Customer Reviews

The Hippopotamus Pool (Amelia Peabody, Book 8)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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;-)

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.

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?

The Amelia Peabody books are a lot of fun, but they are more adventure novels, with a liberal sprinkling of humor, than traditional mystery novels.

As a story about a Victorian era woman archeologist with thoroughly modern ideas, "The Hippopotamus Pool" is wonderful. It begins with a stranger who offers to reveal the location of a hitherto unknown tomb and then mysteriously disappears. Amelia and her family locate the tomb and began excavating it, but are soon forced to fend off would-be thieves. Amelia begins to wonder if there is a traitor in their midst. Is it the governess? The newly employed photographer? Or the orphan they have taken in?

Unfortunately, there is a totally unnecessary and rather weak "mystery" tacked on. If you haven't read the previous entries in the series, you'll be totally bewildered by the unsatisfying denouncement; even if you have, you'll probably find it difficult to really care.

Overall, I did like this book. The characters are great and the writing is witty. But, enjoyable as it was, I have to admit it was nothing special.

I am a loyal fan of the Amelia Peabody mysteries but this one was a struggle to get through. I found her style to be similar to her earliest novels...the usual underdeveloped characters of the "bad guys" and any dialogues too long and dry. I actually bought "Seeing a Large Cat" before this one and found that it really came after one I had missed (hence me reading The Hippotomus Pool now!) For any discouraged readers...keep going! The next in the series is absolutely amazing!

A wonderful and humorous adventure with a touch of battle of the sexes as well. Too good to miss, and too good to not read the preceding books. For a rousing good time, you really need to meet the characters from the start-The Crocodile on the Sandbank, and follow them on. I had to go back and find them all, after stumbling onto them in the middle. A great spoof on archeology/adventure, with character tributes to many of the 19th century greats of Egyptology, both by name, and by style. If you can get through this without laughing out loud, you need a humor adjustment.

This is a really good addition to the Amelia Peabody series. For one thing we have the entire family with Amelia, Emerson, Ramses, Nefret, both cats and Emerson's brother Walter and his wife Evelyn. In this book we have Emerson on the verge of discovering an almost unheard of unopened tomb. The word of that gets the vultures circling, and there are two unscrupulous groups of people after the contents of this tomb. Amelia and her family are caught in the middle, and there is much danger to them all. The book moves fast and keeps the reader turning pages in order to see what happens next. This is a wonderfully entertaining series.

"The Hippopotamus Pool" by Elizabeth Peters is a mystery novel that includes the normal twists of murderers, kidnappers and robbers. The story involves Amelia Peabody Emerson and her family embarking on finding Queen Tetisheri royal tomb and its belongings. The story has a slow developing plot leaving the reader to question when will the family ever find and begin excavating the tomb?

The title comes from a translation that Peabody is currently doing on the side while her husband is busy at work. It involves a quote to Sekenenre, the ruler of Thebes, stating, "the roaring of the hippopotami in your pools prevents me from sleeping! Hunt them and kill them, that I may rest." This is a foreshadowing of mysteries to come involving Giovanni Riccetti, an illegal antiquities trader, who resembles a hippopotamus. Along with Ricetti, Ali Murad and other antiquity traders, the Emerson's encounter struggles, which try to distract them from obtaining the great treasures that are waiting to be found in the Queen's royal tomb. The building of the plot takes an awful long time and makes it difficult for the reader to stay focused on the topic. The dialogue is confusing and uninteresting. I thought that the mystery would have been much better off by removing much of the pointless conservation that Peters included in the plot.

Once the adventures did begin, the reading does become a little bit more interesting and easier to follow but does not make up for the slow beginning. "The Hippopotamus Pool" was a disappointing mystery that I would recommend individuals to stay away from.

The book "The Hippopotamus Pool" contains an interesting but lethargic story centered around a family of archaeologists. There is a well set up plot, but to an excessive point with the composition of the story following in a very simplistic manner. Amelia Peabody, mother of the family, tells the story from a first person perspective. With her dull personality, dry humor and constant subtle references to sexual moments with her husband, Emerson, the book drags along for what appears to be the first 300 pages. The family finally ventures into Egypt to work on a dig site when they become caught up in a search for a lost tomb. As the story proceeds you see a story filled with trickery, mystery and false identities. With the thickening of the plot and adventure you are drawn in expecting something spectacular to occur. This does not occur. The ending turns out to be a major disappointment as it complies with the standard happy ending that we find so common in today's American society. After 400 pages of fiction mixed with Ancient Egyptian facts and tid-bits it is quite amazing how unimaginative and dull Peters can make the conclusion. But she succeeds without fail and in doing so makes a mediocre attempt at a quality composition.

The entire series is so much fun to read! Because the author has first hand knowledge, her writing has a lot of authority on Egyptology without being boring in the least little bit. Her smooth writing style makes you feel as if you're experiencing things right along side of the family when they're opening a newly discovered tomb, walking in an English garden or sailing on the Nile. Her characters have so much warmth and depth that you feel as if you know them by the end of the first book. By the end of the series they seemed like family members and that you'd traveled with to Egypt and England in the early 1900's. There's never a dull moment with a mystery magnet family. Unique and entertaining, tag along as they navigate through back streets of Egypt and the expectations of well-bred British aristocracy. Any of the books can be read alone but try to read them in order since she does such a good job of evolving the characters.