River God: A Novel of Ancient Egypt

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  I found this book in a "free book" box and picked it up in a fit of boredom while waiting for the photocopier. That was "all she wrote" - I was reading this book between classes, at stoplights on the way home, during rests in band practice. Just COULD NOT put it down. I enjoy good historical fiction, and ancient civilizations are my favorite, but Smith upped the ante with fascinating, sympathetic characters and a terrific writing voice. I really felt like I was there, seei... (show more)

  I found this book in a "free book" box and picked it up in a fit of boredom while waiting for the photocopier. That was "all she wrote" - I was reading this book between classes, at stoplights on the way home, during rests in band practice. Just COULD NOT put it down. I enjoy good historical fiction, and ancient civilizations are my favorite, but Smith upped the ante with fascinating, sympathetic characters and a terrific writing voice. I really felt like I was there, seeing what his narrator saw. The choice of narrator was initially off-putting - not because he was a slave or a eunuch, but because he was a third party to the central romance and a self-determined genius. Later I came to the conclusion that it was like reading a romance of Arthur and Guinevere from the point of view of Merlin - and there's certainly nothing wrong with that. I did wonder if we were really supposed to believe that this slave was really an expert at EVERYTHING - art, fashion, architecture, medicine, divination, war, animal husbandry, politics - but I liked him so much that I let it pass. Now I'd just like to know two things: 1) is Wilbur's postscript true, or more fiction? and 2) Are the other three Egypt books that he wrote as engaging? (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook User on Apr 11, 2009 at 06:40PM

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  If you loved this book, you absoltuely must look into Walrock (though I personally could not get through The Seventh Scroll as it's set in modern day and I simply did not find that as enjoyable to read). The romance in this is fairytale-esque yet at the same tiny so real and so gritty in places that I felt taken aback. The narrator is an excellent narrative voice, almost accepting that he is flawed by accepting his own perfection. His indentity as a enuch is incredibly important throughout th... (show more)

  If you loved this book, you absoltuely must look into Walrock (though I personally could not get through The Seventh Scroll as it's set in modern day and I simply did not find that as enjoyable to read). The romance in this is fairytale-esque yet at the same tiny so real and so gritty in places that I felt taken aback. The narrator is an excellent narrative voice, almost accepting that he is flawed by accepting his own perfection. His indentity as a enuch is incredibly important throughout the piece and his ability to freely love his mistress due to the fact that he is not a complete man makes his character very intriguing for me. The romance is the centrepiece but I honestly found him to be the reason I kept on reading. This is a thick book but I could not physically put it down until I had devoured it all and I recommend it highly. (show less)

   

  by Kayleigh Herbertson on Jul 02, 2009 at 10:00PM

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