A review by yuna
Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Amelia Peabody reminds me a bit of Temperence Brennan from the show "Bones" (I haven't read the books the show is base on so idk how much similarity there is between the character from book to screen)-- independent, direct, smart, and not too fussed with conventional norms.
I wanted to like her more--but between the book being set in the late 19th century and perhaps also because it was written in the mid 1970s--Peabody was too often only allowed to be sharp and witty and "win" an argument or exert herself or whatever only if it was something small/trivial. Otherwise, she'd succumb to the same stereotypical weak feminine condition she supposedly rails against if it suited the plot. She talks a lot about despising the sexist norms but the majority of it only seems to happen as inward thoughts rather than actually voicing anything. And there's a fair amount of casual (and sometimes not so casual) racism in the way she and other characters describe...anyone/everything.
I did like her relationship with Evelyn and thought the latter was a good foil for Peabody. The Emersons were fine. The Peabody-Emerson romance felt a bit forced compared to the Evelyn-Walter one for me. The mystery took a while to get going, though the breadcrumbs were placed early on once we knew what to be looking for.
I wanted to like her more--but between the book being set in the late 19th century and perhaps also because it was written in the mid 1970s--Peabody was too often only allowed to be sharp and witty and "win" an argument or exert herself or whatever only if it was something small/trivial. Otherwise, she'd succumb to the same stereotypical weak feminine condition she supposedly rails against if it suited the plot. She talks a lot about despising the sexist norms but the majority of it only seems to happen as inward thoughts rather than actually voicing anything. And there's a fair amount of casual (and sometimes not so casual) racism in the way she and other characters describe...anyone/everything.
I did like her relationship with Evelyn and thought the latter was a good foil for Peabody. The Emersons were fine. The Peabody-Emerson romance felt a bit forced compared to the Evelyn-Walter one for me. The mystery took a while to get going, though the breadcrumbs were placed early on once we knew what to be looking for.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism and Sexism