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The Heretic Queen
is the story of Nefertari, famed wife of Ramesses the Great and niece of the reviled Nefertiti. With romance and royal intrigue enough to rival any Tudor tale, we follow Nefertari from her childhood at the Egyptian court as an all-but-forgotten orphan princess through her trials and triumphs to overcome the taint of her background to win the love the Egyptian people and the loyal heart of her greatest desire -- Ramesses.I very much enjoyed the entire book, but one of the aspects I found most interesting was the minor sub-story of Moses and the Hebrews. (Named in this book as "Ahmoses" and the "Habiru".) After all, I can't hear the name "Ramesses" without thinking of the Exodus. They are forever entwined in my television-addled brain. In the author's notes, Ms. Moran writes that those looking for the biblical Moses will be sorely disappointed. That is true. But what they will find is a most surprising take on those events. Possibly anti-climatic for those wishing for plagues and passover and parting seas and "So let it be written, so let it be done", but very interesting nonetheless.
The amount of research done for this book draws you in to every page. It's easy to lose yourself in the grandiosity of it all. But with deep respect for all the work Michelle Moran has done, this is what my mind will always see when I hear the names of Nefertari and Ramesses:
Big sigh. And just for the sake of self-indulgence, I'll include this one too:
Bigger sigh . . . They just don't make pharaohs like they used to. ;-)
24 comments:
Ha ha--Ya, those sandals are hot! ;) This sounds so fascinating--I've never really read anything about this time period but I have seen a handful of movies. Sounds like the perfect book to get lost in.
Trish ~ Aren't they though? :-) This is definitely a good starting point for Egyptian historicals. So is her previous book, Nefertiti.
Lezlie
I can't wait to dig into Nefertiti!
Wow, who is that actor....?
rmpltskn
Hi Lezlie...loved the pictures....swooning here. Shame no one swoons anymore. Ahhh, age showing. I must read Nefertiti now & then on to this one. Thanks for another terrific review. Linda/fan of EB!
Bermudaonion ~ I spent so much time marveling at the beautiful cover of Nefertiti that I'm surprised I got it read at all. :-)
Rmpltskn ~ That would be the late, great Yul Brynner. I could watch The Ten Commandments over and over and over just for him!
Linda ~ We can show our age together. :-)
L.
He certainly rocks those sandals. LOL
Nefertiti was so good that I didn't want it to end. Now I'm dying to read this one.
I am so excited to read this book. Maybe I should just put a life-sized cardboard cutout of Yul Brynner next to my bed while I read 'The Heretic Queen'?? ;)
Anna ~ I hope you'll feel the same way about this one!
Michele ~ If you can find one of those, will you share?? :-)
Lezlie
I keep seeing reviews of this book. It doesn't strike me as something I'd enjoy, but your positive review - and pictures - made me interested.
Charley ~ It just came out a week ago, so a lot of reviews are coming out now. Let me know how you liked it if you give it a try. I love books set in ancient Egypt, but I'm not too proud to admit that picturing Yul Brynner and the beautiful Anne Baxter as Ramesses and Nefertari may have tipped the scales for me a bit! ;-)
Lezlie
They just don't make pharaohs like they used to.
Sigh... they sure don't. They also don't seem to make kilts like they used to. I, for one, would not protest a resurgence (on the right man, of course ;)
Thank you for review, Lezlie! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Hi, Michelle! On the right man, absolutely! We don't want another version of the weird Speedo craze. . . :-)
I can't wait to read Cleopatra's Daughter when you've got it all ready to go!
Lezlie
Lovely lovely man boobs! Sorry, that was probably inappropriate. lol
Have I mentioned lately that I really want to read these books lol?! Great photos!!!
Andi ~ Is it inappropriate if it's true? :-)
Ladytink ~ I hope you get to read them soon. Especially now that I've provided new visuals. . . :-)
Lezlie
I agree with what your mind sees whenever you hear their names - I watch that movie every year when it's on. Even my 16 year old daughter loves it and has for years. When she was a lot younger, right after she saw the movie she would walk around saying "so let it be written; so let it be done". I love that line!
And btw, I loved the book as well.
Daphne ~ Excellent! We have to keep the Yul Brynner/Ten Commandments fandom alive!
Lezlie
Ah, yes, he was an excellent pharoah that Yul. I got to see him on stage in The King and I. He was pretty cool as a King, too.
Bookfool ~ You saw him for real?? I am green with jealousy!! That must have been fabulous! He did make a great king, too. He just had that aura about him.
Lezlie
I am really looking forward to reading this one. And I love those photos. :-)
Literary Feline ~ Peter was glad I included a pic of Anne Baxter, or I think he might have taken it a bit personally. :-)
Lezlie
Great review Lezlie! Panting and drooling, the sure don't make pharaohs the way they use to!
I received the books. Wow, you sure went all out with the card and gift wrapping. It was such a treat! I can hardly wait to dig in.
Teddy Rose ~ I'm glad you enjoyed both the photos and the gift wrap! The actual books are just as good. :-)
Lezlie
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