Customer Reviews

Seeing a Large Cat (Amelia Peabody)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After the uneven Hippopotamus Pool, the Amelia Peabody series plunges in a new direction with Seeing a Large Cat, an alternately charming, funny, poignant, and disturbing mystery. The pacing of this novel is tighter, the cast of characters trimmed down, and shadowy Master and Mistress Criminals are replaced by a fresh new set of antagonists. Amelia's trademark first-person narrative is supplemented by a third-person "Manuscript H" that gives insight into the personalities and activities of the "children": Ramses, Nefret, and the recently acquired David, now young adults with a great deal to add to the Amelia-and-Emerson formula.
Ramses has at last matured from "catastrophically precocious" child to an interesting young man; those long-winded speeches of his are finally a thing of the past. In many ways this is a book about Ramses' coming of age-- from his dramatic entry with flowing robes and rakish mustache to his internal monologue at the wrenching conclusion, Ramses is developed as a conflicted and worthwhile character rather than a deus ex machina brat. He has his aggravating moments, but his moments of adolescent bravado (see: flowing robes and rakish mustache) are given nuance by what we finally see of his interior life.
David, the Egyptian boy adopted into the family in The Hippopotamus Pool, is a gentle, sensitive counterpart to the calculating Ramses-- almost too nice a person to be believable, but welcome all the same. Nefret is a more polarizing character; her past as the "incarnation of Isis" is a receding memory, and Nefret is a "thoroughly modern" girl who spends the day working in trousers and swearing and then can change into the belle of any ball. It's all a far cry from the flower-like maiden of the Lost Oasis, and some may not care for her.
So, Amelia and Emerson remain themselves, the kids are a good addition-- what of the mystery? Well, a trio of old friends (Enid and Donald from the Lion in the Valley, and good ol' Cyrus Vandergelt) mingle with a trio of newcomers: a fraudulent medium, an American colonel, and his spoiled daughter Dolly. The tensions generated by these characters' interactions interweave with Amelia's own mystery-- the secret of Tomb 20A, a tomb that isn't supposed to exist. Once-and-future "young lovers," eccentric millionaire, bogus medium, Southern-fried colonel, and spoiled brat all collide with the Emersons over the mystery tomb and its occupant-- the most unique mummy Amelia has ever unearthed.
Seeing a Large Cat is one of the most satisfying reads in the Peabody series: it blends the usual mystery-spoof comedy with chilling tragedy, makes skillful use of old characters while introducing memorable new ones, and generally revives the series after the Hippopotamus Muddle. I especially liked the moment when Amelia discovers the ill-kept grave of Alan Armadale in a cemetery near Luxor; that this footnote character, one of the many bodies that piled up in the long-ago events of The Mummy Case, should be brought back to prick Amelia's conscience linked the jolly-spoof early books of the series with the dramatic-suspense later ones in a touching way. Seeing a Large Cat acknowledges the past of the Peabody series, and then marches off in a different direction-- a storm-shrouded horizon. I give it four stars not because I consider it great literature, but because I think it one of the best books in a wonderful series.

The Peabody series rebounds after the uneven Hippopotamus Pool, but rather than returning to the tone of the pre-Nefret books, it takes off in a new direction. The "children"-- calculating Ramses, gutsy Nefret, and gentle David-- come into their own here, though sixteen-year old Ramses still, at times, seems older than his two comrades combined. Peters allows the readers access to the minds of these three through the device of "Manuscript H," which provides a welcome contrast to Amelia's familiar but none too reliable way of recounting events.

This volume has a smaller cast of characters than some of its predecessors; a handful of familiar faces is balanced by a handful of new ones, but the mystery benefits rather than suffers from this reduced cast. It's a unique case this time, with no pesky journalists needed to lend the events an air of exoticism. The juxaposition of a medium, her delusional client, a five-year-old disappearence and a highly unconventional mummy create a blend of a genuinely interesting plot and the characterization and dialogue at which Peters excels.

Darkness begins to creep into this once-lighthearted (in spite of all the murders) series, as foreshadowed conflict between the three children builds to premonitory images of doom at the novel's end. In other words, proceed directly to The Ape Who Guards the Balance if you want answers... though you may not like what you find.

This series is a total delight, and this book is certainly one of my personal favourites. In the book we actually have two parallel stories running - that of Amelia and Emerson, and their search to solve the mystery of the mysterious mummy that they have found, and the young people - Ramses, David and Nefret doing their own thing to solve that same mystery. What makes the story so very funny is that Amelia is not at all aware of what "the children" are doing. That is one of the funniest things in the book - her insistence on calling the three young people children. She has no idea what dangerous games they are up to. Emerson guesses, but he keeps his thoughts to himself. Ramses is turning into quite a character. In this book he is sixteen years of age, but his immense intelligence, his skill at disguise and his knowledge of many languages make him a formidable opponent. I really can't wait to see what this group of five people get up to next! Ms. Peters tells a wonderful story, but it's her characterizations that are so remarkable.

I took Seeing a Large Cat along on a week long camping adventure with my Cub Scout son and his pack. Each night I dragged my rain soaked copy into the cot in my Army tent and lost myself, via flashlight, in the Emerson family's adventures. By introducing the intriguing device of the H Manuscript Ms. Peters allows us to see what is going on in the minds of Ramses, Nefret, and David while keeping this knowledge from Amelia, who sometimes credits herself with more insight than she should. We see too that Ramses is not as self-contained and unflappable as he seems, and that he is outright helpless when it comes to his affection for Nefret. Although the pool of suspects is quite small in this book, Ms. Peters does succeed in a surprising plot twist. In addition, she has introduced a new and interesting character in Mrs. Whitney-Jones. The characters' occasional references to the casual racism and (mistaken) assumption of superiority in the Western community in Egypt serve as useful reminders of the pain of such thinking, especially when we see the treatment of David, a kind and gifted youth, as literally not worthy of notice.

With a combination of an interesting cast of characters and a variety of plot twists, Elizabeth Peters' makes "Seeing A Large Cat" one entertaining mystery book recommendable to anyone with free time. This being my first experience with the Amelia Peabody series, I found the book easy to follow without having to worry about what occurred in the previous books of the series. This is in part due to the author's excellent job in developing the main characters. Throughout the book, we are constantly reminded of the personality of each character through their actions. Take the son, Ramses, for example. The mother, Amelia Peabody, is constantly reminiscing about Ramses' troublesome childhood while at the same time, admiring the person that Ramses has now matured into. This gives the reader a general history of the character of Ramses as well as a brief understanding of why Ramses is the type of man that he is. This leads us to share in the mother's admiration for the son's maturation. The character Ramses is also defined through his actions that are often deeds of heroism and integrity. Another aspect that makes this book so enjoyable was its constant twists in the plot. There were so many that I was constantly left wondering what would happen next as well as what was fact and what was fiction. The author's ability to develop so many subplots and at the same time attempt to tie it into the main plot was outstanding. This added to the awesome suspense of this book. The setting was also a factor in the success of this book. The cities that were mentioned in this book, such as Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, are often associated with the tombs and the dead pharaohs of ancient Egypt. I believe that the author purposefully picked these sites as the setting to generate emotions of mystery and adventure in this book. From my point of view, Elizabeth Peters was successful in her endeavors.

However, there were some low points in this book as well. At specific parts of the book, we encounter three different subplots where it could be easy to confuse the progression of one plot with the other. For instance, every now and then I found myself having to stop reading and skimming back to reassure myself of what Amelia Peabody was looking for or whether she was looking for anything at all. Also, there were points in the book in which the plot was very slow in developing. As a result, this may have taken a little luster away from this book. Despite these facts, I thought the character development and the suspense created by the plot twists as well as its mysterious Egyptian setting, was a successful formula in making "Seeing a Large Cat" a great mystery novel.

I love the Amelia Peabody novels by Ms Peters. I hope she writes at least 20 more Peabody novels. BUT this one wasn't quite as charming or quite as funny as the previous novels. Everyone seems to blame Nefret but I think she is o.k. I think Ramses needs to be a bit more like his younger self, more outspoken and outrageous. And Amelia needs to get back more of the old spunk. Anyway, I still enjoyed this and will continue to read this series, just didn't enjoy it as much as the earlier novels. And I still hope that one day when I'm visiting Frederick I will have the pleasure of meeting the author.

Elizabeth Peters' ninth novel in her series, "Seeing a Large Cat," illustrates the adventurous life of Amelia Peabody in Egypt. Amelia Peabody and her family are caught in a net of hidden tombs, a mummy who wears blue, silk underwear and mysterious attacks on a visiting American woman and Peabody's son Ramses. Together the English family risks their safety and lives to find the murderer of the mummy, and the reason for their presence in Egypt. While the extended number of characters was somewhat hard to keep track of, the novel is quick-paced and intriguing. Peters' references historical sites of Egypt like the Valley of the Kings, Queen Hatchepsut's Tomb and Gizeh to create a distinct environment and add to the realism of this mystery. She utilizes beliefs and superstitions of Egyptian culture to enhance her writing. For example, the large cat Amelia dreams of symbolizes good luck, and it also references the maturation of Peabody's son, Ramses. Ramses must accept the death of one pet cat and learn to love another; he accepts change and learns to embrace it. Throughout the novel he gains the respect and trust of Amelia, signified by the drinking of whisky and soda with his mother. Peters' development of Ramses's coming-of-age character creates a multi-facet novel that illustrates both adventure and family relationships. Overall I enjoyed "Seeing A Large Cat" because it is a mysterious novel that incorporates history, family, deceit and wonder.

I have read quite a few of the Amelia Peabody mysteries, and I have enjoyed them thoroughly. But this book is the best by far. I am so glad that the book focused more on the young people Nefret, Ramses, and David than just the adults. I hope this trend will continue in later books.

It appears that many people are experiencing the Amelia Peabody series for the first time with this book. If you're planning on reading the series, I strongly suggest that you don't start here! Seeing a Large Cat is one of my favorites, but in all honesty I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly so much if I hadn't read the earlier books first. In my mind, the Amelia Peabody series is not so much about the individual mysteries as it is about the characters, their personalities and their life stories. If you miss out on Ramses as an 8-year-old, you won't fully appreciate him as a teenager! I disliked him for several of the earlier books. I found him annoying and ridiculous and couldn't wait for Amelia to come back to steal the show again. Now I adore him! I found myself constantly waiting to read more from "Manuscript H" to find out what he, David and Nefret were up to. The "children" have become just as interesting as Amelia and Emerson, if not more so, and in Seeing a Large Cat I actually find Amelia more ridiculous and aggravating than Ramses for a good chunk of the time.

I highly recommend this book (and series) to anyone who appreciates character development, light mysteries or Egyptian history. Elizabeth Peters has a wonderfully descriptive writing style. While there are certainly slower moments, I always find them interesting because even if no one is actively solving a mystery, something is always being revealed about the characters. But remember, if you're going to begin with the series start with Crocodile on the Sandbank! Yes, the books can stand alone in this series, but they're so much better when read in order!

Seeing A Large Cat was Elizabeth Peters at her best. The book is truly intriguing and quickly draws you in- I couldn't put the book down!. The annual excavation trip to Egypt looks to be pretty boring exploring non-noble already discovered tombs in the Valley of the Kings. But knowing Amelia, something is bound to happen- and it did! A 15 year old mummy in a "new" tomb, dangers galore, and a long list of exciting suspects forms the basis for this excellent Amelia Peabody mystery. Good Gad, you've just got to read it!