The Tomb Of The Golden Bird (Amelia Peabody #18), by Elizabeth Peters★★★★ (rounding up to 4½, with a ♥ for the whole series)Synopsis: Banned forever from the eastern end of the Valley of the Kings, eminent Egyptologist Radcliffe Emerson's desperate attempt to regain digging rights backfires—and his dream of unearthing the tomb of the little-known king Tutankhamon is dashed. Now Emerson, his archaeologist wife, Amelia Peabody, and their family must watch from the sidelines as Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter "discover" the greatest Egyptian treasure of all time. But the Emersons' own less impressive excavations are interrupted when father and son Ramses are lured into a trap by a strange group of villains ominously demanding answers to a question neither man comprehends. And it will fall to the ever-intrepid Amelia to protect her endangered family—and perhaps her nemesis as well—from a devastating truth hidden uncomfortably close to home . . . and from a nefarious plot that threatens the peace of the entire region.In A Sentence: A decent conclusion to the series, but not my favoriteMy Thoughts: Well, chronologically speaking, this is the last in the series, and it ends with a historically famous event: the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. I really enjoyed reading about this event from the perspective of the Emersons; it was pretty entertaining. The mystery element of the story takes a little bit of a backseat so we can learn more about what was going on when Howard Carter found the tomb, which makes the book drag a little, in my opinion. The lack of action didn’t help the book much, and there were multiple things going on, which made it a little confusing. To top it off, I found the Emersons to be just a little hypocritical in this book, saying that Howard Carter and Lord Carnavon shouldn’t have entered the tomb without permission, yet entering the tomb themselves “to make sure everything was all right”.I still liked the read, though. The humor was funnier this time around, and everyone gets a happy ending, which is nice. I would have loved to see what happens to everyone after the books, and I keep thinking that some of the books in this series would make for some awesome movies or a TV show. Maybe one day…Anyway, if you have been reading this series, and managed to make it past the 9th or 10th book, you might as well make it to the end. While this isn’t the best book in the series, it is still worth a look.
I love the Emerson family, so I enjoyed this 17th book in the series about them. All the things I love about this series are here: the trouble the family cannot seem to avoid, even when they try; the hilarious verbal sparring between Emerson and Amelia; the wonderful relationship between Ramses and Nefret; the bond of friendship between David and Ramses; and most of all the eclectic, unique and wonderful extended cast of characters that Elizabeth Peters has created. The entertainment value of these stories is off the charts for my money!In this book, when the family - without David and his family, but with Sethos - arrives in Egypt for the new season, they hope and expect an uneventful trip, since they have no reason to expect any trouble. Of course, that is not to be. At least this time, it appears the trouble is following Sethos, rather than the Emersons, but nevertheless, the mysterious persons who lurk, and kidnap and just generally make nuisances of themselves, serve to infuriate Emerson, get Amelia's detectival instincts going, and worry Ramses and Nefret.The one particular plot point of note in this book, is that Howard Carter and his patron Lord Carnarvon uncover the tomb of Tutankaman in this outing, which provides some especial angst and irritation for the Emerson family, because of the way the discovery is handled and it is fun to see an actual historical event fictionalized a bit and worked into the plot given the high archeological standards readers know the Emersons to have.The family is older in this book, and while there is plenty of excitement and adventure, at this point some of the thrill level of the earlier books is softened. That does not at all mean the book isn't a highly enjoyable read, just that it isn't what I would call the best of the series. But the absolutely delightfully realized and wonderful characters in this series are favourites, and I love them every time we visit one another!
Do You like book Tomb Of The Golden Bird (2006)?
I love historical fiction, and I love series fiction. Ms. Peters (or Mertz, or Michaels) has been an inspiration to me for over a quarter-century.When I was a very young mother, and had all the time in the world for reading and writing, Ms. Peters' books stimulated my intellect and aroused my imagination. I had no college, and through Vicky Bliss and Amelia Peabody I was inspired to learn who John Donne and Howard Carter were, to read Shakespeare and listen to Handel, and to reach for independence.I visited, through Ms. Peters' stories, Rome and Munich, Luxor and Cairo. I went into tombs and through pig stys, across dry deserts and frozen mountains. I went to college in real time, learned more about the references in her books, gained even more inspiration, and kept writing. Ms. Peters' work continues to inspire me.The Amelia Peabody story is a fun and educational series that will appeal any woman who values independence and/or motherhood. Adventure, mystery, mother love and romance combine to make up fabulous entertainment.
—Ida Flowers
Amelia Peabody is my hero. I have read everything Elizabeth Peters has written. Several times. I LOVE the Emersons, and when I manage to remember that they are not real people, I always regret the fact.BUT... I found this book dreary and depressing. The family seems to be drifting apart (the demise of the extended family) and everyone is very focused on their own individual "needs" so they can be fulfilled. I reread it twice, hoping I would like it better, but I just never did. The author manages to inject her political opinions, which is certainly her perogative and I have never had a problem with before, but this time, it's so anachronistic and distracting! Also, I think she should kill off that tedious and obnoxious Margaret Minton and marry Sethos to Fatima. Margaret never developed a character - she is just a collection of rude behaviors and attitudes. The idea that Sethos could love her never feels very believable, and it never gets better. Oh, and Jumana... another character who never appears anything other than irritating. She may be pretty and smart, but she is not lovable at all, which makes her seem a little unlikely as a companion for a guy like Bertie. I wish I had not read this book. It left a taste of ashes in my mouth, after 20 years of reading and loving Amelia and her family.
—Cathe Timmons
This Amelia Peabody novel revolves around the most famous archaeological discovery in history, the discovery of Tutankhamun tomb. While most people at least have some knowledge about the discovery of the tomb, the way that Peters wove her fictional characters into the actual historical events was well done. I hadn't expected for her to make Carter out as almost a villain in this novel, but as the afterward point out that also stayed in line with the historical events. Overall, from the archaeological and historical point of view it was a great read, the mystery part of the story left something to be desired. The biggest issue I had with this novel is that there was no real mystery or suspense until the last 150 pages or so. Even then it wasn't the hair raising, scrapes with death that usually face the Emersons. The only real suspense in the novel was when Ramses was following David, the rest was so muddled and unspecific that I didn't really care about it. I liked that Sethos was in the novel and that he took more of an active part in the family, but again this novel was more character focused and less event orientated. While it was a fun read it just wasn't as fun and active as some of the other novels in the series. The ending of the novel was a great way to wrap up the series. There are a few novels written after this one, but the events happen earlier chronologically. Everyone is happy and the whole family and friends are in a great place for long happy years to come. Ending with the greatest discovery was also a great move by Peters because it was the perfect ending to their archaeological career and they could sail into the sunset.
—Colleen
