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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why I love Amelia Peabody Mysteries:, June 3, 2006
This review is from: The Hippopotamus Pool (Amelia Peabody, Book 8) (Mass Market Paperback)
Reading an Amelia Peabody Mystery is like having a favorite meal. You don't have to have it every day but when you do, it is always satisfying and delicious. You can go weeks or months between this meal and yet just thinking about it will make you salivate. THE HIPPOPOTAMUS POOL by the venerable Elizabeth Peters is number 8 in her Amelia Peabody series of eighteen or so little novels. Peter's books are so easy to read and very easy to get into. You can pick them up and become interested on the first page. They are really ideal 'beach' or 'vacation' books because they are so straightforward and uncomplicated to read, even with a multitude of interruptions. Plus, I can read a book in the series and not read another one for weeks or months and know that I can get right back into these little stories with no problem. In addition, THE HIPPOPOTAMUS POOL has a glossary in the beginning that identifies all the characters.
Thankfully, the entire family is together for the 'season' of excavating in Egypt and that makes me happy. Last year the children--Ramses, the 12 year-old boy genius and his adopted sister (a miniature Amelia, who at fifteen is quite the beauty) Nefret, were left at Aunt Evelyn & Uncle Walter's estate in England. David, an Egyptian orphan has been added to this entourage as well. Evelyn and Walter also lend their services in the excavation of this new tomb, supposedly of Queen Tetisheri. Since we are so familiar with this family, having met the four adults thirteen years previously during their courtship (in Egypt, of course), there is something very comfortable about rejoining the group.
Naturally we have the usual murders, kidnappings, grave robbers and undercover criminals. We still have the tender yet cantankerous Emerson and his no nonsense verrrry British wife Amelia who is still anticipating every move. But the children are the ones who add a delightful diversion to this adorable little mystery. And, as always, we know that everything will come out all right in the end. Every time I read a book in this series, it is like rejoining an old friend (or having a favorite meal;-)
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book...maybe, May 1, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: The Hippopotamus Pool (Amelia Peabody, Book 8) (Mass Market Paperback)
Looking at the other reviews for this book, you may want to question what I am about write (previously wrote if you're are reading this now, which you are). To me, this is the best of the Peabody's adventures. It is even one of my favorite books of all time (which is saying a lot, putting it next to "Power of One" by Bryce Courtenay). Why this is so, I really cannot say, or write. It's just that I thought this book had more to it then the other adventures. Lots more excitement and action seemed to be present and I enjoyed the new and old characters very much. As soon as I picked it up,I could not put it down. I especially enjoyed the "witty"(or witless, depending who's review you're reading) dialogue and mischief of the children. When I finished, I told myself that I would never read another book by Peters. Any other Peabody book would just be a disappointment after "Hippopotamus Pool." Such thinking lasted for 48.6 hours; at that point I saw the next Peabody mystery. Yes, it is true, I admit I am a little biased: anything written by Elizabeth Peters and deals with Ameila Peabody will be considered great in my opinion (humble one, of course). I am writing this review not to disagree with the other reviews, but to say that if another person happens to read this book and finds it the most fascinating book ever, the best piece of literature ever written, then that person has a major problem. No, what I mean is that that person will not be alone. Somewhere out in that cold dark world there is a beacon of inspiration, someone else who agrees that this book is a true gem. Thank you Elizabeth Peters, and thank you to anybody who agrees with this terrifically pointful review.
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7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Amelia dips her toe into the Hippopotamus Pool..., August 11, 2000
This review is from: The Hippopotamus Pool (Amelia Peabody, Book 8) (Mass Market Paperback)
In contrast with many of the reviewers, I really liked this book! Elizabeth Peters Peabody mysteries are not the standard, straight-up mysteries many of us read too often. Instead they are tongue in cheek tributes to the sensational adventure-mysteries of the early 20th century. More humorous than mysterious, if you like the unflappable Amelia Peabody, her irascible husband Radcliffe Emerson, their terrifying child "Ramses," the intriguing Nefret and their entire retinue then you will keep coming back for more. In this mystery Amelia, husband Radcliffe, Ramses, and Nefret make their annual sojourn to Egypt for the archaeological season. Once in Luxor their archaeological plans and the machinations of the tomb-robbers and thieves of Egypt collide at the newly discovered tomb of Queen Tetisheri. The Emersons' excavation of Tetisheri's tomb is strikingly similar to real-life archaeologist Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, but of course that is not the point. The point is who will get to the royal coffin first: the Emersons? or the criminal world of Egypt?
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