Getting the sole bad point about this book out of the way first, some of the information on which Gedge bases the book we now know is inaccurate. Gedge, for example, has an enmity between Hatshepsut and Thothmes III, her nephew/step-son. This enmity was previously deduced from the evidence that the erasure of Hatshepsut's names from the king list occurred in Thothmes III's reign. But we know at present date that the chiselling out of her name occurred at the very end of his reign - hardly a rash act of impassioned hatred for his stepmother. Rather, it now appears that he had her names erased simply because a female Pharaoh contravened the idea of Ma'at (the Egyptian idea of order and the right way of things), and not because of any personal grudge or enmity. We also know now that whilst Hatshepsut claims in her monuments that her father, Thothmes I, intended for her to succeed him, this is a claim after the event, and no evidence from the actual time suggests anything other than Thothmes intended for his son to become the next Pharaoh. Hatshepsut made this claim years after the actual event, in order to reinforce her right to the Double Crown. There's a very good reason why I haven't marked the book down, despite this, whereas I might count it against a recently released novel, and that's because at the time Gedge was writing this book, in the mid-70's, the accepted theory of the time was exactly as Gedge portrays it and she can hardly be faulted for discoveries years and decades later revealing to us that this was not the case.Hatshepsut, the protagonist, more than has the personality to carry the book. A young girl robust, curious, and outspoken, she grows into a woman driven, determined, and diligent. Hers is a strong personality, and she carries herself with a confidence and complete belief in her right to be Pharaoh as the Daughter of Amun. Common sense combines with intelligence to produce a diligent governance of Egypt. Her dominant personality overshadows everyone around her, especially other women - even when compared to Aset, who undoubtedly has her own physical appeals. Her submission to Thothmes, however, instead of getting rid of him, is somewhat disappointing, although of course Gedge had to stick to historical accuracy. Senmut is undoubtedly the secondary character, and some of the action is seen through his eyes, when we are not looking over Hatshepsut's shoulder. The controversial advisor has been portrayed here by Gedge as likable, rather than ambitious, and indeed he is. From a humble peasant, to we'eb priest, to architect, and hereditary prince, we are cheering for his rise throughout. His loyalty to Hatshepsut is absolute, as she is both cause of his good fortune, the woman he loves, and the upholder of Ma'at in Egypt.Thothmes II is not an unlikable character, but he is certainly not one of admiration. He is lazy and enjoys a living in the lap of luxury. He struggles with both his academic education and his martial training, and even as Pharaoh he shies away from the tasks of government and going into battle personally. And yet Thothmes is more perceptive than most of the other characters give him credit for, and where he is a mouse in battle, Hatshepsut is surprised to find that he is a man in the bedroom, with a certain quality of charisma in this arena. Aset is another character worthy of note. She is sharp, like Hatshepsut, but where Hatshepsut is intelligent, she is cunning, where Hatshepsut exerts her authority in the open, she cultivates it insidiously behind bedroom doors... both dangerous but in different ways.Thothmes III is the antagonist to Hatshepsut's protagonist at the end of the book, but in many ways he is a lot like her. He's incredibly sharp and intelligent, he takes an active hand in the governance of Egypt, he excels in both academic and martial pursuits, and holds a confidence all his own. The only difference is that he seems to be much more eager for war, where as Hatshepsut promotes peace. I would disagree with this portrayal though. At the time Gedge wrote the book the idea of Hatshepsut as a female ruler avoiding war and promoting peace, and Thothmes III as a red-blooded male war-monger, was a very popular perspective, but the truth was quite different. Hatshepsut never shied away from war, and did not promote peace because of her femininity, in fact she recognised that being a war leader was an important part of being Pharaoh. Conversely, Thothmes, though he was indeed a warrior-king, did not ruin Egypt with war, but won many victories and conquered for Egypt a sizeable empire. In any case, this creation of strong opponents to face Hatshepsut brought the tension of the story alive.There's a good dose of action, but the book is more heavily weighted by character relationships. As with all of her books, Gedge makes sure that all her characters are fleshed out and given depth and realism, and don't appear as stereotypes, caricatures, or shallow and two-dimensional. Dialogue perfectly suits each character, not a line out of place. It's obvious that Gedge spends a lot of time and care in creating her characters, and by the time the book is published knows them like the back of her hand. Altogether, her research was, as ever, extensive and contributes to the wonderful level of detail in the descriptions - environments brought to vivid life, rich and fascinating culture of Ancient Egypt, and the vital characters.
As a fan of Michelle Moran and a devotee of historical fiction, I expected to love this book. Wholeheartedly. Unabashedly. But several pages in, I found myself struggling not only to like it, but to pick it up again once I had put it down. Uh-oh. With a book that spans more than 400 pages, that reluctance is a bad omen, indeed.While Ms. Gedge provides a scenic background that very nearly transports one to ancient Egypt and colors her characters with a revealing, delicate, fine brush, I'm sorry to say that I just could not sympathize, empathize, or particularly care one whit about them. Siblings die, parents die, lovers are joined and parted; thrones are usurped, wars are fought -- this "Child" has plenty of drama and a plethora of plot lines, all of which elicited yawns from me ... because the heroine Hatshepsut was, in my opinion, completely unlikable. Vain, hot-tempered, power-hungry and afflicted with a wicked case of penis-envy. Sorry, but true. She stomps around in men's clothing, chucking spears and wearing a Pharaoh's fake beard one moment and would have us believe she's the most beautiful woman in the world the next. Really? She is in turns generous and abusive, sensual and androgynous, disgusted by her brother and then in bed with him. Sorry, again, but true.But if you don't mind reading 400-plus pages of the antics of a bipolar, cross-dressing, incest-practicing Crown Prince Princess, then you'll enjoy this one. Unfortunately, it jumped too many barriers for me; and reading it was like slogging through the Nile with a 100-lb. backpack while wearing cement galoshes, in my never-to-be-humble opinion. (Apologies to Ms. Gedge, but I would like my reading time refunded, please.)Blech.
What do You think about Child Of The Morning (2003)?
I have read this book more times than I can remember starting when I was about sixteen and still in high school. Child of the Morning is probably one of the very first books that I can remember that actually moved me emotionally. It's powerful in it's imagery and emotions. To qoute Penguin Canada's website: A chronicle of passionate intrigue and sensuous exoticism, Child of the Morning resurrects the life of the awesome Hatshepsut, the only woman pharaoh of ancient Egypt, whose name was erased from history by her enemies, outraged at having to bow to a woman's command. It's now known today that Hatshepsut was not the only woman who would rule Egypt, nor was she the first. However unlike other women in ancient Egypt's past she is the only female Pharaoh who had such a lengthy rule (she has been assigned a reign of twenty-one years and nine months.)The novel itself weaves fact and fiction to create a powerful tale about Hatshepsut and her reign. Gedge brings to life not only Hatshepsut but the three Thothmesids that would have a great affect on Hatshepsut's political career along with her nobles, including Senemut. Although more current historical evidence has come to light since Gedge's first novel was originally published, the tale that she was created is still worth reading.
—Aaronlisa
This novel, published in 1977, was Pauline Gedge’s first and proved to be an international success for the Canadian author (born in New Zealand, also resided in England). Although it is a lengthy book she wrote it in just six weeks, which attests to her tremendous ability to interweave historical details, strong character development, dramatic action, interludes of passion, concise dialogue and parental and filial rivalries and betrayals into a memorable work that continues to be enjoyed by readers decades later. Its success served to inspire Gedge to write many more books using the setting of ancient Egypt. The subject of the book being the first and only female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut, it no doubt has attracted a large female readership. Extensive research by her and her husband paid off to create an atmosphere that seems genuinely fitting.Unlike so many so many novice writers today, Gedge demonstrated outstanding skill with expressing clearly and poetically thoughts, feelings and atmosphere. Her command of the English language was and is exemplary. Readers can easily picture the surroundings of that ancient desert civilization—the stark landscape contrasted with the exquisite architecture of temples, palaces and pyramids. The subjects’ devotion to a polytheistic culture in which the Pharaoh was representative of Ra, the sun god, source of all life, and Amun, the personification of air and breath, which pervaded everyone’s life with loyalty and devotion, is attentively described. The unquestioned tradition of royal incest [unbeknownst to many, it was also practiced in Africa, Central and South America and South Asia] plays an important part in the relationships and plotting of possible liaisons in the succession of incidents.The work was an outstanding achievement for a novice writer. It brought the history of ancient Egypt to a new prominence and continues to do so. The narrative is not fast paced but leisurely. The author seemed more intent to extensively include every nuance and detail rather than—perhaps intrusively—providing more tension, suspense and excitement. In intervals I did find that quality of Gedge’s authorship in this book to be somewhat tedious and for that reason I have rated this book four rather than five, but given the time, I would not hesitate to reread Child of the Morning. It is great literature.
—Sverre
Recensione pubblicata su Cronache di BetelgeuseBisogna prendere il libro come un’interpretazione romanzata dell’Egitto e del suo unico faraone donna, lasciandosi avvolgere da quell’aria di regalità e divinità che era attribuita alla stirpe reale.Possiamo così seguire Hatshepsut, che da bambina che ama giocare, si trasforma in una donna fiera e incredibilmente potente, in grado di governare l’Egitto senza inutili guerre e spargimenti di sangue. Molti aspetti della sua vita sono scanditi dalla religione, per non parlare di alcune decisioni, prese secondo il divino volere, che si riveleranno fatali. E’ sempre circondata da personaggi importanti, consiglieri militari o sacerdoti, e dovrà lottare contro le convinzioni dell’epoca per imporre il suo volere.Al suo fianco troverà una sequenza di uomini molto variegata, dagli inetti a valorosi soldati, da innamorati ad animi gentili che la ammirano. Ma sarà con le donne che Hatshepsut avrà i rapporti più controversi: non sempre riuscirà a capire come relazionarsi e più di una volta sbaglierà approccio, creandosi delle nemiche implacabili che vorranno solo annientarla.La vita a palazzo è completamente distaccata da quella della gente comune, che si scorge solo di riflesso, sempre in atteggiamenti adoranti verso la famiglia reale. Gli schiavi sono considerati come dei semplici oggetti, che possono essere ceduti o uccisi senza batter ciglio. Nonostante l’ambiente dorato che li circonda, si scorgono alcune crepe nel palazzo reale, dove anche lì possono giungere malattie, pestilenze e morti improvvise, senza che nessun dio possa fermarle.Nel complesso una lettura molto scorrevole, che offre uno spunto diverso sulla figura di Hatshepsut, non più come perfida matrigna usurpatrice del trono, ma come legittimo faraone.
—Betelgeuse
