different characters’ points of views helped create a meaningful story.
September: EgyptDeath on the Nile - Agatha Christie
4 stars
Beautiful heiress Linette Ridgeway took one look at her friend Jacqueline's fiancee Simon Doyle and knew she had to have him. Linette usually got whatever she wanted and Simon was no exception. Just a few weeks after meeting the two were married and off on a honeymoon to Egypt. The new Mr. and Mrs. Doyle were certainly startled to see Jacqueline everywhere they went: in museums, at restaurants and even on their Nile cruise ship, Jacqueline was a constant source of seething animosity.
Hercule Poirot had decided it was time for a break from his detective work and he was ready for a much needed vacation. He chose to visit Egypt and take a leisurely cruise down the Nile, visiting historic sites along the way. Instead of the quiet respite from work he is called upon to help solve the murder of Linette Doyle. It is obvious that the most likely murderer is Jacqueline but she was under a nurse's care in her cabin after Jacqueline hysterically shot Simon in the leg. Simon himself spent the night deeply drugged and under a doctor's constant supervision. Neither could have killed Linette. But, who did? A splendid cast of characters round out the list of suspects: Linette's lawyer, a fading steamy romance novelist, a German doctor, an Italian merchant, a snooty American woman with her poor relation in tow, and several others. Although Linette was much admired she was also envied to the extreme. Someone disliked her enough to creep into her cabin, hold a pistol to her head and pull the trigger.
For once I actually knew who the murderer was fairly early in the story but had not the foggiest idea of how it was done. Christie really wrote a gem of a mystery once again and I enjoyed every bit of it.
Culture: EgyptTomb of the Golden Bird-Elizabeth Peters 3 stars
Chronologically the last book in the Amelia Peabody series though Elizabeth Peters did write one more book after this, set earlier. It's 1922 and Howard Carter has just discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen. Emerson and Howard have a fight so Emerson can only watch from the sidelines as the tomb begins to be excavated. Meanwhile someone is threatening members of the family and the threats are once again tied to Sethos. There wasn't as much of a mystery in this book but I enjoyed getting to spend time with the Emerson family and friends again. It was rather bittersweet for me to read the last pages. I've really enjoyed the time spent with Amelia and will likely end up rereading some of the books.
Well, here we go again...picked the wrong book at the beginning of the month Palace Walk. It is a very good book, but slow reading and it is 501 pages, I know I would not finish it. Plan to keep it on the shelf though, as I would like to get back it. So off to the library to comb the shelves and hopefully find something about the Arab Spring, which so many others have been talking about. I know little about it, so I think it is a good road to go. Wish me luck
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran4 stars
When "cultural" and "Egypt" were two challenges for PBT this month, I had grand dreams of reading something profound. Something written by an Egyptian about life in Egypt. That may still occur, but I started, of course, with an historical fiction.
Michelle Moran is a very reliable historical fiction author for me, and I have read several of her books. This time, Moran imagines what life would have been like for the children of Cleopatra and Marc Antony after Alexandria and Egypt fall to Caesar Octavian. Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, Cleopatra's twin children, go to Rome where they are "guests" of Caesar Octavian and live with his sister Octavia. They are educated alongside the royal children are protected by Roman soldiers, but they know that they are prisoners and that their fates lie in Octavian's hands.
This book started a bit slow for me, I think mainly because there are several characters who all have similar names and are largely related to each other somehow. I had to keep stopping to remind myself who was who. But, once I got that all straightened out, then I really enjoyed the book!
One of the things I like about Moran is that her fiction books are grounded solidly in fact. I learned so much (in a superficial manner) about Rome during the time frame. About the rise of Roman emperors. About how slaves and women were treated at this time. Moran includes a great epilogue about what actually happened to the main book characters after the close of her story; what happened to them in real life. She also addresses what is fact and what is fiction, which I love to read about at the end of the story.
In the end, I am counting this book for Egypt, but, honestly, it was truly more about Roman culture with only a few conversations about how things were done in Alexandria.
Nicole R wrote: "Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran4 stars ..."
This is one of my favourites by her! (But I have a few!)
I'm reading:
Nefertiti by Michelle MoranI read
Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie last month and thoroughly enjoyed it. She also wrote
Death Comes As the End which I might read as well if I get time. It is set in ancient Egypt and is a murder mystery - of course!Unfortunately I have been absolutely hooked by a series (The Celtic Brooch Series by Katherine Lowry Logan) that I can't seem to put down at the moment. Its messing with my entire September reading plan! I was planning to read one book from the series each month, but it's like eating chocolate. One square is never enough, just one more! ........and I seem to have lost all self control.
Olivermagnus wrote: "I'm probably going to read Nefertiti by Michelle Moran. It's one of the oldest books on my massive TBR and I don't know why I haven't read it yet."I'm reading that as well. It would be good to share opinions when we are done.
Charlotte wrote: "I'm leaning towards Nefertiti by Michelle Moran but on Audible for this one."I'm reading this book but I can't seem to find it on Audible? Did you have any luck with that?
Jemima wrote: "Charlotte wrote: "I'm leaning towards Nefertiti by Michelle Moran but on Audible for this one."I'm reading this book but I can't seem to find it on Audible? Did you ..."
I found it at the Audible site for $30.75 or one credit.
Just worked out it’s because I’m in Australia. Now that they have a separate site here, I often can’t purchase books if they are not cleared for publication here. So annoying. Amazon is doing the same now too. It was easier when we just had access to the US market options.
Jemima wrote: "Just worked out it’s because I’m in Australia. Now that they have a separate site here, I often can’t purchase books if they are not cleared for publication here. So annoying. Amazon is doing the s..."Oh, that is annoying!
Jemima, do you have access to Scribd.com? I joined it maybe 6 months ago and I LOVE it! I am actually going to cancel my Audible membership and just go with Scribd.
If you have access, you should totally check out a free trial. Unfortunately, they do not have Nefertiti available (they don't have EVERYTHING, but it is a rare book that they don't have) but they do have other Michelle Moran. I just listened to Cleopatra's Daughter through Scribd.
Child of the Morning by Pauline Gedge, 3 stars?
Cross posted to general feed and cultural.
Horizons and Cultural Tag! Child of the Morning chronicles the life of Hatshepsut, (female) Pharaoh and Queen, as she rises in Egyptian rule to power. There is lots of early Egypt culture and rites, as well as mysticism and folklore, and Hatshepsut is the eventual grandmother to Amunothep. Our heroine was certainly a badass, and a remarkable woman in historical fiction. No doubt ahead of her time!
When I first put Child of the Morning on my TBR, I mistakenly thought it was a novel about Potiphar's wife. I had seen a similar novel on that theme, and was excited about it. So I was surprised to discover this wasn't it - and even weirder, I can't seem to find a historical fiction novel featuring Potiphar's wife! Maybe I am meant to write one - lol!
Did I like it? In places. At points it held my attention. At other points I wavered. I was sort of happy to be done with it, and as I am always saying, I have become more discerning of my TBR, and am trying to read the existing books. So I was happy to finish it in more than one way. I do have two more Egypt books to enjoy this month, that I suspect I might even enjoy a bit more.
Nicole R wrote: "Jemima wrote: "Just worked out it’s because I’m in Australia. Now that they have a separate site here, I often can’t purchase books if they are not cleared for publication here. So annoying. Amazon..."Nicole, if you drop Audible, can you still use their software to listen to the books, or do you need to download them to something else?
Thanks Nicole. I’ll go check it out. I’ve got Nefertiti on my kindle. I just love a historical novel being read to me by a good actor. It means I don’t have to stop reading to go do kid chauffeuring or housework or cooking. Love it. Makes the boring chores enjoyable.
Nancy, I am not sure as I haven’t cancelled my Audible membership yet. I currently have it on a 3 month freeze so I can use my remaining credits. I think that you still have access to all of the titles you have licensed in the past even after you cancel your membership. I am not deactivating my account or anything, just no longer paying for a membership.
Nancy, from the Audible site:If you have any remaining credits on your account, you will be prompted to use them prior to canceling. Once you have canceled your Audible account, any remaining credits terminate with your membership. However, you will still be able to keep and access any audiobooks in your Library, even without a membership.
Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff by Rosemary Mahoney - 4 starsEgypt - fits cultural tag
pp.273
On a trip to Egypt Rosemary Mahoney was startled by the realization that the Nile flowed north. With that realization she was hooked and wanted to experience the river by rowing it. She is an experienced rower and rows daily on Narragasett Bay.
Still rowing down the Nile is something a woman does not do and especially a western woman. The biggest challenge for her was purchasing a boat. Down the Nile: Alone in a Fisherman's Skiff details the whole excursion. I found the book to be rich in details about the culture , history and her excursion.
At first I felt she was perhaps to westernized and didn't present the culture clearly, but as I went along I felt that she could only provide her perspective, but that it was a fair one . This isn't about the culture from an insiders perspective but from an outsiders. As she says:
"Dress in white, wrap a shirt around your head, tuck your hair up, use a local boat, and nobody would notice you were a white woman floating down the Nile through Egypt. It seemed preposterous, but I was so unexpected in this place that it worked. No one cared; no one suspected. I was so inconspicuous that I had begun to feel almost invisible. I thought of the number of Egyptians who had said to me, It’s different for you; you’re foreign; you’re free, and I felt like a spy — outwardly one thing, inwardly another. I was a misfit in the best possible way. I wasn’t supposed to be here, yet I was here anyway, and what was the consequence?"
I invite those who appreciate a slow travel book to pick this up and read it.
July: Syria.Homes: A Refugee Story / Abu Bakr al Rabeeah & Winnie Leong
4 stars
Abu Bakr (or Bakr) was born in Iraq and his family (mom, dad, 5 sisters, 2 brothers + extended family) moved to Syria when he was 9 years old in 2010. Not long after, a civil war started, so the family was living with gun fire, bombs, and raidings on a regular basis. They had to always carry their id with them. Their father, in the meantime, was working on getting the entire family out of the country as refugees, but this took 4 long years. Bakr enlisted the help of one of his English teachers after he and his family arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to help him write his story.
What a scary way to live. And I’m impressed that a still young boy (17 years old when this was published) managed to get this story out there and so well-received. His teacher, the woman who helped him write the book, also talked to the rest of his family for their perspective on the stories he told. She also confirmed the real events that he told her about.
Learned about something I didn’t think about with refugees – how lonely it is. At least for Bakr and his family; the extended family did not come with them to Canada, and they had such a large space that they weren’t used to. His friends (and cousins) were still back in Syria, and it was (of course) very difficult for them all with the language barrier when they first arrived.
Culture: EgyptThe Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark
4 Stars
Does not fit monthly tag
This book combines Egyptian independence from England with steampunk and alternative history.
In actual history, Egypt achieved independence in 1922. But in this alternate universe, there has been a rift between worlds, allowing supernatural beings to flow into our world. And specifically into Egypt, where they helped the native population expel the British ten years early.
As the book opens, the above has already occurred, and various supernatural beings are now "normal" and part of society.
The main character is a Senior Agent with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. This ministry is responsible to resolve conflicts/problems that arise with these supernatural beings, and this story tracks one such case.
The book gives a great view into early 20th century Egypt, including the lingering resentment of the British, interactions between people from different faiths and cultures, an emerging women's rights movement, and the stresses of modernization.
The steampunk element made this a really fun read, and it looks like it might be the beginning of a series, which I would love.
I also wanted to include a short novella that introduces this world: A Dead Djinn in Cairo. Either of these could be read stand-alone, but reading the novella first was a great introduction to the overarching story and characters.
Culture: Eygpt -SeptemberFits Monthly Tag-cross-posted
Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt 3 stars
This was a short intriguing story. I came across it while wandering my library's catalog. I was looking for reading on The Arab Spring. I know the bare bones of this uprising, and hoped this book would enlighten me a bit more. This was, unfortunately, not the case.
The book is separated into 3 parts, narrated by an unnamed girl as she passes through nearly 30 years of life on the Nile, in Cairo. The narration begins in the summer of 1984 at 6 years old, jumping to college years in the summer of 1998 in part two and ending in adulthood in 2014. Part one is told not only through a child's eyes, but in a child's voice. This seemed to bother a lot of readers. I may be the odd man out here, but I enjoyed this section the most.
Upon further reflection: This book was meant for someone with experience or deeper knowledge than I have about what exactly happened in Egypt. I was lost at points, never really sure why or how certain events occurred. The following blurb on the GRMP makes me think this was intentional, ... "she wonders about the silences that have marked and shaped her life." so I do not blame the author for my ignorance on the subject.
NOTE TO PBT: I am throwing in a half star for all of you who love beautiful writing and Literary Fiction. This Author has a heart full of talent. For you e-readers she has an "e-book only" The Battle for Egypt, which at 69 pages, is short enough for you to fit in and gain knowledge of The Arab Spring which apparently I am missing.
Culture - Egypt Joanne - I had the same idea as you on the 500+ Palace Walk and actually just finished Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt. I gave it 4 stars because it was beautifully written.
The descriptions of the Nile, the street, and the city reminded me of Mahfouz's use of the house to represent what was going on in the country.
The story, told by the same girl at different times in her life, tells of how politics shaped her family. As with many countries in turmoil, the silences described in her first telling - with only 3 channels of tv that were playing on mute, while her mother spoke nonstop on the telephone in foreign languages. This was to keep the 6 year old child from hearing things that were hard. This parallels to Egypt's shock and confusion after Sadat's murder by the Brotherhood. People were afraid to speak up for fear of reprisals, not knowing who could be trusted.
Years from then, when Mubarak's reign was ending, again there were shut doors and silences from her mother. So much so that the daughter goes to live by herself where her grandmother and aunt (who had downs syndrome) lived on the first floor of the house. In school now, her cousin, Dido was enticing her to become more political and vocal. The girl starts making documentaries of other people's voices.
Again, years after that, her father comes home. Dido is in jail, the Arab Spring has passed. An other woman now, still on her own, she starts to listen to the old stories. Her father starts pointing out those who had been in power before, and where they are now. She starts to see that the power outages mentioned when she was young have continued on. When her father starts to tell her about the past, she starts to see the cycle of ideology to corruption playing out before her eyes, yet again.
We don't know how long the silence goes, and for whom it represents. It can be the voice of her aunt Nesma, who was to be hidden away because of her genetic difference. It can be the voice of women that were silenced more and more. Or it can be the idea that even if you do not speak. complicity can be inferred in this terrible cycle.
And it keeps going on.
Kszr wrote: "Culture - Egypt Joanne - I had the same idea as you on the 500+ Palace Walk and actually just finished Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt. I gave it 4 stars because it was beautifully w..."
Lovely, just lovely Kszr-your insights really tell the story. I am so glad someone else read this! It deserves to be read. As I said this Author has a heart full of talent.
I agree - this is an important book. I keep thinking about it having more thoughts and connections. Once I have settled them, I will share more.
I am really happy to see Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt getting such good reviews and discussion. It has been on my TBR a while. Alas, it is not getting read any time soon.
Theresa wrote: "I am really happy to see Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt getting such good reviews and discussion. It has been on my TBR a while. Alas, it is not getting read any time ..."Oh Theresa-it is short and easy-move it up! I know you have the time 😂🤣
Joanne wrote: "Theresa wrote: "I am really happy to see Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt getting such good reviews and discussion. It has been on my TBR a while. Alas, it is not gettin...Oh Theresa-it is short and easy-move it up! I know you have the time 😂🤣
."
*snort* -- yeah right.
Culture: EgyptThe Map of Love - Ahdaf Soueif - 4 stars
I enjoyed reading this, but at times it felt a little like the author was trying to have her cake and eat it – some elements of the romance felt straight out of an Austen novel, but were presented rather knowingly. It was interesting though, given that romances of this type still have the power to make us swoon, to be reminded of the less-desirable social environments that necessitate all these secret glances and sudden all-or-nothing declarations of love: in this case, an inter-cultural courtship in which the woman stood to lose her position in English society.
This is embedded in a dual narrative containing a lot of interesting material about Egypt both under English colonial rule at the start of the twentieth century, and near the turn of the millennium. I found it hard to take in the political details though – I’m not sure whether this was because of the rather dry ‘letters home’ format that some of them were conveyed in, or because I found it easier to focus on the many common themes between this and other books I’ve read recently that describe events in Iraq and Syria at similar time periods.
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran 4 stars463 p
** Also fits monthly tag - Cultural**
Excellent to listen to this one with all the old Egyptian names correctly (I assume) pronounced. One chapter before I got to the end of the book, my library audio expired and I had to read the last bit as an e-book and that made me even more appreciate of audio!
The author did an excellent job of telling the story of young Nefertiti and her family, her father the Vizier Aye who wants his family to rise in the ranks of royalty, and her sister Mutnodjmet who simply wishes to tend her garden and make her remedies. Mutnodjmet is really the star of this book in spite of the title. The story is from her point of view and she is a very likable character. I didn't find Nefertiti likable at all! Nefertiti and the Pharaoh Akhenaten are like selfish little children. I felt there was hope for them at first but it isn't long into the story when you realize the road they have taken isn't good for the country. I hope no one finds that to be a spoiler but it's pretty obvious what type of personalities these two have.
As I've stated Mutnodjmet is the character I most admired, and those around her. Vizier Aye is another that, although he has high aspirations for this family, he is a somewhat reasonable and intelligent man who keeps within the bounds although those are far-reaching ones. Moran writes well and I may be tempted to move up to the next book, especially because Mutny will likely be in that one too.
More information in constantly uncovered with the changes in DNA and other sciences that assist the archaeologists. Moran has done a lot with the small amount information currently available from 3,000 years ago (mind boggling as those numbers are) to create an insightful and believable story of this royal family.
Culture: EgyptNefertiti – Michelle Moran – 4.5 stars
Fits the September Tag - Cultural
There are a handful of words that bring Egypt immediately to mind. Pyramid, Sphinx, Cleopatra and, of course, Nefertiti. Anyone who has ever seen the famous bust of Nefertiti knows she was the beautiful queen of Egypt. Michelle Moran has chosen to tell the story of Nefertiti through her younger sister Mutnojmet.
After his older brother's unexpected death, Nefertiti agrees to marry Amunhotep as long as she is designated as The Chief Wife. Amunhotep is already married and his first wife Kiye is pregnant. The marriage between Nefertiti and Amunhotep quickly happens and the whole family moves to the Egyptian capital of Thebes. But not for long. Amunhotep is to share the throne with his father. The married couple moves from Thebes to Lower Egypt. After the death of his father, Amunhotep changes his name to Akenaten, begins elaborate plans to destroy the old gods and establish the worship of Aten, and uses the army to build a new city from which the pharaoh will rule all Egypt.
Nefertiti, Mutnojmet and their family go from living a peaceful life and straight into a life of lies, wars, religions, manipulation, love and jealousy. Both sisters seem willing to give up everything to keep their family in power. Nefertiti is portrayed as selfish, temperamental, cunning and ruthless. Her husband, Akenaten is portrayed as an unstable tyrant and a fanatic who rules through suspicion and cruelty, and is completely mesmerized by Nefertiti. Mutnojmet, who just wants to enjoy the peaceful life of her garden, is drawn into the web of intrigue. She attempts to balance her desires with the demands of her powerful sister, but more often than not, Nefertiti wins.
I listened to the audio and thought the narrator, Cassandra Campbell, did a fantastic job. Like all interesting historical fiction, it takes liberties with history and engages in some historical invention. It was full of great imagery and Egypt really comes to life in this novel. I really enjoyed that the story was told from the perspective of Mutnojmet. It enabled the reader to experience Nefertiti's ascension from self-centered teenager into a majestic queen, and then bear witness to the downward spiral as things begin to go wrong. I was in thrall with the whole story and can't wait to pick up another Michelle Moran novel.
September: EgyptFits tag? Yes
Red Land, Black Land: Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz
3 stars
Incredibly interesting book. I learned a lot about all aspects of life in ancient Egypt. The book was a little thick at times and I found my thoughts wondering from time to time.
I don't know what to say about it. It had SO MUCH information in it that I don't know how much I"m actually going to retain. I loved learning about the attire of both the men and women. I also enjoyed hearing about some of the things that we believe about Egyptian culture that isn't actually true.
I"m not sure I'll read/listen to another Barbara Mertz book but I'm glad that I listened to this one.
September - Egypt - thought I didn't get to learn a whole lot about Egypt other than the setting.Cross posted to general feed and to September Cultural
Set in London, Cairo, and Alexandria, and Istanbul, a half Turkish girl who is thrown out of her family for her dream of singing, gets to sing for the the War Effort. Just before she goes, she meets a dashing young pilot, the hero of our story and love interest. She sings, he flies, they are both in danger. There are mixed, delayed, and lost communications that make each doubt the other's sincerity, despite that its obviously love at first sight and sound. She becomes a spy, despite that she is just a girl. The story unfolds as you would expect.
Amy wrote: "September - Egypt - thought I didn't get to learn a whole lot about Egypt other than the setting.Cross posted to general feed and to September Cultural
Set in London, Cairo, and Alexandria, and ..."
Hi Amy, will you please include the title, author, and rating for this book? Thanks!
Whoops! That was Jasmine Nights by Julia Greggson. Meant to post the book cover to.I.
Grand Hotels of Egypt: In the Golden Age of Travel by Andrew Humphreys5 stars Culture Egypt
A fascination with Egypt for me has mostly been centered on the grand hotels and traveling up (or down) the Nile. The pyramids, tombs, and mummies were just a bonus. You could say that it was the lure of travel in Egypt that appealed to me, fed no doubt from reading Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Peters and others who wrote mysteries and romances set there, especially historical ones set in the 18th Century. Setting off down the Nile with steamer trunks and a parasol, stopping to stay in elegant hotels like Cairo's Shepheard's, Luxor's The Winter Palace, and Aswan's Cataract, day jaunts to see desert, pyramids and tombs, were to me the ultimate in the exotic and the most desired of experiences. I did eventually get to Egypt at the end of the 20th Century; I even stayed in one of the (still) greatest of those grand hotels. Is it any wonder that when I saw this coffee table book on sale in a chain bookstore I had to buy it?
It is richly illustrated with vintage photographs and drawings. The organization is perfect - following that of the golden age traveler who first arrives in Egypt in Alexandria, then travels through Lower Egypt to Upper Egypt, or from Cairo to Damascus and on to India. There is just enough history to balance the anecdotes and architectural and ownership details to allow you to appreciate even further the important role these hotels played before the era of the airplane made travel common place rather than grand and daring.
You learn about Napoleon's visit, how the palace he arrived at on July 25, 1798 eventually became the most famous of Egypt's grand hotels, Shepheard's , whose reign as such only ended when it was burned to the ground during the riots on Black Saturday, January 26, 1952, the day the revolution threw the British out. In the pages of this book I met Agatha Miller, a young frivolous debutante uninterested in pyramids or tombs, who was brought to Cairo by her mother to find a husband, as a season in London was too costly. We meet Agatha again many years later with her second husband, only now she's known world wide as Agatha Christie. Many great writers pass through and quotes from their letters and books about their visits are liberally included. I'm very tempted to see if I can find Pierre Loti's ascerbic writings (confession I already own others by Lawrence Durrell, Mark Twain, and Gustav Flaubert). These hotels served critical functions as hospitals or military headquarters during WWI and WWII. Many of them featured in familiar films like Death on the Nile.
I am most interested after reading this book to stay in Cairo's Windsor Hotel, which as of the date of the book (2011) still has much of its original detail and features, including a vintage manually operated Schindler elevator that's a tiny glass box running up the center of the winding staircase. Seems Cairo is the home of old elevators kept working with a passion close to obsession, and this elevator, dating from about 1893, is reputedly the oldest. Michael Palin stayed at the Windsor at his stop in Cairo for his series Around the World in 80 Days.
A special chapter at the end taught me all about vintage luggage stickers, images of which enliven the book's text, and how they were used by porters to distinguish which hotels a traveler's steamer trunks and other luggage were to be delivered. The artwork on these is absolutely stunning, capturing the exoticism of the locale of each hotel perfectly. There is also a lengthy bibliography which lists many fictional works and memoirs referenced in the text. My TBR has expanded exponentially.
Read in short bursts, between other reading, I was richly rewarded by my impulse buy.
The Woman Who Would Be KingHatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt
By Kara Cooney
4 stars
298 pages
Culture: Egypt
Cooney is an academic, but also works on popular interpretations of ancient Egypt. I believe this is her first foray into narrative non-fiction, which is very engrossing and informative, but is still full of references and footnotes so not quite a seamless story.
Cooney uses the spotty ancient records and works of fellow historians to piece together Hatshepsut’s immediate ancestors, royal upbringing, brief marriage and ascension to the throne. She imagines how Hatshepsut may have influenced the court, the priests and the people over the years of her reign. Cooney further imagines how Hatshepsut may have felt, and how others may have felt about her. There is much speculation, sometimes differing due to conflicting or missing records, but it does come together nicely. The book concludes with the years following her death, how her reign was viewed differently by later dynasties and historians.
I just read for this month a book called child of the morning which is also about Hatshepsut. I didn’t love the book, but I found the story interesting. Really grateful that these tags and challenges give us something new to explore and learn from. Maybe I should’ve read yours, it’s shorter.
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