DAUGHTER OF EGYPT by Marie Benedict

5 stars!

Another exceptional historical fiction gem from Benedict: this time focused on two real women: the most powerful female Pharoah of Egypt Hatshepsut with any mention of her name having been mysteriously destroyed, and an amateur woman archaeologist, Lady Evelyn Herbert, who in the 1920’s was the first to step into King Tut’s tomb and who grew up in the estate featured on Downton Abbey. The novel alternates diving into both of their complex story lines as they each struggle to overcome male prejudice and come into their own.

Evelyn comes from an upper crust English family and her mother expects her to “wed well .” But Evelyn longs to escape the endless and boring cotillion balls and outings to dig in the dirt for Egyptian treasures. She’s been mentored for years by Howard  Carter, a reknown British Egyptologist and archeologist, who has been living at the estate since Evelyn’s childhood, under a partronage from her dad Lord Carnavon. Each year for digging season, Howard and her Dad go off to the Valley of the Kings in Egypt to search the parcels of land they’ve acquired as part of Britain’s oversight of Egypt. Their Dad wants to find the tomb of Tutankhamun, while Evelyn and Howard secretly want to unravel the mystery of Hatshepsut.

But revolt from British rule has been brewing among the Egyptians, led by the brave, passionate wife of the president of Egypt who galvanized women to rise up and march for their country’s independence and to protest against England’s controlling protectorate. The Egyptians want to take over the digs and keep all the spoils discovered for themselves as a restoration of their heritage. And this introduces a third heroine to Benedict’s masterful illumination of history in the successful move of Egypt into independence.

Running currently to this story, we dive into the days of Hatshepsut, and slow her rise from the sacred attendant to a powerful Egyptian god to ultimately moving her way up the leadership hierarchy serving as counselor for young Pharoahs until taking on the role of Pharoah herself symbolically draped in men’s clothing. During her peaceful and long reign, Hatsepsut brought prosperity to the Egypt through strategic foreign trades, negotiated peace with resentful and threatening neighbors, and expanded their territory. So what led to her name being obliterated from all monuments and her virtually disappearing from history: the fact she was a woman or something else?

Mostly thought provoking is how Benedict captures two women, thousands of years apart, fighting for ascendancy in male dominated worlds and how dismissive male told history has been to their legacies.

This is what Benedict does best: breathe vibrant life into overlooked women in history to make them unforgettable.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy.

Stacy DeBroff

Stacy DeBroff, founder and CEO of Mom Central.com and social and digital consultancy, Influence Central, is a social media strategist, attorney, and best-selling parenting author. A sought-after expert for national media, she trend-spots regularly with national brands and speaks frequently to national and international audiences on a wide range of subjects, including influencer marketing, social media, entrepreneurship, and consumer trends. A passionate cook, gardener, reader, and tennis player, she adores this new chapter of post-college-age parenting.