Customer Reviews

Lady of the Reeds

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Lady of the Reeds is the personal diary of Thu of Aswat, and it is a fascinating document. Written in the first person, each page chronicles her life from poor peasant girl in the rural Nile farming village of Aswat, to favored concubine in the Royal Harem of Ramses III at Pi-Ramesse. Omitting nothing, this blue-eyed daughter of an Egyptian midwife and Libu mercenary takes us on a journey that travels a path from childish innocence to vile debauchery. We are with her every step of the way. We walk with the young Thu as she leads the family bovine "Precious Sweet Eyes" to the banks of the Nile. We plunge into the Nile with Thu in the dead of night and board the barge of the Seer Hui, where she offers her virginity to the gods of ambition. We witness the education and humiliation she endures to achieve external beauty and power. We sympathize with her as she is cruely manipulated by those with a terrible agenda. Sadly we watch, as by her own choice she becomes a murderess to fulfill her impossible dreams. Lady of the Reeds is a self-serving diary, as Thu attempts to justify her actions to all who read it. Not only do we see through this transparancy, but in the end so does she. What is chilling about this story is our recognition... that we all have some Thu in us. The life story of Thu of Aswat continues sixteen years later in the sequel, House of Illusions.

This extremely well-written prose by Pauline Gedge was a pleasure and delight to read. The writer's technique of using the English language to describe ancient egypt and events in this book is astounding! The peasant, Thu, growing up with her poor egyptian family, has high dreams for herself & is not content to be a mere "woman" in egyptian society or a midwife as her mother before her. She attains her dreams after all, but not in the way she would hope. She rises up from a life of poverty on her parents farm in the Delta through the help and mystery of the Seer, Hui, a strange, magical, man with long white hair and red piercing eyes. She befriends him, eventually loves him like a father, & leaves her home to take on several exciting, interesting and intriguing phases of her life before finally, realizing she is all along being prepared for a special mission in life. Partially by design and partially by deception by the people she loves, she attains royal residence as a concubine of the Pharaoh. She finds this submissive, royal, life unaccepting for a beautiful young woman, just being one of many favored by Pharaoh. The book is intriguing until the end and I would recommend this book highly. This is my first Pauline Gedge novel and I will now read all of them!

Since I was 13, and read Child of the Morning, Pauline Gedge has been my favourite author. Now, nearly 20 years later, she continues to dazzle with Lady Of The Reeds (or House of Dreams in Canada). When I read her words, I can feel the heat of the sun and the breezes off the Nile; smell the sandlewood and jasmine; see the palaces, villages, and homes of the people she writes about. I loved this book and sequel with a fierce passion - for 4 days this summer I did not move off the deck, while I read them both. Thu may have been written as a character whose own character is less than lovable, but she charms you so completely that you really care about what happens to her, and hope that everything works out well. She is the perfect anti-heroine who proves that it's not just men who can be rather unlikeable and still have us cheering for them. It has never been acceptable for a woman to be seen in that light. Heroines have always had to be lily-white paragons of such virtues as kindness, gentleness, and are most certainly not allowed any ambition. Thu defies all those stereotypes, and makes us love her for it. I say Bravo! Ms. Gedge, and I only wish there could be more books about the fabulous Thu!

Narrated by a rural peasant girl, Thu, Gedge's Egyptian historical transports the reader to the reign of Ramses III, a time of decline and priestly corruption. Far from the intrigue and politics of the court, Thu schemes to escape her dusty village, enlivening the monotony with fantasies in which her Libu mercenary father is actually a prince in exile.

She convinces her brother to teach her to read and when a great seer visits the village she swims out to his elegant barge and offers herself - all she owns of value - for a glimpse of the future. In an eerie scene aboard the dark barge the seer, Hui, spurns the coarse peasant smelling of river mud. But he finds himself as intrigued by Thu's strange blue eyes as she is repulsed by his albino white skin and dazzled by the luxury that surrounds him. He has seen her face in a vision, he tells Thu, their fates are intertwined.

Hui takes Thu back with him to Pharaoh's court where she is confined to Hui's estate for months while he has her softened, polished and trained as a lady while indoctrinating her in history, politics, writing and medicine. Thu's rigorous training provides a detailed, colorful portrait of Egyptian life while illustrating the vast gulf between the peasant and even minor nobility.

Meanwhile Thu's initial jubilation gives way to boredom and jealousy. She wants more. When a favored servant stands in her way, Thu exhibits a ruthless streak which escapes her control. But fortune still favors her and she finds herself moving from Hui's house to the Pharaoh's harem. Although it's not all she hoped for, Thu perseveres and becomes the Pharaoh's favorite - at the same time advancing Hui's political goals.

Gedge's fine, understated prose allows the story to tell itself. Although Thu is the narrator, she is not always in full possession of the whole picture. A complex character of intelligence and ambition, Thu tends to overestimate her irresistible charms and keen mind. She is calculating and naive, scheming and schemed against, childlike in her quick sorrows and regrets and impulsive in her cruelties.

Gedge's novel is a multi-layered story of intrigue, Egyptian decline, and the personal choices that make up a destiny. The author's vivid, seamless prose brings to life the teeming activity of the Nile, the merciless heat of the sun, the hot house perfume of the gardens of the wealthy and the dust of impoverished villages. Gedge seems almost to have lived herself in that glittering bygone world of vengeful gods and fabulous feasts where the height of whimsical fashion is a perfumed cone of fat, slowly dripping down an elaborately coiffed wig at a state dinner.

This is a historical novel for those who want something richer than the formula of feisty heroine and stormy romance - a novel that is powerfully atmospheric and unexpectedly poignant.

I've heard a lot of praise for the Eagle and the Raven by Pauline Gedge, but I believe Lady of the Reeds is much better! The main character causes dislike at times, empathy at others. The book flows interestingly along with an easier read than most other of Ms. Gedge's books. The growth of the main character from a small village to a concubine in Pharoah's harem is fascinating. If you like this book, try reading Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue! Both main characters have good and bad points, and are intent on survival. A Great Read!

Continuing her epic, sprawling novels of intrigue and love in Ancient Egypt, Pauline Gedge moved onto the reign of Ramses III, who was dominated by harem politics and murder. Taking a little known story, the author infuses it with plenty of vitality and energy, creating a young woman who is very different from your standard heroine.

Growing up in the dirt-poor village of Aswat, Thu is mocked and laughed at by her friends for her grand airs, and belief in that she is a long-lost princess. The reality is that she is the daughter of a peasant midwife and a Libannyu mercenary. Indeed, the only thing that separates Thu from everyone around her is her fierce ambition to get as far away from her wretched village as she can, and the startling blue eyes that she has inherited from her father. Otherwise, she is simply yet another peasant with rough hands and a bleak future.

Then magic arrives overnight in the form of a nobleman?s barge, stopping over to pay homage to the shrine of the local god, Wepwawet. The visitor is Pharaoh?s Seer, the mysterious ? and menacing ? Hui. Thu, entranced, decides on a bold if risky maneuver. She will sneak onto the vessel and present herself to the Seer, and she will bewitch him with her young beauty and he will spirit her away to a life of luxury and wealth?

Of course, that's exactly what happens, but not quite in the way that Thu expects ? for the crimson-eyed, shrouded Hui has entirely different plans for Thu, and not all of them pleasant either. The relationship between the two of them is refreshingly different, and Thu is definitely a teenager here, all wild dreams and emotions, but yet with a careful cunning that makes her more than a match for her opponents.

I dislike first-person narrative novels, after a while, the I-I-I's get to me. But in this one, Pauline Gedge has crafted the novel from Thu's point of view, and it works. The book is carefully put together, blending together mystery, magic and romance into a mixture that draws the reader into first the village life of ancient Egypt then the exotic intrigue and splendor of the richest land in the ancient world. And despite Thu's foolishness and reckless disregard at times for others, I couldn't be angry with her long, viewing through her eyes a Cinderella story ? but it's not a fairy tale by any stretch of the imagination. There are princes and kings aplenty in this one, along with queens and concubines as Thu gets to know the new world that she is thrust into. We also get to see the world of the ancient physician, and the day-to-day life of a world far removed from our own.

Yes, it is a bit of a romance, but it?s neither silly nor dull, and the final outcome is anything but predictable. Indeed, I was kept wondering what would happen right up until the last page. There are not a lot of authors that can do that to me anymore. For a very different sort of historical novel, I recommend this one.

The best surprise, however, happened about a year later when I found out there was a sequel, House of Illusions, which tied up all the loose ends and gave a final ending to the story with quite a twist.

This book is also titled "House of Dreams". (At least, my copy is.) It has a sequel just released. It is almost a Cinderella story of a peasant girl who becomes a favorite of the pharaoh in his harem. There are many not the usual romance. As with all of Ms Gedge's Egyptian books, the time and place and people are truly brought to life, more so I think than anyone else writing about ancient Egypt today.

This is a truely fab book, I could not put it down.This is one of the best Egyptian novels I have ever read.One to read again and again.

Lady Thu, once a poor child from Aswat, attains the highest place a woman can obtain by becoming the Pharoh's concubine. She is not royalty and therefore her child is not recognized as Pharoh's first son. Lady Thu is deceived by those who she loves and is suddenly thrown into the dungeon and condemmed to die. Her life is spared by Pharoh and she returns home in shame. Although Pauline Gedge ends the story at this point, there could be a sequel.

One of my new favourite books, this tells the story of Thu, who begins life as a peasant and becomes a favourite of the Pharoah. Full of twists and turns of the plot and surprises, this book will leave you wishing for more! Indeed, there is a follow-up novel in this series that I would also recommend. I could not put either one down and intend to read them again at some point in the future. Don't miss these if you're a fan of historical fiction.