Skip to main content

Pharaoh by Karen Essex: A Book Review

Pharaoh
Author: Karen Essex
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Release Date: 2009
Pages: 416
Source: My State Public Library
Synopsis: Following on from 'Kleopatra', the glittering epic of Egypt's queen continues as she allies herself with Anthony and begins a love story that immortalizes her as one of history's greatest political players and most tragic heroines.

      My Review: Pharaoh picks up where Kleopatra left off. The story follows Kleopatra's exile to her death. Kleopatra realizes that she must befriend the Romans in order to regain her throne and arranges a meeting with Julius Caesar. The two form an alliance to help strengthen ties between Egypt and Rome. The novel shows Kleopatra not as a great seducer to two powerful Roman men, but also a strong and capable ruler.

     I loved Kleopatra’s portrayal in this novel. She sacrifices love for her duty as a queen. She is confident and ambitious. She dreams of a Graeco-Roman alliance with Alexandria as its capital. While Kleopatra has many loves in her life, her true love is Antony. Her relationship with Antony was very moving. In the last year of her reign, she tries to save Antony from his depression and tries to restore their relationship from their earlier days. While they do not have the passion from when they first begin their relationship, it is clear that they love each other deeply and relis on the other. Thus, their relationship was tragic and the reader wishes that things had ended up differently.

    Overall, this novel is about a couple trying to renew their relationship amidst their imminent doom. Pharaoh follows two storylines, from when Kleopatra is in exile and in Kleopatra’s final reign as she tries to restore her relationship with Antony. I thought the characters were very complex. The only thing I did not like about Pharaoh was that I thought the ending was a little rushed. Still, the story was very similar to Margaret George's Memoirs of Cleopatra, and I thought the novel came close to understand Kleopatra’s thoughts and motives. Pharaoh shows Kleopatra as an adept female ruler and has won the love of her subjects. Karen Essex’s duology of the infamous pharaoh is a series that shouldn’t be missed by fans of Kleopatra.

 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words by Andrew Morton

Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words Author: Andrew Morton Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography,  Publisher: Simon and Schuster Release Date: 2009 Pages: 448 Source: My Personal Collection Synopsis: The sensational biography of Princess Diana, written with her cooperation and now featuring exclusive new material to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her death.      When Diana: Her True Story was first published in 1992, it forever changed the way the public viewed the British monarchy. Greeted initially with disbelief and ridicule, the #1 New York Times bestselling biography has become a unique literary classic, not just because of its explosive contents but also because of Diana’s intimate involvement in the publication. Never before had a senior royal spoken in such a raw, unfiltered way about her unhappy marriage, her relationship with the Queen, her extraordinary life inside the House of Windsor, her hopes, her fears, and her dreams. Now, twenty-fiv...
Post a Comment
Read more

In a League of Her Own by Kaia Alderson: A Book Review

In a League of Her Own Author: Kaia Alderson Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks  Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 352 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: From the author of Sisters in Arms comes the incredible, untold story of Effa Manley, a black businesswoman in the male dominated baseball industry, and, currently, the only woman inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.       1930s, New York City        An ambitious Harlem woman’s husband upends her social climbing when he buys a Negro Leagues baseball team and appoints her as the team’s business manager. Overnight, Effa Manley goes from 125 th Street’s civil rights champion to an interloper in the boys’ club that is professional baseball.        Navigating her way through gentlemen’s agreement contracts, the very public flirtatious antics of superstar Satchel Pai...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tayvie's Story (A Sparrow Alone #3) by Mim Eichmann: A Book Review

  Tayvie’s Story (A Sparrow Alone #3) Author: Mim  Eichmann Genre: Historical Fiction  Publisher: Living Springs Publishers Publication Date: 2024 Pages: 355 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Chicago, IL – December 1923        Terrified, racing from an irate shopkeeper who has accused her of stealing, her comatose mother sprawled in a dark hallway, four-year-old Tayvie Jackson falls asleep while hiding in a car. Hours later, Tayvie, who understands almost no English, awakens many miles from a home she barely knew. Forced to live with deceitful relatives during the Depression in the Jim Crow south, Tayvie and her adopted mother later escape, hoping to build on young Tayvie’s fledgling career as a jazz singer.        In 1938, Tayvie innocently signs a six-month contract to appear at the Moulin Rouge in Paris. Almost immediately, distorted allegations erupt surroundin...
Post a Comment
Read more