Alisonrt25's #CBR5 Review #1: River God by Wilbur Smith

River God tells the story of an ancient Egyptian royal family, their exodus from Egypt during a war, and their eventual return, all through the eyes of a eunuch slave named Taita. The novel spans nearly 50-60 years and centers around Taita's unrequited love for his owner, Lostris, for whom he would do anything to please. Lostris's happiness is found in her undying love for Tanus, a great warrior, and Taita's best friend. Taita goes to great lengths to unite these two lovers, even though they could never be together publicly, because of Lostris's status as royalty. Illegitimate children are born, battles are fought, and several great tragedies occur throughout the course of the novel, but the love of these three friends is what sustains them time and time again.

Wilbur Smith draws upon history in his writing and paints a picture with such detail that I felt transported to ancient Egypt as I read. I found myself impressed by the resiliency of the characters because it would take them years to travel only 100 miles and, while on their exodus south of Egypt, they had to learn to survive off of land they weren't familiar with, including hunting animals they had never seen. It was truly a time of survival of the fittest in every aspect of their lives and I thoroughly enjoyed the seemingly accurate depiction of the time period.

However, the heart of the novel lies in it's narrator, Taita. Despite being a slave, he is one of the most respected people in Egypt and all who meet him, value his gifts. He's a doctor, a foreseer, a craftsman, a tutor, and a confidante among royalty. His ambition and loyalty are admirable and his life story is remarkable. I would highly suggest giving this novel a read, if only to be transported into Taita's world, for just a little while.

This post was written as part of Pajiba's Cannonball Read 5:
http://cannonballread5.wordpress.com/.