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nin_wi's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful tale that showcases Mahfouz's storytelling genius.
constantine2020's review against another edition
3.5
Rating: 3.5/5.0
I love Naguib Mahfouz' work and this book is among his earlier work. This is a story about ancient Egypt. At the times where Pharaoh Khufu was ruling the land. Of course the story is fictional but Mahfouz add some realism to it by setting the historical atmosphere, highlighting a side that was known for the Pharaoh (Wisdom) and some historical events like the built of the pyramids.
The story is mainly about fate and that a human might not be able to change a written fate no matter what he tries. It is all about who will rule Egypt and become the new Pharaoh after Khufu. Although the story has many historical inaccuracies but it is still very interesting and entertaining at the same time. It definitely deserves a one time read the least.
I love Naguib Mahfouz' work and this book is among his earlier work. This is a story about ancient Egypt. At the times where Pharaoh Khufu was ruling the land. Of course the story is fictional but Mahfouz add some realism to it by setting the historical atmosphere, highlighting a side that was known for the Pharaoh (Wisdom) and some historical events like the built of the pyramids.
The story is mainly about fate and that a human might not be able to change a written fate no matter what he tries. It is all about who will rule Egypt and become the new Pharaoh after Khufu. Although the story has many historical inaccuracies but it is still very interesting and entertaining at the same time. It definitely deserves a one time read the least.
joandamiens's review against another edition
4.0
A very good read! The characters and their relationships are very well built and written. Only weak point : characters are mainly Male and women tend to have the bad roles (except if young and pretty...)
I am happy I discovered this author... I'll definitely read more from him! His writing style in French is intense but simple. Every word is at the right place, with a great feeling of simplicity and efficiency in the discourse.
I am happy I discovered this author... I'll definitely read more from him! His writing style in French is intense but simple. Every word is at the right place, with a great feeling of simplicity and efficiency in the discourse.
teachergabi's review
4.0
"Here is the malady: you believe in duty... Which of the two do you think will be the first to be sold? Duty, or the avoidance of doing harm?“
This is the first novel in THREE NOVELS OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Naguib Mahfouz, he who writes in such an epic style!
Instead of saying "the trees swayed in the evening light," he goes: "In the darkness, the date palms looked like slumbering ghosts, or souls whose tortures stretched throughout eternity."
My gooooooosh!!!! Such a pleasure to read a novel full of beautiful sentences!
Khufu's Wisdom is about the great pharoah who had the Great Pyramid of Giza built. It's a very biblical tale, of a prophecy made of a baby who will rule after Pharoah, of a ruler's decision to kill a babe, and of Destiny making her will manifest, toying with a king's wishes.
I loved how Ancient Egpyt came alive in this work. And the grandeur of the language lent itself well to the soundtrack of Hans Zimmer's "Prince of Egypt" playing over and over in my head.
The passages of wooing were most beautiful! With lines like "I would sacrifice myself to protect you from evil" and "The more I see you, the more my soul is filled with you."
We could all use some majesty and grandeur in our lives, and I can't wait for my next dose with Book 2 in the trilogy!
Thank you SO MUCH to Joy Ann for lending this book to me!!
This is the first novel in THREE NOVELS OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Naguib Mahfouz, he who writes in such an epic style!
Instead of saying "the trees swayed in the evening light," he goes: "In the darkness, the date palms looked like slumbering ghosts, or souls whose tortures stretched throughout eternity."
My gooooooosh!!!! Such a pleasure to read a novel full of beautiful sentences!
Khufu's Wisdom is about the great pharoah who had the Great Pyramid of Giza built. It's a very biblical tale, of a prophecy made of a baby who will rule after Pharoah, of a ruler's decision to kill a babe, and of Destiny making her will manifest, toying with a king's wishes.
I loved how Ancient Egpyt came alive in this work. And the grandeur of the language lent itself well to the soundtrack of Hans Zimmer's "Prince of Egypt" playing over and over in my head.
The passages of wooing were most beautiful! With lines like "I would sacrifice myself to protect you from evil" and "The more I see you, the more my soul is filled with you."
We could all use some majesty and grandeur in our lives, and I can't wait for my next dose with Book 2 in the trilogy!
Thank you SO MUCH to Joy Ann for lending this book to me!!
shahdhazem's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Honestly this was so bad. From the description it sounds like a really interesting story but when you get in it's just very ridiculous. There was no events whatsoever and I don't even know if there was a plot to this it's all such a boring monologue about khofo. The romance was soo bad it felt so pushed and not right. It's a historical fiction so I expected at least some major historical events to be inserted in the story line but I didn't find that either so I don't really know what the purpose of this book was. The only good thing about this was the writing style nothing else. I won't be giving up on the author this is his first book so this was kinda expected.
lisa_setepenre's review
2.0
An interesting premise, but executed in a way that I didn't care for. Khufu's Wisdom uses a (fictional) story from the Ancient Egyptian canon and applies it to the real-life figure that it features, this time Khufu, the pharaoh for whom the Great Pyramid was built for. The story has a fairy tale feel – fairly simplistic and not very realistic. Case in point, the romance story felt forced and thrown in for the sake of having the romance subplot.
I understand that there's a close connection between Mahfouz's Ancient Egypt and the Egypt that Mahfouz was living and writing in, but I lack the knowledge to get anything out of it. The historical inaccuracies – anachronisms – are also difficult to get past (for example, horses were introduced to Egypt a thousand years after Khufu died, but there are multiple references to horses, including mentions of horseback riding which was considered "unclean" by the Egyptians).
I also really struggled with the story's conclusion. Mahfouz does correct one of the original story's problems:. In the original story, Khufu's dynasty is not meant to survive past his sons, but in reality Khufu's dynasty survives to his great-grandson. Mahfouz corrects this – I won't go into details because of spoilers, but it's quite clever. However, Mahfouz creates another problem:how do you then explain the rest of Khufu's dynasty, which descends through Khufu's son, Khafra? Per Mahfouz's story, Khafra dies before Khufu, attempting to assassinate his father, too – so why does he have the great honking pyramid next to Khufu's?
I understand that there's a close connection between Mahfouz's Ancient Egypt and the Egypt that Mahfouz was living and writing in, but I lack the knowledge to get anything out of it. The historical inaccuracies – anachronisms – are also difficult to get past (for example, horses were introduced to Egypt a thousand years after Khufu died, but there are multiple references to horses, including mentions of horseback riding which was considered "unclean" by the Egyptians).
I also really struggled with the story's conclusion. Mahfouz does correct one of the original story's problems:. In the original story, Khufu's dynasty is not meant to survive past his sons, but in reality Khufu's dynasty survives to his great-grandson. Mahfouz corrects this – I won't go into details because of spoilers, but it's quite clever. However, Mahfouz creates another problem:
emmc's review
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
3.0