Child of the Morning

Another of Gedge's vivid and utterly believable recreations of the past. I knew nothing about Queen/Pharoah Hapshetsut; this book certainly provided a lot of information about her time and place. Interesting as she is as an historical figure, as drawn by Gedge she is a fascinating and potent woman--strong-willed, confident in her own divinity, full of the power that the god Amun's favor bestows. It's interesting that though she waged war alongside her troops, she did so only to defend Egypt and not for purposes of conquest. Absorbing and hard to put down.

I loved this book from when I first discovered it in my teens. It's a novel of Hatshepsut, the only woman to ever reign as Pharaoh, and it's vivid and lush without ever being purple, conjuring up a distant land that was as, the forward notes, as ancient to the Caesars as they are to us--she ruled 3,500 years ago. Gedge does a wonderful job of bringing that land and its people to the mind's eye. When Hatshepsut discusses her temple with her lover architect, Senmut (still in existence) it's described so well, it brought the pictures I'd seen of it to mind. Hatshepsut herself is strongly drawn--brilliant, charismatic, arrogant as she must have been to rule as a woman in those times. I understand there are aspects of the book that aren't show more historically accurate--but then this novel was written in 1977 and we've learned quite a bit more about Hatshpsut since then. I still recommend it. It's a gripping novel and does the work of good historical fiction, making you want to read books of history and archeology to uncover the real woman behind the portrait painted here. show less

A wonderful blend of history and fiction. Intrigue, glory, failure, love, loss, it's all here in a captivating, deliciously described setting.

Mrs. Gedge does a wonderful job of making Ancient Egypt and the characters within spring to life from the page. No one here is one dimensional or perfect. Simply put there aren't any real plot holes.

Without spoiling, the ending is not what actually happened, but Mrs. Gedge in the last few chapters does a wonderful job of building an impending sense of not being able to escape destiny and closes it out perfectly for the tale she wove.

If you love ancient history, especially the wonderful Egyptians, then this book is just what you need. What it lacks in characterization it makes up for in sheer fun. A fast read, and though it can hardly be faithful to history, Hatshepsut is just as one might imagine her to be: lovely as the dawn yet cold as the night, drawing you into herself yet keeping everyone at a distance. I feel so much more could have been done with her character, as her relationship with Senmut left much wanting, but the book was already long enough since it covered her entire lifetime. The story did get maddening at times and required more than normal suspension of disbelief, but it was absolutely fun, the detail was exquisite, the battle scenes well drawn, show more and the characters were full of life. Gedge is a wonderful writer. This is my first book of hers, but I will definitely be reading more! show less

3.25 stars

In ancient Egypt (I looked it up, and Hatshepsut lived around 1500 BC). Hatshupset ruled Egypt as a female Pharaoh (normally only a title/position for men). This is a fictionalized account of her life.

I seem to be in a minority for my opinion on this but… The first half was just not interesting to me. It was ok, but nothing more. It picked up somewhat in the second half, after her father died, with the power struggle between her and her half-brother. So, most of the second half, I would rate good, but there were still parts that lost my interest. It seemed, at times, like what happened was drawn out longer than it needed to be. I would have liked to know how much of the story was true, but there was no author’s note, show more unfortunately. All that being said, what an incredible woman, especially for the time. Decided on a rating between “ok” and “good”. show less

I don’t read much historical fiction set in ancient Egypt. I read Judith Tarr’s Pillar of Fire (about Amunhotep); and another one whose name is escaping me at the moment; and Michelle Moran’s books about Nefertiti and Nefertari; but this is the first novel I’ve read about Hatshepsut, Egypt’s female Pharaoh. She ruled Egypt for twenty years, despite the various troubles she faced during her reign—including the threat from her nephew, Tuthmoses III, who later attempted to erase Hatshepsut’s name from the temples and monuments she erected during her lifetime. Nonetheless, Hatshepsut had a long, illustrious career as Pharaoh, not the least of which is because she was assisted by a strong group of advisors.

The novel focuses on show more the earlier part of Hatshepsut’s life, beginning at around the age of ten, when her sister dies and Tuthmoses I decides that Hatshepsut will follow in his footsteps. Gedge brings Hatshepsut the woman to life in this novel, merging fiction with fact. Her description of the various military campaigns lost me a little bit, but other that that, I found this to be a really well-written piece of fiction. Hatshepsut was a strong, tenacious woman, as seen in the way that she held on to her crown, even as her nephew attempted to take it from her. Gedge’s descriptions of ancient Egypt are evocative of the time and place. I don’t know much about ancient Egypt, but I’ve heard that Gedge was renowned for accuracy in her research. This novel is a slow one to read, but well wroth it. I’ll be on the lookout for more books by Pauline Gedge. show less

I have to use a quote off the back of this book, it's just too good. Mary Renault (famous author of novels set in ancient Greece) writes: "Remarkable... It has a vivid and powerful sense of atmosphere, and its interpretation of the enigmatic Hatshepsut is extremely interesting." Which to me translates as "I don't believe a word of it, but don't let that stop you, it's good."
It is, in fact, evocative and compelling.