'The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt' by Kara Cooney chronicles the life of the nearly forgotten Egyptian ruler Hatshepsut. In a male dominated society, Hatshepsut improbably became a long and successful ruler of Egypt, leading the country through a period of economic and military stability. Cooney, a professor of Egyptian art and architecture, expertly weaves together the known information about Hatshepsut to create a readable work that explores her reign, the complex politics at the Egyptian royal court, and the challenges faced by a female pharaoh in ancient Egypt.

Writing/Prose:

The prose combines scholarly research with speculative insights, making the text both informative and engaging. However, the frequent use of conjecture may detract from the reader's experience.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative focuses on the life and reign of a remarkable woman, Hatshepsut, as she navigates a male-dominated society to become a successful pharaoh. Despite significant accomplishments, her legacy was largely obliterated after her death, which the author explores.

Setting:

The setting provides a detailed portrayal of ancient Egypt's royal court and its complex social, political, and religious dynamics.

Pacing:

The pacing is inconsistent, oscillating between engaging narrative moments and denser passages that may require more focus from the reader.

Hatshepsut was the first woman to exercise long-term rule over Egypt as a king. Other Egyptian women had governed before her, but they merely served as regents or leaders for short periods of time. If...

Genres:

nonfiction

biography

history

Topics:

Notes:

Hatshepsut was a female pharaoh who ruled Ancient Egypt around 1400 BCE.

She was one of the only women in ancient history to achieve the role of king.

Hatshepsut started her political career as regent for her stepson Thutmose III, who was too young to rule.

She declared herself king after her husband's death, a highly unusual move at the time.

Hatshepsut oversaw significant construction projects, including temples and obelisks, during her reign.

She led successful trade expeditions, most notably to the land of Punt.

Her reign was marked by peace and prosperity for Egypt, a notable contrast to the often violent ascension of male rulers.

Much of the information we have about her comes from monuments, statuary, and official records, which were often destroyed after her death.

Cooney often has to speculate about Hatshepsut's motivations and feelings due to a lack of surviving personal records.

The efforts to erase her legacy began after her death when Thutmose III took steps to remove her from history.

From The Publisher:

An engrossing biography of the longest-reigning female pharaoh in Ancient Egypt and the story of her audacious rise to power.

Hatshepsut-the daughter of a general who usurped Egypt's throne-was expected to bear the 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 strategist, cloaking 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 Cooney 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 reactions to women in power.

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About the Author:

KARA COONEY is an associate professor of Egyptian art and architecture at UCLA in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures. In 2005, she was co-curator of Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Cooney produced a comparative archaeology series entitled Out of Egypt, which aired on the Discovery Channel and is streaming on Netflix.

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The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt

Kara Cooney