Thursday, May 04, 2006

Tomb of the Golden Bird by Elizabeth Peters

I've read mysteries by Peters before and haven't been thrilled, but they are OK. This one was no different. They mystery itself was a non-mystery, and I didn't really care for Amanda Peabody, the main character. I guess there are a whole series of her books. But the historical setting was great - Egypt at the time of finding and opening of King Tut's tomb. I liked the archeological details and that there seems to be a whole subculture of Englishmen drawn to Egypt at the time. I wonder if there are still English there now and how active is the archeological community there or have they moved on? I am not sure how accurately Peters portrayed the relationships with the local Egyptians, but they seemed OK. I could definitely get into the excitement of finding the first almost untouched tomb and all its wonderful treasures. I have seen the books, but not the treasures themselves. They are coming to the Chicago Field Museum soon. Amanda's large bustling family and friends was enjoyable, though Amanda herself often grated on my nerves, especially her penchant for matchmaking. But it got me excited about King Tut again and I even read another short book about Howard Carter, the man who found and led the excavation of the tomb. (Listened to in April 2006)

No comments: