Whispers in the Sand

To recover from her recent divorce, Anna Fox decides to embark on a great adventure - a boat tour of Egypt from Luxor to Aswan tracing the footsteps of her Victorian ancestor Louisa, a renowned watercolorist. Anna takes with her two of Louisa's possessions - her diary filled with sketches, and an ancient Egyptian scent bottle. And these objects start Anna on an adventure she hadn't reckoned with.

The valuable diary unleashes a bitter rivalry between two of the men on the tour who vie for Anna's affections, and a glimpse at the precious pages. But the diary is important to Anna because of the touching love story unfolding within its pages, but also for the description of the uncanny events surrounding the scent bottle - events that seem show more to have echoes on Anna's present-day cruise. And soon Anna must also contend with the spectres of two long-dead rival priests who seem to grow in strength and malevolence as they leech off the strength of Anna and her fellow tour passengers.

I'm completely mad for Egypt, and I have been since I was very small. I enjoy ghost stories with unfinished business and magical rites. I'm also utterly fascinated by Victorian era travel in Egypt (hence my love of Elizabeth Peters' intrepid adventurer Amelia Peabody), so this book had all of the right elements to be a raging success with me. But somehow it never really hooked me.

Actually, no, that's not true. I was well and truly hooked on Louisa's story. I loved the descriptions of the beauty of Egypt as she painted it, and I adored the tender love story unfolding despite all the social barriers standing between her and the object of her affections. But the present-day story just didn't work for me. While the spirits hung around growing ever more menacing, Anna just didn't seem to be doing anything to get rid of them. She would be told things she should try, but upon the spectre's next appearance, she would scream and go faint; everyone would cluck and exclaim about the heat, and then everybody would drink some more and forget all about it. It was just rather frustrating. The entire modern section of the story was an exercise in frustration, most particularly the ending.

After I hung in there for the 573 pages, I was expecting some actual resolution. I hoped in vain. I think with the right ending, this could have been very good. Even with a somewhat sappy ending, this would have been a fun read. But this ending just left me feeling unsatisfied. But it did reinforce my desire to go take a cruise up the Nile, so that's something to be said for it...

Also posted on my blog. show less

This is my first book by Barbara Erskine but if given the chance to read another I will certainly do so. I found myself thoroughly loving (most of) the characters and certainly the locale of this book. I have a fascination for books that take place in Egypt; so mysterious, so old. In this tale Anna Fox is recently divorced and is feeling totally diminished by an ex-husband who used her as nothing more than a social secretary. Encouraged by her aunt she takes off to Egypt to follow in the footsteps of her somewhat famous great-great grandmother, Louisa Shelley, a water-colorist. Louisa has left a diary of her experiences and a mysterious scent bottle.

The story is told in three parts; Anna's current day adventures, Louisa's Victorian show more tales and the mystery of two Ptolemaic priests who are looking to reclaim the scent bottle and it's "Tears of Isis." The three stories are seamlessly bound together as Anna starts seeing the sames visions of the priests that Louisa did.

As Anna reads Louisa's diary and becomes more involved in Louisa's life she becomes more afraid of the ghosts of the priests. In her current world her new acquaintances on the cruise ship in Egypt including two men who both want different things from her - including Louisa's diary - try to woo her for their own purposes. Just who can Anna trust?

This was a fascinating book with a good story at its core. I enjoyed Anna's present and Louisa's past. Anna's relationship with Toby (one of the two men) was fun and well developed. The other man, Andy was not as well developed and he seemed a bit one note but it didn't detract much from the overall book. I found myself turning the pages wanting to know what would happen to Anna and what did happen to Louisa. show less

Whispers in the Sand by Barbara Erskine was first released in 2000 to rave reviews. When I saw that Sourcebooks was offering a review copy, I was so excited. Why?? Barbara Erskine is my favorite author and has been since I read Lady of Hay. In fact, I remember that I had to order the book online with my first computer. I had to order it from the UK and when I did receive it I was thrilled. It took me a few years to read it...not because it was a bad book but because I wanted to savor it and didn't want it to end. I think I even took it along on my first trip to Ireland. Finish it I did and I think it was also one of my first reviews on my blog. I am not a reader who will reread a book but Barbara's books I definitely will.

That said, show more chapter one opens with this paragraph:



" May there be nothing to resist me at my judgement;

may there be no opposition to me;

may there be no parting of thee from me

in the presence of him that keepeth the scales."

" It is thirteen hundred years before the birth of Christ".....

The chapters of the story are told in alternating voices; Anna Fox, as she is on her cruise in Egypt as a vacation away from the stress of her life, of Louisa, Anna's great-grandmother who took a similar cruise in the Victorian era and lastly the ghosts of the dead priests. All these stories combine to tell a powerful spooky story of love, hate, evil, curse's on ancient relics and secrets of a diary. The way that the author told the story had me immersed from the first page and I could not wait to pick it up again, even staying up late to finish it. The research is impeccable and the writing is easy to read, I felt like I was right there with Anna as she discovers more of her great-grandmother's story. I give this book 5 stars and I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and specifically the Egyptian era. You will not be disappointed. show less

Follows the dual storyline of Anna and her ancestor Louisa both embarking on an Egyptian cruise. Louisa is gifted a small bottle which houses the warring spirits of the priests of Isis. In Anna's time she takes the bottle back to Egypt and it triggers the spirits again.
This was more supernatural than some of Erksine's other books but it worked. The characters were interesting, but there was the usual slightly violent/menacing males which seem to be a trademark of Erskine's books.

Some aspects of the book were interesting but I kept finding myself getting annoyed or bored and putting the book down for long periods of time. I finally finished it and the ending was most unsatisfactory - no resolution whatsoever, at least not in my mind. Lady of Hay is a much better book.

Not a bad read, not Erskine's best, but certainly good enough to pass the time on a longhaul flight!

Great read. Must travel the Nile and reflect. Exceptional author.