Scan barcode
A review by seshat59
Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters
5.0
In which Amelia P. Emerson and family tackle the reincarnated Egyptian princess/lover cliché.
Three years have passed since The Hippopotamus Pool, and the children are growing up. One of the primary plot points in Seeing a Large Cat is the fact that time is passing, and the children — Ramses, in particular — are children no longer. This book marks the shift into Ramses’s grown up self, and as such, a new collection of Emerson documents has come to light, mostly written by Ramses himself, i.e. Manuscript H. He is, however, only sixteen in this book, but he’s mature for his age, and Amelia spends the majority of the book trying to come to terms with Ramses’s maturation. When the book opens, Ramses and David are rejoining the family after a summer apart, a summer spent learning to “become a leader of men” with Sheikh Mohammad. Ramses filled out some and grew himself a mustache, ha.
Once again, Amelia’s single minded ability to only see what she wants to see is at play, and that unreliable narration makes for some laugh out loud moments and a lot of reading between the lines for the Dear Reader. Amelia’s blindness mostly is in regards to her son, especially because Ramses has grown into an attractive young man, and All the Ladies are taking notice. MPM is such a master of subtleties, innuendo, and little hints. It’s a good time.
As usual, the main plot does not take itself seriously, and MPM has found another Egyptological related romance cliché to poke fun at. The mystery is intentionally ridiculous with seances, a long lost reincarnated princess lover, and the discovery of a fair haired mummy shrouded in floral wrappings. The Emersons meet new acquaintances and reconnect with old ones, namely Enid and Donald Fraser from Lion in the Valley, and because no Emerson would succumb to the Egyptian princess reincarnation silliness, MPM brought back one of her dumber characters, namely Donald, to be the cuckold. Mrs. Katherine Jones is also introduced to the series.
As usual, the characters shine, and it was a delight to be back in their company, especially the Ramses, David, and Nefret friendship trio to help balance out the Amelia/Emerson dynamic.
A solid 4.5 stars... Because they can’t all be five stars, can they?
“... this is the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“No,” said a muffled voice. “It is not strange. She finds them often. Fresh dead people.”
Three years have passed since The Hippopotamus Pool, and the children are growing up. One of the primary plot points in Seeing a Large Cat is the fact that time is passing, and the children — Ramses, in particular — are children no longer. This book marks the shift into Ramses’s grown up self, and as such, a new collection of Emerson documents has come to light, mostly written by Ramses himself, i.e. Manuscript H. He is, however, only sixteen in this book, but he’s mature for his age, and Amelia spends the majority of the book trying to come to terms with Ramses’s maturation. When the book opens, Ramses and David are rejoining the family after a summer apart, a summer spent learning to “become a leader of men” with Sheikh Mohammad. Ramses filled out some and grew himself a mustache, ha.
Once again, Amelia’s single minded ability to only see what she wants to see is at play, and that unreliable narration makes for some laugh out loud moments and a lot of reading between the lines for the Dear Reader. Amelia’s blindness mostly is in regards to her son, especially because Ramses has grown into an attractive young man, and All the Ladies are taking notice. MPM is such a master of subtleties, innuendo, and little hints. It’s a good time.
As usual, the main plot does not take itself seriously, and MPM has found another Egyptological related romance cliché to poke fun at. The mystery is intentionally ridiculous with seances, a long lost reincarnated princess lover, and the discovery of a fair haired mummy shrouded in floral wrappings. The Emersons meet new acquaintances and reconnect with old ones, namely Enid and Donald Fraser from Lion in the Valley, and because no Emerson would succumb to the Egyptian princess reincarnation silliness, MPM brought back one of her dumber characters, namely Donald, to be the cuckold. Mrs. Katherine Jones is also introduced to the series.
As usual, the characters shine, and it was a delight to be back in their company, especially the Ramses, David, and Nefret friendship trio to help balance out the Amelia/Emerson dynamic.
A solid 4.5 stars... Because they can’t all be five stars, can they?
“... this is the strangest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“No,” said a muffled voice. “It is not strange. She finds them often. Fresh dead people.”