The Woman Who Would Be King

Author: Kara Cooney
Genre: Non-fiction
Publisher: Crown/Archetype, 2015
Pages: 320 pages, 9 discs
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Hatshepsut - the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne - was expected to bear sons who would legitimize the reign of her father's family. Her failure to produce a male heir, however, paved the way for her improbable rule as a cross-dressing king. 

At just over twenty, Hatshepsut out-maneuvered the mother of Thutmose III, the infant king, for a seat on the throne, and ascended to the rank of pharaoh.

Shrewdly operating the levers of power to emerge as Egypt's second female pharaoh, Hatshepsut was a master strategiest, clocking her political power plays in the veil of piety and sexual reinvention. She successfully negotiated a path from the royal nursery to the very pinnacle of authority, and her reign saw one of Ancient Egypt's most prolific building periods.

Constructing a rich narrative history using the artifacts that remain, noted Egyptologist Kara Coney offers a remarkable interpretation of how Hatshepsut rapidly but methodically consolidated power - and why she fell from public favor just as quickly. The Woman Who Would Be King traces the unconventional life of an almost-forgotten pharaoh and explores our complicated reaction to women in power.

Review: I went outside my comfort zone with this one. My 12 year old is studying Egypt in school, and I was reviewing her study guide before a test, I realized that I didn't remember much from my Ancient Civilizations course in college (with Dr. Settlemire). Pieces were coming back to me, but I wanted more.

Once I started listening to this, I realized what annoys me so much with Ancient Egypt - what we know about it almost all conjecture and hypothesis. Hatshepsut may have done this, or she likely felt this way about XYZ. I want more concrete, factual information.

While I enjoyed the author reading this audio book, I found Cooney's writing to be repetitive. Removing the repeating words, phrases, and explanations would have shortened the book significantly. The last few chapters discussed her legacy, or the lack thereof, but by this time, I just wanted the book to end.

Before I swear off Egypt entirely, I might try another book in the near future.