We have read about many strong women in our months together. Nefertiti is another example of a woman who saw what she wanted and went after it even to her own demise. The first woman to serve as Pharaoh of Egypt! I think the novel is more than the story of a strong woman or even the first Pharaoh. The story is one of greed, murder, blind faith along with familial loyalty, love, shrewdness and survival. Nefertiti exhibited all of those traits with the possible exception of murder, at least by her own hand. Mutny on the other hand became the ying to Nefertiti’s yang. As they were only half sisters, that would make sense. While they are both intelligent, powerful women, Nefertiti used subterfuge to exert her power while Mutny used science and reason along with love and kindness.
My first take on Nefertiti was here is a spoiled brat who will risk and empire to have immortality. Parts of the book proved my assessment correct but others showed the error of my thinking. While outwardly she followed her husband in all he did, she worked behind the scenes to counter much of his vanity and overzealous rule of Egypt. I found it interesting that even he was afraid of her! Still, when he would not listen to her and ran out of the palace to kill those hiding the idols of Amun, she did what she had to to hold it together—forced him into a sealed room to protect all from him and issued decrees to get Egypt moving in the right direction. Her fault came in not seeing that as beloved as she was the Egyptian people could not overcome the hatred of the mess that had become their lives. Plague, starvation and harsh treatment of others comes back to bite you most times and Nefertiti was not different than other mortals.
Mutny on the other hand, married for love, protected her family with the use of the herbs during the plaque and helped others when asked. She treated everyone as they should have been treated even when she was skeptical of the outcome. I enjoyed her rebellion against her sister. I remember when John Kennedy chose Robert as his Attorney General. He was asked why and responded that he wanted at least one person around who would always tell him the truth. Mutny was Nefertiti’s Robert. I also liked that she agreed to take the infant Tut and raise him as her own when she knew this would not go over well with Nefertiti. From the early pages of the book it is often discussed that she should have been made the Queen and not Nefertiti. This is almost the fulfillment of that as she is now the “mother” of the King.
Just as the women in the novel play varied roles so do the men. Akhenaten was the power driven, egotistical person who would stop at nothing, including murder, to achieve what he thought was his destiny. He gave no thought to quality, rationality of thought or even to the people he claimed to rule. His actions resulted in thousands of deaths, almost collapsed the Egyptian Empire and the building of a great city that wasn’t. Amarna might have been a great city had he paid more attention to quality of work as opposed to the quickness with which the work was completed. The author let you know early the city would fall when it was noted that the building was occurring with cheap sandstone and other materials, not granite.
Akhenaten’s counter character is the Vizier Ay, the father of both Nefertiti and Mutny. Here was a wise man that set about saving Egypt even when he had to watch things going wrong. For every mistake Akhenaten and Nefertiti made, he was in the background making amends. He ruled Egypt as its true governing person. He communicated with rulers and leaders of other states. He advised his daughter and was probably behind the good things she did behind the scenes—things like pay the soldiers from the gold of Aten’s temples without letting her husband know. These seemingly small measures may have kept them alive longer than without. Mutny’s husband, Nakhtmin, is another good character who showed great patience and intelligence in keeping Egypt together.
Michelle Moran does a good job of weaving a tale based on history. She talks in her notes about research and accuracies. For example, Mutny was actually married to Horemheb and not to Nakhtmin. Also her name was probably Mutbenret and not Mutnedjemet, but I prefer Mutny! Would I have preferred a storybook ending where the queen and her daughter survive, not being murdered and desecrated, sure! While little is known of her actual death (possibly of plague)and her mummy has not yet been found, this is as good a death as she could be given; possibly more theatrical than the real one. Like a good writer she is able to unite reality and fiction in a novel that is believable and entertaining.
