Book Summary and Reviews of Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

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jillg

Reclaiming a Place in History
DAUGHTER OF EGYPT
By Marie Benedict
Narrated by Bessie Carter and Suehyla El-Attar

A powerful historical novel about strength, ambition, and women reclaiming their place in history.

I always appreciate how Marie Benedict shines a light on remarkable women overlooked by history, and Daughter of Egypt is no exception. The book follows two compelling figures: Hatshepsut, the powerful female Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, and Lady Evelyn Herbert, the determined daughter of Lord Carnarvon who witnessed the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

The dual timelines kept me fully engaged as Benedict seamlessly connects past and present. I was especially drawn to Eve’s growing fascination with Hatshepsut and the mystery surrounding her erasure from history. I loved how the archaeological discoveries were woven together with Eve’s personal drive, giving the story real depth. The tone balances historical detail with character-driven moments, keeping me invested the whole way.

I’ve always been fascinated with archaeology, so I was excited to read Benedict’s book. Her thorough research is evident throughout, and she blends fact with fiction in a way that gives emotional depth and dimension to women whose stories history only partially preserved. At the same time, it highlights how culture, politics, and expectations shaped their lives across the centuries.

I especially appreciated the strong, distinct voices of both women—Eve navigating the tension between tradition and modernity, and Hatshepsut embodying political power and female authority in a male-dominated world.

I alternated between the audiobook and the ebook, which made the story feel even more immersive. Both narrators enhanced the story beautifully, bringing nuance and personality to their respective timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC, and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

labmom55

Well done historical fiction
Marie Benedict had made her name writing stories of strong historical female characters. This time, she employs a dual timeline story to tell the story of Hatshepsut, one of the few female pharaohs in ancient Egypt and Lady Evelyn Herbert’s quest to find her tomb in the early 1920s. Marie Benedict is one of the few writers that consistently meets my criteria for good historical fiction. She packs enough facts into the book but never slows the pace of the story. And while she often uses the dreaded dual timeline approach, she manages to make both plotlines equally interesting. Her writing is such that it was easy to envision scenes in both timelines. I especially was enthralled by the Egyptian political climate as they sought their independence from England and what that meant for archeology. The book illuminates a point of contention that is still being fought - who owns the artifacts of a country’s history.

Both of her main characters felt fully formed. Both are forced to deal with the constraints on women, in Evelyn’s case the expectation of marriage, in Hatshepsut’s case, a belief that women could not be pharaohs. Benedict comes up with a brilliant twist to explain why Hatshepsut’s legacy was erased after her death. I both read and listened to this which was the perfect approach. I needed to be able to both see and hear many of the names. And I was so pleased to know that the audiobook includes the Author’s Note.

My thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio for advance copies of this book.

Other books by Marie Benedict at BookBrowse

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