Mara, Daughter of the Nile

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .A D D E N D U M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ./ /I know that an "addendum", is properly added at the END of a review or book -- but this strikes me as SO important, I want to put it at the beginning. Maybe an "addendum" at the beginning has a different name, ("Preface"?) but, anyway, whatever it's called, here's my new idea!/ /THIS IS TRULY A GREAT BOOK! I WANT TO LEARN FRENCH....AND THOUGHT...HEY... what a GREAT way to learn the language....with a French translation of my one of my favourite books! I visited "Amazon.fe", to see if they had it...and they did! Alas -- it was not in French, but in German! As I can only learn one language at a time, (and, having had two years of high-school French, I at least know that "Allemande" does mean"German" in French, (or maybe "English"....but certainly, not French), I returned to "Amazon.com" VERY disappointed. So, this is a plea to the publshers....PLEASE print "Mara, Daughter of the Nile", in FRENCH, (too!)French-speaking readers will become as involved in Mara's dangerous, romantic adventures as much as readers of any other language....maybe evn more so! And for those of us who love "Mara", and want to learn French, a version of "Mara", a la langue Francais, would be magnifique!/ /. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ORIGINAL REVIEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . ./ /I first found this book as a sixth-grader, in the library of the elementary school which I attended. I guess I found itbecause I was looking for a book on "Princess Margaret", (which the school library did not have), and, at that age, was not toofamiliar with the Dewey Decimal System.However I found that book, I am certainly glad I did! It is a true classic, and deserves to be better known! I am glad I am not the only one who wants to get this book into the hands ofSteven Spielberg!Every time I watch "All My Children", I think how PERFECTthe actresses who play "Bianca" and "Kendall" would be, as"Mara" and "Hatshepsut"! (Oh, if only David Selby were justa little younger.....he'd make a PERFECT "Lord Seftu"!)Every character in this book is so true to life! Thestory is, (as the flap of the hardcover edition which Ifinally bought, over 20 years ago, said), "broght to lifewith photographic detail.""Mara" is a love story, an adventure story, a story ofpalace intrigue, a slice of true history, a story with twistsand turns and excitement. Every character in it is broughtto life in "high relief", (I think that was on the flap ofthe hardcover edition as well). Everything one could wantin a book is in this novel. Along with just about everyoneelse who has read it, I wanted it never to end....A great thing about this book is that, even as a slave,Mara never loses her sense of herself as a person. That isone lesson we present-day "wage-slaves" should take to heart!But even more importantly -- especially in this post-9/11 world -- is the true moral of this story. Yes, it isa love story, an adventure story, a story of heroism andbravery and excitement. But it is, above all, a story aboutPATRIOTISM -- what it really is, and what it really means.As Mara realizes at the end, (I paraphrase): "...Egypt isnot the Nile. Egypt is not the Pharaoh. Egypt is US -- allthe people who live here."This literary classic is more important than ever!It NEEDS to be better-known, to be filmed, to be read byeven more people. Especially now, as we all suffer, in greater or lesser degree, from "post 9/11 shock". We who have read thisbook know it to be a true treasure...our own secret treasure,nestled in our minds as surely as Mara's scarab and ring were nestled in the folds of her garments! All tooselfishly, perhaps, many of us, (myself included), havewanted to keep knowledge of this secret treasure of a book toourselves. But Mara herself was quite selfish at the begin-ing of the book -- even though in her case, it was a self-protection device, and so, forgivingly understandable. Butthe rest of the world NEEDS this book -- especially now! (Ibegin to wonder how even Osama Bin Laden would react to it...written as it is by a Westerner who so achingly understandsthe Middle East -- and even more, the Human psyche of ALL peo-ple -- and their wish to be free. In Mara's case, the wishto be free of slavery. In our case, the wish to be free ofterrorism. One can only speculate how far the myriad andwonderful messages of this book -- the real meaning ofPatriotism being the primary message -- could go, if onlyit were better known!This book is still in print after more than 30 years!This alone attests to its status as a classic. It is aperfect book in so many ways!Is Eloise Jarvis McGraw still alive? If not -- doher heirs have the film rights to this book? (I repeat,as do so many others -- somebody who has the authority:PLEASE get this book to Steven Spielberg!) Ms. JarvisMcGraw is an exquisitely gifted writer. I have alsoread her novel for adults, "PHARAOH", another take onthe Hatsepsut story. It is a much longer book -- andhas much magic to it as well. But it is not as good asMARA. For only "Mara, Daughter of the Nile" has Mara,Lord Sheftu, Innani, Nekonka, and all the other, unfor-gettable characters unique to this novel.Patriotism -- and unselfishness too -- are thingswe all need to have. Especially now! MARA, DAUGHTEROF THE NILE teaches these and other lessons in an ex-quisite, love-and-adventure story format! It ringstrue in every word! It rings true in every character!It is a story for all time. Read this book! And,hopefully, some day very soon -- see the movie, too!

This is such a good book. I read it to my middle school daughter as part of her World History class. I was surprised it was written so long ago. It has so many fun tropes - a clever orphan girl, hidden identity, hiding the truth from a love interest, etc. The setting was fun, too. I don't think I've ever read a novel set in ancient Egypt.

All the way around good. A nice romance, an engaging story, plenty of action, plot twists, well developed characters. A good look at ancient Egypt too.

This book was intriguing for an adult; a good read with interesting twists. I selected it for my students based on a recommendation for World History grad e 6, and despite reading aloud together it was too advanced for their understanding. I would rather recommend for grade 8 and up.

Egypt is an amazing country. It's ancient history is evident in so many cities along the Nile. It's Temples, Monuments and Museums are really astounding, as is the Valley of the Kings. I loved reading this book as we travelled down the Nile. It was able to bring some of this ancient history we were seeing to life as we journeyed from Cairo to Aswan and on to Luxor. Set in the time of Queen Hatshupsut and Thutmose III, it tells the story of an extremely beautiful and very clever young slave girl who is desparately seeking her own freedom as she manipulates her two masters to achieve this goal. She remains strong to her cause until she find's herself falling in love with both the everyday Egyptian people and the proud and distinguished nobleman known as Sheftu. This is a story of patriotism, of heroism, and of love and loyalty to Egypt. It is set in a time when the world was so very different from today yet the people so similar. What an amazing little narrative. I don't believe it matters whether you're 16 or 60......this book will fully engage and intrigue you. I was very sad indeed when I finished reading it. I'm currently on the hunt for another novel that is as well written and enjoyable. Thank you Eloise McGraw

I have loved this book since the first read. Have read several times more. Highly recommend. Great for 12+

Well-written, fast paced story. A slave girl is caught up in struggle for power in ancient Egypt. Intrigue surrounds Mara. She doesn't know what to believe and who to trust as she is forced to spy in the court of Pharaoh. Fascinating story of courage, truth, commitment and loyalty as Mara discovers who she is and what is true. Well developed characters... An exciting story well worth reading. I recommend it highly. Recommended age: 16+

I had to read this book to my daughter for her middle school Social Studies class. We both really enjoyed it! We liked it enough to buy a digital copy to keep. It was well written and engaging. It is definitely written more for middle grades, but it was still enjoyable for me as an adult.