House of Dreams by Pauline Gedge

Question: What were the three most dangerous things a woman in ancient Egypt could be?
Answer: Ambitious, intelligent and beautiful.

Thu, a girl from Aswat, a small hamlet in the south of Egypt, is all three of these things. She wants more than the few prospects Aswat offers her. When the great seer Hui makes a pilgrimage to the temple of Wepwawet (Aswat’s totem), Thu sees her opportunity to escape.

Rather than sending Thu away when she sneaks onto his barge, Hui takes her under his wing and trains her to become a healer. He did not do this out of mere kindness, however. Hui sees a great destiny for Thu and he schemes to achieve this by bringing her to heal Pharaoh Ramses III, who immediately places her in his harem. Thu soon becomes Pharaoh’s favourite concubine, a position fraught with danger that brings ‘House of Dreams’ to its tragic conclusion.

I stayed up until four in the morning to finish this breathtaking novel. Thu is not a sympathetic character, but she is so interesting that she commands your attention. The story of her rise to (and fall from) grace is one that is unforgettable. Pauline Gedge brings the enchanting era of the 19th Dynasty to life with her incredible knowledge of ancient Egypt and her compelling characters. ‘House of Dreams’ is a book I would highly recommend.