The History of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, by Jacob Abbott

The History of Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, by Jacob Abbott chronicles the life of Cleopatra VII (or, as we tend to refer to her, just Cleopatra). I have not studied Cleopatra in depth, so what I am writing is based off of this book. I have glanced at a few online articles and it seems like the book was fairly accurate. However, it is possible that an Egyptologist would disagree. Because of this, I am not taking accuracy into account when I review this book.
Cleopatra was the last Egyptian Pharaoh (or second to last, depending on how you interpret her son's rule). Born to a line where violence and politics were deeply connected to familial relationships, she was witness to and a participant of many family fights that ended in blood, betrayal, and death. Her ascension to the throne came at a time of civil war and was only accomplished with the aid of Julius Caesar. Whether through genuine affection or because she thought it would give her political power, Cleopatra began an affair with Caesar (who was already married) and, on his death, with Marc Antony (who was also married). In addition, Cleopatra was imprudent with her money, using it to constantly indulge herself. Her lavish lifestyle and her affairs with married men contributed to the fall of the Ptolomeic dynasty.
Abbott takes a long time to get to the topic of Cleopatra. The author first discusses the land of Egypt and the Ptolemies (Cleopatra VII's ancestors). While these can be related back to and are somewhat vital to understanding Cleopatra's life, the author spends too much time on them. It is not until Chapter Four that Cleopatra enters the book with anything other than a mere mention. Even afterwards, the author focuses a lot on the characters surrounding her, such as Caesar, Brutus, Cassius, Marc Antony, etc. At one point, there are ten pages in a row that do not even mention Cleopatra. While these figures are central to Cleopatra's life, Abbott could have discussed them while focusing more on how Cleopatra was acting during the crucial events, her motivations for influencing these men, etc. Now, I feel obligated to admit that the entire book was very interesting and I enjoyed learning about all of these people. However, when one picks up a book entitled "The History of Cleopatra" one expects to and usually wants to read about Cleopatra. I feel that the earlier chapters could have and should have been condensed and the later events written from an angle that involved Cleopatra a bit more than it did. This book was interesting but, written as it was, it should have been entitled something along the lines of "A History of the Ptolemy Dynasty and its Relation to Rome".
There are a few misused words and/or awkward phrasing of ideas. However, there are not enough to get in the way of reading and comprehending.
Overall, I would give this book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. Maybe this is a bit harsh; after all, it is interesting to read. However, as it is called, "The History of Cleopatra", I would deduce that Abbott's goal in writing this book was to inform the reader on the life of Cleopatra. He does this to some degree but digresses a bit too much.

The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt, by Kara Cooney

Though Hatshepsut was one of Egypt's longest ruling Pharaohs, people have heard of her. Despite being an accomplished ruler, history has glossed over her many achievements. The Woman Who Would be King, chronicles Hatshepsut rise to power, her rule, her death, and the reasons why so few know her name.
Hatshepsut was born into a world where women were swept under the rug. Though able to be influential as wives, sisters, mothers, and regents of kings, women were unable to hold the throne themselves, unless there were no other candidates. Born to the first of the Thutmoside Kings, Hatshepsut would not have been born expecting to rule. She could expect to exert influence as a high priestess of Egypt's religious order. She would have expected to marry her half-brother, Thutmose II, and exert influence as Great Wife of the King, and later bear his child and become the Queen Mother. However, things took a different turn when her brother-husband without fathering any sons with Hatshepsut. While he had fathered sons with other wives, all these sons were infants and unable to rule. Traditionally the heir's mother would have acted as regent but none of the other wives were of high birth nor had they received the same political training as Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut claimed to receive a divine revelation from Re that she would be placed on the throne. Whether out of genuine conviction at this revelation and religious dedication, ambition, or a desire to maintain the strength of Thutmoside line, Hatshepsut arranged for herself to be made regent. As her regency progressed, Hatshepsut used her family history, Egyptian architecture, religion, and manipulated language to maintain power and eventually become Co-King with Thutmose III. As Pharaoh, Hatshepsut established many trade routes and commissioned numerous architectural innovations. Her rule lasted about two decades, yet there is no evidence that she used murder or violence to hold the throne. There seems to be no rebellion against her as Pharaoh. Instead, Hatshepsut seems to have held the throne through propaganda and skilled leadership. However, not everyone agreed that a female could be Pharaoh or that she had the right to the throne and, after her death, there was an effort to erase all mention of her as Pharaoh, leading to many statues and murals being defaced. This led to history all but forgetting her, until archaeologists were able to recover evidence of her reign.
Cooney chose a difficult person to write on. Because the Ancient Egyptians were more concerned with the facts instead of the motivations behind them, it is difficult to paint a portrait of the Pharaohs. We know what happened but we don't know why certain people acted in certain ways, what they thought about, or if the end result was a result of outside influence. It is doubly hard to piece together Hatshepsut's life because so much of the evidence we have has been defaced and some parts are lost. However, Cooney does a marvelous job of presenting what Hatshepsut may have been like. She tells the reader the limitations of our knowledge and lets them know that many things are suppositions. However, those suppositions are based off knowledge about Ancient Egyptian culture, the daily lives of those in the Royal Palace, and gender roles. Out of these, we are given a picture of how Hathsepsut most likely lived. When Cooney suggests a reason behind Hatshepsut's actions, she backs it up with evidence taken from studies of the Ancient Egyptians. Furthermore, Cooney humanizes Hatshepsut without turning the biography into a historical novel. She maintains the reader's interest throughout the entire book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves to read. It is a fascinating chronicle of an amazing woman. Five out of five stars.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through the Blogging For Books program in exchange for an honest review.