The Egyptologist (2004)

Not my cup of tea. Too longwinded ( )

Oh, one of my favorite books, can't talk about it without giving away the story, but it should be read just for its narrative brilliance. ( )

Creative. Thematic with themes of immortality, legacy, history, truth, subjectivity, creation of self. ( )

I have mixed feelings about this one.

The epistolary style just doesn't quite work for me - it seems initially clever, but just goes on a little too long. The Egyptology is correct enough - the author acknowledges the staffs of the British Museum and the Griffith Institute as sources - but the "look and feel" of Egypt never comes through. Perhaps the author can be excused for this because he's more interested in character development than narrative description. The pre-Tut Howard Carter is deliberately mischaracterized as being a lot more important than he actually was - although he had worked for Petrie, he had no formal academic training in Egyptology and primarily worked as an antiquities inspector, artist and tour guide before hooking up with Lord Caernarvon. He certainly would not have been considered an equal or superior by an Oxford-trained Harvard Egyptology professor like Ralph Trilipush, the novel's protagonist. However, this relationship is necessary for character development and therefore forgivable. The ending is sad and funny simultaneously, and restores some sympathy for previously unsympathetic characters. Although not really a mystery, you might find it classified in that section by bookstores who can't figure out where else to put it. There is a mystery of sorts, but typical readers should figure it out in the first few chapters (although there's a denouement that might offer a little surprise. I'll give it three stars - worth reading but not something I'd want to read twice. ( )

Interesting, detailed, odd - voices were great and certainly could tell the difference between the people & their writings. I did get to the point where I figured out what happened, but still it was interesting to the end. But not a favorite book of mine. ( )