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leasummer's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t enjoy this as much as the first. Aside from the addition of a child and being married, the story felt almost the same as the first.
It’s a nice escape and entertaining.
It’s a nice escape and entertaining.
sten1238's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
dmcke013's review against another edition
3.0
Second entry in Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series, which again sees the Victorian archaeologist - now married, and with a young kid - again back in Egypt, and again faced with a (seemingly) supernatural foe.
lucilla_17's review against another edition
3.0
I have a lot of nostalgia for this series, and I absolutely love the narrator of the audiobooks (Barbara Rosenblat), but there is a lot of period (both 1900s and 1990s) typical racism, sexism, homophobia, and colonizer perspectives. Also a lot of fatphobia that went over my head when I was reading these as a kid, but is super glaring rereading them now.
elliemvbrown's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
moncoinlecture's review against another edition
4.0
Original review - in French - on my blog: http://moncoinlecture.over-blog.com/article-the-curse-of-the-pharaoh-92107319.html
I don't read Amelia Peabody books for the intrigue. Fun ones, of course, but a bit predictable. On the other hand, I just love the characters and the atmosphere. Amelia, for me, is hilarious with her confidence and very English ways. I love to follow her and Emerson in Egypt. This intrigue is a bit similar to the first one... but as I said... I don't really care! I just want to read with a big smile on my face.
I don't read Amelia Peabody books for the intrigue. Fun ones, of course, but a bit predictable. On the other hand, I just love the characters and the atmosphere. Amelia, for me, is hilarious with her confidence and very English ways. I love to follow her and Emerson in Egypt. This intrigue is a bit similar to the first one... but as I said... I don't really care! I just want to read with a big smile on my face.
desertlover's review against another edition
4.0
This second installment was just a delightful as the first. I found myself giggling constantly with all the hilarious inner dialogue and banter between Amelia and Emerson.
Emerson is a remarkable person, considering that he is a man. Which is not saying a great deal.
I highly recommend the audio version. The narrator does a fabulous job with all the accents and characters.
Emerson is a remarkable person, considering that he is a man. Which is not saying a great deal.
I highly recommend the audio version. The narrator does a fabulous job with all the accents and characters.
mo_mentan's review against another edition
2.0
*2.5
this was so disappointing. from the beginning, it was just too slow. the bickering was still fun and amelia was still agreat character, but not only emerson is a blatant misogynist in this one, amelia shows so much internalised misogyny as well, and so does the narrative. there is no real reason, nothing that shows the reader why lady baskerville is so very unlikeable, but amelia dislikes her because she is very feminine and different from herself (seriously there's nothing else to it). she shames her for her beauty and the way she dresses. in the end we are told she has always been unfaithful, nothing before that suggested she was anything but a little flirty and maybe not too fond of her late husband. also amelia is incredibly fatphobic towards madam whatwashername.
there seemed to be so many unnecessary characters that might have been interesting but were not given any real spotlight (karl, mary, o'connell). i was so sure mary would be the murderer because no one ever suspected her, but she was just exactly as boring as she seemed. i missed evilyn.
the tomb was also a disappointment, but the tutanchamun thing was a nice touch.
i liked o'conell and karl was funny in a way, but i didn't want mary to end up with him.
bastet was great, i hope we see more of her.
speaking of bastet, i can see that ramses might become an interesting character and i liked the way we learnt more about his parents through him. he certainly is very overdone in a way, but that's the whole point. amelia seemed quite happy to give him away, which irritated me, but then that's probably my internalised misogyny showing :)
then, even worse than in the last one, there was soooo much racism and colonialist viewpoints. i cannot say whether the honour killing was accurately put, but the way the british colonizers were framed as the good force preventing harm to poor muslim women was certainly abominable, and the way many men of colour are villainised in this narrative is as well. the mummies are stolen in the end and taken to the uk and that is somehow framed as a great thing. lady baskervilles maid is an addict and amelia says nothing to help any of the servants if they are berrated, no, she even does it herself. most of the poc don't even have names,and they certainly don't have characters. if the bechdel test was about poc, this book would fail it. not that poc characters don't talk about anything but relationships, we never hear them talk among themselves at all.
furthermore, i would have liked to learn more about egyptology and the historic archeological practice.
the mystery wasn't great and didn't make much sense to me, and i felt that much nicer hints could have been placed so easily.
all in all, incredibly disappointed, but i still somehow enjoyed listening to it (which sure has a lot to do with the incredible rendering of the text by barbara rosenblat) and i do hope it will get better. also, i'm curious what will happen to the charcters that i have learnt to love, so i will certianly go on reading this series.
this was so disappointing. from the beginning, it was just too slow. the bickering was still fun and amelia was still agreat character, but not only emerson is a blatant misogynist in this one, amelia shows so much internalised misogyny as well, and so does the narrative. there is no real reason, nothing that shows the reader why lady baskerville is so very unlikeable, but amelia dislikes her because she is very feminine and different from herself (seriously there's nothing else to it). she shames her for her beauty and the way she dresses. in the end we are told she has always been unfaithful, nothing before that suggested she was anything but a little flirty and maybe not too fond of her late husband. also amelia is incredibly fatphobic towards madam whatwashername.
there seemed to be so many unnecessary characters that might have been interesting but were not given any real spotlight (karl, mary, o'connell). i was so sure mary would be the murderer because no one ever suspected her, but she was just exactly as boring as she seemed. i missed evilyn.
the tomb was also a disappointment, but the tutanchamun thing was a nice touch.
i liked o'conell and karl was funny in a way, but i didn't want mary to end up with him.
bastet was great, i hope we see more of her.
speaking of bastet, i can see that ramses might become an interesting character and i liked the way we learnt more about his parents through him. he certainly is very overdone in a way, but that's the whole point. amelia seemed quite happy to give him away, which irritated me, but then that's probably my internalised misogyny showing :)
then, even worse than in the last one, there was soooo much racism and colonialist viewpoints. i cannot say whether the honour killing was accurately put, but the way the british colonizers were framed as the good force preventing harm to poor muslim women was certainly abominable, and the way many men of colour are villainised in this narrative is as well. the mummies are stolen in the end and taken to the uk and that is somehow framed as a great thing. lady baskervilles maid is an addict and amelia says nothing to help any of the servants if they are berrated, no, she even does it herself. most of the poc don't even have names,and they certainly don't have characters. if the bechdel test was about poc, this book would fail it. not that poc characters don't talk about anything but relationships, we never hear them talk among themselves at all.
furthermore, i would have liked to learn more about egyptology and the historic archeological practice.
the mystery wasn't great and didn't make much sense to me, and i felt that much nicer hints could have been placed so easily.
all in all, incredibly disappointed, but i still somehow enjoyed listening to it (which sure has a lot to do with the incredible rendering of the text by barbara rosenblat) and i do hope it will get better. also, i'm curious what will happen to the charcters that i have learnt to love, so i will certianly go on reading this series.