Nefertiti

I am shamefully ignorant of the details of the Egyptian civilization. Sure, I know the names of a handful of Kings and Queens, but if questioned further, I would know next to nothing about any of their reigns or who is related to who. I mean, it’s so confusing. A lot of my confusion has to do with their names being so similar, and they tended to marry into the family. Because this is ancient history, even the experts seem divided about how to interpret some of the archaeological artifacts.

So, when I picked up Nefertiti by Michelle Moran, it was with the full knowledge that anything she stated would fly by me. The only knowledge I had about Nefertiti was that she was an Egyptian queen, she was known for her beauty, and my mother has a bust of hers in her house from a trip to Egypt eons ago.

So, don’t expect this book review to analyze the historical minutiae and critique Moran’s accuracy and research skills. You’re not going to get that with this review.

Book Synopsis

When the natural heir to the throne dies in an unexpected “accident,” Prince Amunhotep (later changed his name to Akhenaten) becomes the heir to the throne. He is a very unsatisfactory heir because he doesn’t believe in the existing way of doing things. Instead of Egypt’s many gods, he wants to bring in a new monotheistic (one God) religion. He also wants to curb the power and wealth of the priests.

To sidetrack him from this obsession, the Queen arranges his marriage to beautiful Nefertiti, hoping that she will be able to influence him in the right direction.

Unfortunately, the plan falls flat, and the rest of the book deals with how Akhenaten and Nefertiti rule, defying all existing norms. The story of their reign is viewed through the eyes of the narrator – Mutnotdjmed or Mutny, who is Nefertiti’s sister.

My Review

I”ll be honest. This book is not flattering to Akhenaten and Nefertiti at all. They come across as childish, arrogant, and vain. And I’m not quite sure how accurate that portrayal is. He also seems to have been a weak leader dominated by his wife.

I am not convinced, however. A man who believed in his convictions so much as to change the official religion, stamp all over the power of the priests, does not reconcile with the portrayal of a man dominated by his wife. Unfortunately, there is very little evidence about his personality and motivations on the web. Much of what I read on the web made me think Akhenaten might have been more advanced than his times. Considering that merely 100 years later, Moses was successfully able to preach a monotheistic religion and lead the exodus of the Jews out of Egypt makes me wonder if Akhenaten’s beliefs could have influenced him.

Nefertiti’s portrayal in the book may be unfair, but it is fun to read about – most of the time, she is like a spoilt teenager bossing around her younger sister. It’s always fun to read about drama queens.

The narrator, Mutny – Nefertiti’s younger sister, is the bore. She comes across as a very good and wise person, but the sections of the book devoted to her life with her husband were mundane in the extreme. Thankfully, it seems that Moran understood this and soon brought her back into the heart of the action.

Another aspect I disliked about the book is that it starts a little slow. Time is spent on building the characters, setting up, etc. I liked that detailing. However, the end seems a bit too rushed. A lot of the politics of the time is rushed through and simplified, and because of all the rush, in the end, I had no strong feelings when Nefertiti died.

Still, this was a great book to read. It was reasonably easy to understand, and I would highly recommend it if you are not too critical about the leaps Moran takes into the characters’ minds and the relatively flat characterizations. It’s also a great and accessible starting point into early Egyptian history, and I now look forward to reading Moran’s other books on Egyptian history.

I did some googling after reading this book, and I came across this book list on goodreads. I never knew there were so many books on Nefertiti and Akhenaten.

Have you read Nefertiti? What did you think of the book? Do you have any other books on Egyptian history you’d like to recommend?