Reviewed for THC ReviewsThe Curse of the Pharaohs was another fun installment in the Amelia Peabody mystery/adventure series. The story begins with Amelia and Radcliffe Emerson enjoying the bliss of married life back in England, but their seemingly idyllic existence isn't exactly placid thanks to an incredibly precocious four-year-old running amok. At the same time, life holds no real challenge for Emerson who is now a professor of archeology at the university and Amelia who has been reduced to motherhood and the occasional tea party which she loathes. Both of them deeply yearn for their beloved Egypt and all the mysteries and antiquities that she holds, so when the opportunity to return presents itself, they jump at the chance. Of course, murder and mayhem ensue while Amelia and Emerson attempt to excavate a tomb which they believe may belong to a Pharaoh. Amelia and Emerson are still in fine form, and I enjoyed their newfound interactions as a married couple. In public, they employ their acerbic tongues to amusing effect with lots of witty bantering which could sometimes be quite fun to read. In private, they eagerly and generously share their affection and passion for one another (without details of course), but their tender feelings are still quite apparent even in veiled euphemisms. I loved that Amelia and Emerson trust each other explicitly and seem to have a healthy marriage free of any jealousies. I also like how they can tease each other without hurt feelings and understand each other completely. Even though their individual personalities differ quite a bit from mine and my husband's, I could still relate to their relationship quite well. Amelia and Emerson are just a really fun and entertaining couple to read about.Individually, Emerson and Amelia each has a very strong personality that has certain elements which can be a little off-putting, but at the same time rather endearing. Emerson is as blustery and irascible as he was in the first book, yet he always manages to command the respect of everyone around him. I like that he regards Amelia as his intellectual equal, his partner not only in life but in the work they both love so much. He has also turned into a doting papa to their little son, Ramses. I couldn't help but laugh at this big galoot being reduced to babbling baby talk to an infant. It was just too cute. Amelia, on the other hand, seemed almost as aloof toward Ramses as Emerson was adoring of him which rather confused me. While I didn't doubt that she cared for her son, Amelia calling Ramses “it” for a short time in infancy and her seeming lack of any compunction toward leaving him for long periods of time to go on digs was a little hard for me to understand. Most of the time Amelia didn't seem to like Ramses very much, however, I will allow that perhaps this was all meant more in jest, and was simply a little too subtle for me to appreciate. Otherwise, Amelia is a fully admirable character that I really liked. She has a very no-nonsense attitude about most everything, but certainly isn't immune to emotions where her beloved husband is concerned. She is also brave, adventurous, has a mind like a steel trap, and is readily sympathetic toward both man and beast alike. I was quite amused by Amelia's disdain for societal conventions. She is definitely a geek of the first order, and I can very much relate to her inability to talk to society women because of their lack of knowledge on the topics that interest her most. Overall, I really like both Emerson and Amelia and think that they are a very well-matched couple.As with Crocodile on the Sandbank, the first book of the series, The Curse of the Pharaohs seemed to take a little time to build momentum. It started out a bit slowly, but as the story progressed and got into the mystery, there was more action and lots to speculate about. I admit I only half guessed the answer to the puzzle by the time it was revealed. I missed Walter and Evelyn a little, although they appeared briefly at the beginning of the book. However, there was a very large, international and quite colorful cast of new supporting characters, along with at least one Egyptian character, Abdullah, who returned from the first book. Sometimes, I felt like it was a few too many players, as I initially had a hard time keeping all of them straight, but I eventually figured them all out. There were also quite a few flirtations going on, in particular between a certain young lady and her multiple suitors. I thought I had figured out who she should be with, only to be completely and utterly wrong. On the one hand, it was nice to be surprised, and while I wouldn't have wanted the author to make the object of the girl's affections completely obvious, I also had not necessarily felt the chemistry building between the couple, which made it a little anti-climactic for me. Overall, in spite of a few minor weaknesses, The Curse of the Pharaohs was a pleasant diversion with strong characters, an enjoyable mystery to solve and a beautiful exotic setting, with a touch of romance and the fun of an archaeological dig on the side. It doesn't really have any objectionable elements to speak of, which in my opinion would make it suitable for mystery aficionados of all ages, including teens and more sensitive readers. There are currently 18 books in the Amelia Peabody mystery series with The Curse of the Pharaohs being the second book. I definitely look forward to picking up the third book, The Mummy Case, the next time I'm in the mood for a mystery story.
My dear Amy has requested a review, and review I shall!Amelia and Emerson are amusing, and their relationship and partnership in their archeological work makes the entire book. They work well as a team and I love that they support one another and are clearly smitten with each other, no matter the odd way they show it. I loved the descriptions of their work on excavating the tomb, and I wish there had been a bit more focus on this and less on the murder part of things, but this is a mystery series after all, so it's to be expected. There's plenty of humorous bits - Emerson and his horror overthe atrocious woman who believes he was her Egyptian husband in another life had me laughing hysterically. Poor man! I did correctly guess the murderer long before the end, though the means did elude me until it was revealed. The resolution of the romance subplot with Mary and her various suitors did surprise me - though I'm comforted that it surprised Amelia too. Dare I say that Amelia may be a bit of a romantic despite her claims otherwise? ;)I did miss Evelyn and Walter quite a bit, and I hope they will appear in other installments in the series in a larger scope - I'm guessing likely after their children are a bit grown up. Evelyn and Amelia's relationship is a favorite of mine, so I hope to see more of it in the future! I enjoyed this one nearly as much as the first in the series, though I did knock off a star for two reasons. The first and biggest reason was Ramses - writing children is hard, I'll give you that, and I find that authors usually don't seem to know how to handle them. They seem to make children either highly annoying or like miniature adults. In this case, Ramses is both. His speech impediment - whether real or feigned, up to you to decide as Amelia seems to feel he does it to annoy- is obnoxious. He's a holy terror and causes chaos and confusion wherever he goes- though I applaud his uncle for giving him a spanking for ripping pages out of his dictionary, at least someone gives the child some discipline! He is also portrayed as precocious, and not in an adorable believable way. He talks and walks far ahead of children his own age, is highly intelligent, and is in essence a budding archeologist in the making as it seems his favorite pastime is digging in the compost heap. Yikes. Needless to say, I don't care for him, and that was a big point loss. Whether or not this will change as he grows up in the series will remain to be seen.The second reason for the lost star was while the plot and story is good, it does tend to get bogged down in some sections. Not too often, but there were some occasions where I felt there could have been some pruning and tightening up of the plot. Otherwise, I have little to complain about! Lovely work, and I'm excited to tear my way through the rest of the series!
Do You like book The Curse Of The Pharaohs (1999)?
In the first book of this series, Amelia Peabody was an amusingly practical and unemotional woman, far ahead of her times (the late 1800s). She had a sort of Tracy-and-Hepburn back and forth bantering relationship with a male Egyptologist, and you just knew they were going to fall in love. They did, and got married. This book picks up a bit later, when Amelia and Emerson have a small child and are living in England, waiting until said small child is old enough to take with them on excavations in Egypt.The child is obnoxious, and precocious, of course. His nickname is "Ramses," which is supposed to suggest his charming stubbornness. A few pages of Ramses was enough to hope that he and his speech impediment would fall down a very deep well. So in a way, it's lucky that the reader isn't subjected to much of young Ramses. Why not? Well, in short order there's a mystery in Egypt that simply must be solved, and since Ramses is too young to accompany them, Amelia and Emerson leave the toddler at home with his aunt and uncle and venture off without him for months. Now, I don't blame them, kind of, because like I said, the kid is annoying. But I'm a reader and they are his parents and in theory, they should maybe be more attached to him than this? Also, they chuckle about how he bullies his cousins and they're all terrified of him and boy is everyone going to have lots of "fun" with Ramses while we're gone, hahaha. On the other hand, Amelia's parenting of the child is like Ayn Rand raising a baby in a Skinner box. The less influence she has in his life, the better he will probably do.The rest of the book, in Egypt, is tolerably interesting. The mystery is fine, all accidents and deaths that the natives think are related to a curse on the tomb Amelia and Emerson are excavating. Amelia and Emerson are less enjoyable sniping at each other now, and I don't really think it's Emerson's fault. I think the fault is partially that Amelia is telling the story and she thinks she is oh-so-clever and oh-so-charming, of course, and partially that the "hate meet" is charming for a courtship, but should probably have the edge taken off for a marriage. It's not cute little jabs - it seems like Amelia doesn't like or think much of Emerson, really. I suspect that this is why Peters adds in frequent references to all the sex that Amelia and Emerson are having - they can't keep their hands off each other, so obviously 1. they actually do like each other and 2. Emerson forgives Amelia for her constant malicious remarks. But I don't buy it. If the child were the only problem, I could maybe see going forward with this series. In fact, I'd been looking forward to doing so because it's nice to have something light and entertaining to read interspersed with heavier books. But I find that I just can't stand Amelia. She's turned from a spirited, sarcastic woman into a harpy. Recommended for: the virulently childfree (after the first 30 pages or so), women who mistake being a harridan for being strong.Quote: "Only one ripple mars the smooth surface of my content. Is it concern for my little son, so far from his mother's tender care? No, dear reader, it is not. The thought that several thousands of miles separate me from Ramses inspires a sense of profound peace such as I have not known for years."
—Ursula
This was a great addition the Amelia Peabody's adventures. She and Emerson are a hoot, and I love that they are together. Of course they got into tons of trouble but they were able to figure out who dunnit in the end.I'm interested in what happens next for them as Emerson's statement at the end made it definitely seem like this part of the story isn't over yet.Listened to this one on audio as I did the first one and I just love this narrator. She does such an excellent job with the voices.This isn't the usual type of book that I read, but I truly enjoyed it. The mystery and the amusement following Amelia and Emerson was perfect.
—Sassafrass
I enjoyed the 1920's Egyptian setting and the archeology information in this light cosy. I liked the main character Amelia, but I found the banter between her and her husband overdone. I realize that the antiquated setting may have something to do with the way it is to be perceived, but I thought the husband Emerson came off as kind of a blowhard jerk at times. Some of the supporting characters were caricatures, like the young girl Mary's mother. Speaking of Mary, the subplot about her suitors and love life was a bit extensive. Really did not care for the child Ramses and I was glad they left him in London. Hopefully, in succeeding books he is quite a bit older and less "precious". The mystery was not the main point of the book, as in many cosy mysteries, and it was possible to figure out parts of it while reading, but it did all round up to a nice conclusion at the end.
—Stacy
