About book The Snake, The Crocodile And The Dog (1994)
Review to come... but keep in mind I'm sick so it was a little hard to follow the plot.The Peabody Emersons are having a heck of a time hiding Nefret's origins. It's not just that coming out of the desert with a girl is odd, it's the fact that they have to concoct and stick to a story about missionaries in order to protect the valley wherein she spent her entire life and ancient Egypt still exists to this day. There are many who would desire this knowledge in order to plunder the valley... and many who might see holes in their story if closely examined. While Nefret and Ramses stay back in England, Ramses having developed an "attachment" to Nefret, for the first time in years Emerson and Amelia will have an excavation all to themselves. Soon their plan is thwarted with many unusual happenings and the kidnapping of Emerson. Amelia would lay down her life to save her husband and it is not long till he is returned to her. But returned damaged and broken... he has amnesia and no longer knows who she is. Advised by a queer little doctor, Amelia does not force herself or her affections on Emerson and they go to where they first met, because Emerson thinks he is still on that dig. Hoping against hope that he will remember while trying to maintain a dig is one thing. Hoping that the enemy, whomever it might be will not attack again is another thing entirely. Amelia must keep Emerson alive or there is no hope at all. Perhaps the master criminal is involved... only one of genius and cunning could have such diabolical and nefarious plans.For some reason I found this book more than a little confusing. I should note though, that I was sick and on a lot of antibiotics at the time. But as one of my friends said: "Honey, you must be sick. These plots are never hard to follow. It's part of their charm. The Peabodys go to Egypt, Ramses, David or Nefret (or all three) get into trouble, Emerson gets mad, crime solved, happy ending. Their very predictability keep me coming back." There is such a charm in the predictability of a happy ending coupled with the height of Egyptology. Though this one left me a little flat, not just because of the kidnapping, but more because of the soap opera tragedy of Emerson having amnesia and then another soap opera trope that I won't mention because it is strictly under the "spoilers" section. For the longest time I was debating back and forth as to whether Emerson really had amnesia or not, which I'm sure Peters did on purpose. For such a loving and stalwart relationship, it's really the first time since the beginning where Amelia gets to be uncertain in Emerson's love for her. I think Peters must have taken glee in shaking the unshakable, because only a complete erasure of Amelia from Emerson's memory could take away his feelings for her, and I'm sure Peters gets enough letters asking why there is no conflict (in their relationship) between them instead of Amelia just gloating about how lucky she is to have such a virile and sexy husband, even if they are couched in the terms of the day. Which, I will admit, sometimes get a bit much. Also, it seems to me that Peters must be tired with her formulae a bit because she's starting to shake it up a little. In the previous installment, The Last Camel Died at Noon, she tried, and in my mind, failed, to do a more Rider Haggard adventure book. In this installment, because of a great deal of the characters being back in England, we have the introduction of an epistolary novel on top of the normal day to day story. While I enjoyed the letters, Ramses being hilariously Ramses in all of them, and while they added to the plot, the letters seemed to break up the plot and make it chunky. Almost as if there was a lull and then "Breaking News: This in from England!" For a seamless narrative and plot this did not do the book any favors. Worst of all though was the shoehorning in of their tragedies into the myth of "The Snake, The Crocodile and the Dog." Amelia seemed convinced that they where being sent three trials, but where and how? There's a kidnapping, a few attacks and a possibly rapid dog. Now, I see how you can derive the dog, but how are the others a snake or a crocodile? I don't think this was a lapse in my fevered brain patterns, but a failing on Peters part.
I'm in the process of re-reading the entire Amelia Peabody series again, from start to finish in one go. They are still some of my favorite books. They must be read with tongue firmly inserted in cheek. It also helps to have an interest in and some knowledge of Colonial-era exploration narratives, fiction like that of H. Rider Haggard, Orientalist studies, the competitive acquisitive zeal of western museums at the turn of the century, and the "gentlemen archaeologists" of the 19th century who brought more treasure-hunting fever than academic and historical interest to their digs. That is to say nothing of the insight into early seeds and outbreaks of unrest in the Middle East that find their way into the middle and later novels in the series. Add to this impressive list of "ingredients" a dash of early feminism, British upperclass manners, interesting plots, and especially the academically sound Egyptian history from a legitimate scholar (Elizabeth Peters had a PhD in Egyptology from the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago) and you have the very best in historical fiction, enclosed within adventurous and funny plots led by engaging and memorable characters who, though immensely more enlightened than many of their time, nonetheless remain realistic people OF their time, seeing the world through glasses tinted by their own culture and class. Though they attempt to rise above prejudice, they cannot quite entirely do so. Elizabeth Peters showed immense wisdom of the human condition in this aspect of her characterizations, reminding us all that we cannot even be aware of - much less remove - ALL of our preconceptions through which we see the world around us. Even the best of us - like Amelia - can continually peel back the layers of lenses through which we see the world. All these philosophical, aesthetic, academic, and historical reasons for loving the series are thus topped off with depth of characterization, imaginative storytelling, fast-paced plotting, excellent word-crafting, and an overall affectionate humor about the human condition - the whole coming together even better than the sum of its parts to make it one of my favorite series of all time. I might add that it's a series that I've read and re-read multiple times, something that I almost never do.To be fair, my one criticism about the series is that the non-chronological nature of the last few books gets a big confusing even to me, someone who's read them multiple times. They're still very enjoyable, but holding the timeline and chronology of events in my head is not always easy. I plan to tackle the compendium "Amelia Peabody's Egypt" soon to see how that clears things up. Nonetheless, I'm waiting with bated breath for the book Elizabeth Peters was finishing at the time of her death to be published. I think it would be a great tribute to her career to publish it posthumously.I have been really surprised when friends I've recommended the series to haven't been as enthusiastic as I am about Amelia Peabody. I think I can attribute that to the fact that my first go-round of the series was on audiobook and Barbara Rosenblat and Grace Conlin did such a marvelous job of giving the series the proper amount of irony and tongue-in-cheek humor and updated H. Rider Haggard-style adventure, that even today when I read the series I hear it in their voices in my head. If you are having trouble connecting, then, I recommend listening to at least the first several books on audiobook. It wouldn't hurt to do some quick Wikipedia research on Colonialism, Egyptology, Howard Carter, Wallace Budge, Orientalism, H. Rider Haggard, museum-sponsored archaeology of the latre 19th & early 20th centuries (especially the competitiveness between the British Museum & the Metropolitan Museum of Art(, WWI, pre-WWII espionage, dismantling of the Ottoman Empire... anything relating to history of the 19th century to early 20th century. All will add to your enjoyment of the novels as well as your appreciation for how deftly Elizabeth Peters wove history and real people throughout her fiction.
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“No woman really wants a man to carry her off; she only wants him to want to do it.”The Snake, the Crocodile and the Dog by Elizabeth Peters is the 7th instalment, of her highly acclaimed crime series featuring Amelia Peabody-Emerson and her husband Radcliffe Emerson. The novel begins with the Emersons returning from their last adventure in the Lost Oasis, with the young girl Nefret. As they try to introduce her into English social life, Nefret, who previously had no brushes with English society, comes face to face with meanness and snobbery from girls of her age. With coming of fall, the Emersons decide to return to Egypt, with Nefret deciding to stay back in England, along with Ramses, Emersons’ son. Trouble starts once the Emersons land in Egypt. After the customary greetings with old acquaintances are over, a man tries to kidnap Amelia during a ball, as Emerson is attacked by three men. However, their plan is foiled, but a few nights later, Emerson gets kidnapped, while returning from dinner. Although Amelia, with assistance from an old friend Cyrus Vandergelt, rescues Emerson, only to realise that he is suffering from Amnesia and can no longer remember anyone. Back in England, both Ramses and Nefret face assailants, kidnap attempts, and unsuccessful burglaries. Now, as the blurb declares, Amelia must fight to thwart the evil forces and rescue her marriage.The plot, of the book, in all, was not very twisting or for that matter neither the crime was of high quality. The first 100 odd ages of the book was very slow. Now, this is due to the fact that the first book I read was the 7th in the series. There were many characters and many incidents referred to in those pages which took place in the earlier novels. But, not once did I find those pages boring. Coming to the crime, it was very vanilla compared to the exotic crimes we get today. A man got murdered only after 3/4th of the book has gone by. After completing the book I would say this is much more of an adventure than a crime novel, as detection or fact finding missions are definitely missing.The characters were one of the best I have come across. Amelia Peabody, is definitely going to be one of my favourite woman characters of all time. Here we find a lady, who is strong; both physically and mentally, always ready to step up to confront any kind of prejudice coming from the male society. Yet, she is not a person, who is not prone to hearing sweet endearments from her husband. The pain she goes through while she sees her husband not recognising her is truly heartfelt. But, the most wonderful character strait I found in her was , her love towards animals. She steadfastly refuses the donkeys to beaten, she offers food to mongrels. Now, maybe in todays world this maybe be very common, but a woman in late 1800s to feel such compassion for animals is truly wonderful.Emerson is gruff, but with a softness inside him. But, the best male character by far was Ramses, their son. The letters he wrote to his parents, his endeavours to keep his family safe, his budding crush towards Nefret, all makes him, a character , reading about whom always brings a smile to the reader.The language was funny, though being a bit old fashioned. It wasn’t overbearing, the paragraphs were modest in size, the sentences mercifully short. But what stood out, was the description of Egypt. In reading this book I also, had the opportunity of visiting Egypt. The travelogue was calm, and was devoid of sharp criticism, and sarcasm found in the travelogues of today.One of the best books I have read in recent times, surely this won’t be the last of the Amelia Peabody series I would be reading.
—Anirban Das
Amelia Peabody's life is presently seeming to follow the story line of an ancient egyptian fairy tale about a prince who was doomed to die by the crocodile , the snake or the dog. A young princess from another kingdom fell in love with him, married him, learned of the prophecy and determined that she would save him from his fate. The ending of the fairytale has been lost to the dusts of the desert, but Amelia plans to work on this tale and then finds she is living it.She and Emerson, having left the children in England begin to find themselves in danger almost from the moment they arrive at Shepheards Hotel. There are a fews attempts at kidnapping both of them before one is successfully accomplished and Emerson is spirited away after having been subdued by a cudgel to the head. Thus the adventure begins and it is filled with excitement, treachery, betrayal murder and more. peabody armed with her parasol and pistol are a match for any villain. I began reading this series and then began listening to it as narrated by Barbara Rosenblat who does such a wonderful job that all the characters come alive. She does a marvelous job of capturing the essence of both Peabody and Emerson that these characters take on additional dimension that eluded me in the written versions. I was never a person who really enjoyed audio versions but this experience with Barbara Rosenblat has made me a true fan.
—Elizabeth
This installment of the Amelia Peabody/Emerson escapades was the best I've read so far - even better than the first one! Emerson is kidnapped and strongly 'interrogated' by one of their many enemies (when Amelia is trying to figure out who is behind it, she comes up with a list of 13 possible doers-of-the-dastardly-deed). Intrepid Amelia helps rescue him, only to discover that Emerson has **gasp** forgotten her and their 12-year marriage! I thought that part of the plot went on too long (and I personally would get a little paranoid about being wiped out of my loved one's memory so completely!), but I enjoyed the unfolding events too much to worry about that, especially since Amelia did enough worrying for everyone. I'm usually pretty good about figuring out most things, but I was taken by surprise more than once.
—BJ Rose
