The Curse of The Pharaohs

The Amelia Peabody Series, Book 2

By: Elizabeth Peters

Narrated by: Susan O'Malley

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The joys of home and hearth are about to drive Victorian gentlewoman Amelia Peabody Emerson mad. While she and her husband, the renowned archaeologist Radcliffe Emerson, dutifully go about raising their son Ramses, she dreams only of the dust and detritus of ancient civilizations. Providentially, a damsel in distress - coupled with a promising archaeological site - demands their immediate presence in Egypt. The damsel is Lady Baskerville, and the site is a tomb in Luxor recently discovered by Sir Henry Baskerville - who promptly died under bizarre circumstances. The tabloids immediately scream "The Curse of the Pharaohs!"

Amelia and Radcliffe arrive to find the camp in disarray, the workers terrified, and a most eccentric group of guests. A ghost even appears.

This is not at all what Amelia considers an atmosphere conductive to scientific discovery. Never one to deny others the benefit of her advice and example, the indomitable Victorian sets about bringing order to chaos and herself that much closer to danger. How Amelia triumphs over the forces of evil - and those who would stand between her and her beloved antiquities - make for a delightfully spirited adventure.

Don't miss the rest of the Amelia Peabody series.

©1981 Elizabeth Peters (P)1999 Blackstone Audiobooks

Terrible fat shaming and fat phobia

The humour and feminist leanings of the narrator are interesting and funny but the descriptions of anyone who is “overweight” or in a large body is rude and unnecessary. There is no lack of character traits that could used to describe characters and the body type of none of the characters so far has nothing to do with the body size of anyone. It’s rude.

Fun character, dull plots, little historical/archeological detail.

The main characters (Amelia Peabody and her eventual husband) are amusing, if they hit you the right way, and the author clearly enjoys writing their dialogue and quirky dynamics. But that liveliness doesn’t seem to reach the plots and secondary characters, which are dull, and lacking in description or historical/archaeological detail which might have brought it all to life. If you enjoy the Peabody/Emerson dynamic,that may be enough to engage you, but by the time I tried the third in the series, it felt very repetitious.

personally I would skip from book 1 to book 10.

I personally think that Barbara Rosenblat is a much better narrator than Susan O'Malley but this is the version that is included in the audible subscription. I loved reading this series growing up and it is great to be able to listen to them as an adult. The first book is amazing, than it kinda gets a little boring in the middle of the series. I really like the end of the series too. I think that the ending of the second book is rushed and a little confusing.

Entertaining series

What did you love best about The Curse of The Pharaohs?

I really enjoyed this installment of Peabody's escapades. I enjoy the convaluted reasoning that Peabody uses to conclude the adventures that seem to seek her out. The stilted English persona's are very entertaining and the narrator really brings the characters to life.

Amelia's personality, and the reader's performance. The two together bring the whole book to life!

I loved the Characters, The reader, and the flow of the tale was enchanting. Especially the relationship between Peabody and Emerson.

Wrong Narrator

I made the mistake of getting thes rather than the one performed by Barbara Rosenblatt.
Barbara would have made this rather average Amelia wonderful, but this book can not rise above the poor narration.
Still, any Amelia Peabody is better than average of any other book. :-)

Classic British humour

A stiff upperlip...and back...and a strong constitution in a woman who brokes no discussion around her decisions and her unfailing search for the right of every situation is a recipe for adventure. Finding new friends, learning and exploring and perhaps a bit of romance all wrapped in a mystery and a bit of British history.

Very Good Story With Minor Glitch

I have long enjoyed Elizabeth Peters books about Egyptologists. This recording has a very minor flaw: At the start of each chapter, you hear the narrators voice say”two.” Only once, near the end, did I hear “three,” then it returned to “two.” Very strange, but a minor distraction from the story.

A great story, but not the best narrator...

When it comes to listening to Amelia Peabody mysteries, Barbara Rosenblatt is definitely the way to go. This narrator, it pains me to say, really butchered the voices. Her English accent is terrible. The story, however, is classic Amelia fun!

Great second read!

This is the second book in the Amelia Peabody series. I love the reader as her voice is how I pictured Amelia's to sound. It's light reading, but very entertaining! I love the Egyptian angle in these books as both Amelia and Emerson are Egyptian archaeologists. Give it a try!