Egypt's "most notorious" female king, Maatkare Hatshepsut, is the captivating subject of Tarr's latest novel of ancient Egypt. The story opens as Senenmut, a homely, arrogant young scribe, arrives at the royal palace in Thebes as a gift to the "girlchild" Queen Hatshepsut - the Great Royal Wife of King Thutmose II, who is her half-brother. The royal marriage has yet to be consummated, however, because the queen considers the king "a sweaty, panting lout without the least grain of delicacy." Recognizing her duty to produce an heir, she orders Isis, a beautiful maidservant, to prepare the king for her by teaching him the art of lovemaking. When Hatshepsut at last gives birth to a girl instead of the desired boy, the queen refuses to care for her, appointing Senenmut as her daughter's tutor and guardian. The birth of a stillborn son leaves the queen infertile. Her hatred toward the king crystallizes after Isis, now his calculating concubine, gives birth to an heir, Thutmose III. When the king suddenly dies, further intrigue unfolds, leading to Hatshepsut, now queen regent, seizing her chance to gain the throne. Tarr evokes Hatshepsut's ruthlessness as well as her vulnerability, and provides vivid portraits of Senenmut, Thutmose III and other real historical figures. Hatshepsut's courtship of the Egyptians, her peaceful reign and Thutmose III's ultimate revenge against her add up to a dramatic tale.
-From Publishers Weekly, Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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A friend bought me this book used from a Charlotte, NC library used booksale. Gave it to me. I read it once and then it sat on the bookshelf. I'm rereading it now and will rate and give an opinion, once I've finished and remember what it's about! :D

Ok, I'm done rereading this. It is a decent book. Well written and you certainly like at least one of the characters. However, it is not always that engrossing. It's good, but nothing that I would want to reread again, unless I totally forgot about it. It's an ok story with politics and romance and some adventure, but all in all, I just didn't care for it enough to keep it around. The ending is rather anticlimatic.

One of two people is going to get this one next, as soon as I hear which one gets it first :)

My boyfriend, formedsmoke, wants to read this he said.So it'll be leaving me after 2 weeks to go to him. After that it goes to enlith

Fun-Filled adventures of a scribe and a queen in ancient Egypt. A king, actually. No, not the scribe. The queen. A queen who becomes a king, without any surgical operations. Its an inntriguing novel based deeply in actual historic events, and though it can be slow in places, continues to suprise with accounts of different perspectives and a new, riveting event just as you might consider putting it down.

RELEASE NOTES:

Heading to Chapel Hill, NC to enlith

I really like the story and characters in this book. It's not always hugely engaging, but the characters always seem very vibrant and real to me. Its a wild ride of politics and crowns - everyone seeking to serve themselves while still forced to serve those above them in rank. I liked the development of Maatkare Hatshepsut (even though I often didn't actually like her) from a petulent child to a powerful king dealing with a potentially dangerous world around her. I hope to read more by Judith Tarr!