Rating: 
Summary: Sinking in The Hippopotamus Pool
Review: "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.
Rating: 
Summary: Dive into the Hippopotamus Pool but take a big breath first
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: the plot thickens...
Review: After reading this book, I wasn't sure if I had read a story about Amelia Peabody or about Dr. Indiana Jones! Amelia Peabody and her archaeologist husband Radcliffe Emerson are in Thebes and are looking for the tomb of Tetisheri. Before they were in Thebes, which in Cairo, a mysterious man encountered the couple and spoke all about reincarnation. He also claimed to know the exact location of the tomb in Thebes. Before the couple can take him up on the offer, he vanishes. A similar interaction occurs again, when they meet an antiquities dealer, who because of his physical characteristics resembles a hippopotamus. This dealer warns the couple to be wary of who they trust in their journey. Just shortly after this happens, they couple lose their son Ramses and must search for him. Eventually, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. This book is filled with plot turns and twists and is very heavy on a diabolical villain with his own motives. Some parts of the book seemed to involve explaining practically every part of the plot, which could get confusing sometimes. It was a very good book overall. The book provided a great clue like fashion of revealing the next twist in the plot. This made it quite a page-turner. Peters really does have a great knack from creating amazing pharaoh related mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: the plot thickens...
Review: After reading this book, I wasn't sure if I had read a story about Amelia Peabody or about Dr. Indiana Jones! Amelia Peabody and her archaeologist husband Radcliffe Emerson are in Thebes and are looking for the tomb of Tetisheri. Before they were in Thebes, which in Cairo, a mysterious man encountered the couple and spoke all about reincarnation. He also claimed to know the exact location of the tomb in Thebes. Before the couple can take him up on the offer, he vanishes. A similar interaction occurs again, when they meet an antiquities dealer, who because of his physical characteristics resembles a hippopotamus. This dealer warns the couple to be wary of who they trust in their journey. Just shortly after this happens, they couple lose their son Ramses and must search for him. Eventually, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. This book is filled with plot turns and twists and is very heavy on a diabolical villain with his own motives. Some parts of the book seemed to involve explaining practically every part of the plot, which could get confusing sometimes. It was a very good book overall. The book provided a great clue like fashion of revealing the next twist in the plot. This made it quite a page-turner. Peters really does have a great knack from creating amazing pharaoh related mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Two words-READ IT!
Review: Do you love to see what Amelia Peabody Emerson will dig up next? Does Emerson thrill you? Do you long to know what happens to Ramses (and the cat Bastet)? What will become of the rest of the family-including Anubis? This is a welcome book from Elizabeth Peters-the Amelia legend is continuing to grow. The summer's still young-READ IT
Rating:
Summary: The Hippopotamus Pool takes a dive
Review: Elizabeth Peters combines mystery, romance, and Egyptian history to produce a passably entertaining novel if you find you have time on your hands. The cast of characters is long and the plot of the story drags on until the climax which is actually almost anticlimatic. This being my first and only experience with the Amelia Peabody series, I found it fairly easy to keep track of the main characters even though the book is in the middle of the series becuase they were so well developed. For example, you really get a sense of the curiosity and intellect of Amelia Peabody. The logic and power of deduction exercised by Amelia Peabody were truly dizzying and almost Sherlock Holmesian in perspective. The villain on the other hand were rather poorly developed with the main villain, Bertha, having hardly been mentioned for the duration of the book. The dialogue was dry and grew tiring as did the numerous mentions of feminism including having the main villain be female and Amelia Peabody's pioneering role in egyptology. However, the detail and descriptiveness in which Egypt was mentioned really gave the reader a sense of what Egypt was like and had me imagining myself in the hot and dry desert. Overall, The Hippopotamus Pool was enjoyable but not memorable enough to recommend to those with more important stuff to do.
Rating:
Summary: The Hippopotamus Pool takes a dive
Review: Elizabeth Peters combines mystery, romance, and Egyptian history to produce a passably entertaining novel if you find you have time on your hands. The cast of characters is long and the plot of the story drags on until the climax which is actually almost anticlimatic. This being my first and only experience with the Amelia Peabody series, I found it fairly easy to keep track of the main characters even though the book is in the middle of the series becuase they were so well developed. For example, you really get a sense of the curiosity and intellect of Amelia Peabody. The logic and power of deduction exercised by Amelia Peabody were truly dizzying and almost Sherlock Holmesian in perspective. The villain on the other hand were rather poorly developed with the main villain, Bertha, having hardly been mentioned for the duration of the book. The dialogue was dry and grew tiring as did the numerous mentions of feminism including having the main villain be female and Amelia Peabody's pioneering role in egyptology. However, the detail and descriptiveness in which Egypt was mentioned really gave the reader a sense of what Egypt was like and had me imagining myself in the hot and dry desert. Overall, The Hippopotamus Pool was enjoyable but not memorable enough to recommend to those with more important stuff to do.
Rating:
Summary: Hippo Pool
Review: Elizabeth Peters writes an intriguing mystery novel that has its fair share of villains, heroes, and twisting plots. The novel begins powerfully but loses its energy near the end. The book captures the reader with enchanting characters such as, the charming Emerson, the beautiful Nefret, and of course the cleaver Peabody. However, Peters loses the reader with all of her twists and turns that begin to confuse the reader by including characters from previous novels in the series. The Hippopotamus Pool is the first book of the Peabody series I have read. The novel perhaps would be easier for the reader to understand if one was familiar with all the characters and their significance. The climactic ending loses it dramatic punch if one is not familiar with previous characters in the series. I am assuming that the villain in the finale played a pivotal role in the previous novel; therefore, to the first time reader the ending loses its power. Besides the story line and character development, Peter's combines fiction and historiography in a way that would keep any individual interested. Her novel becomes a carefully disguised lecture regarding Egyptology. Through her novel one can ascertain interesting facts regarding Ancient Egypt. For example, one could learn about the evolution of embalming techniques in Ancient Egypt. Peters method of giving information reminds me of how adults attempt to teach young children by disguising or hiding the actual information in a fun and entertainment; therefore, the children (or reader) is not aware that they are learning. Peter's novel does well at educating and entertaining the reader.
Rating:
Summary: Hippo Pool
Review: Elizabeth Peters writes an intriguing mystery novel that has its fair share of villains, heroes, and twisting plots. The novel begins powerfully but loses its energy near the end. The book captures the reader with enchanting characters such as, the charming Emerson, the beautiful Nefret, and of course the cleaver Peabody. However, Peters loses the reader with all of her twists and turns that begin to confuse the reader by including characters from previous novels in the series. The Hippopotamus Pool is the first book of the Peabody series I have read. The novel perhaps would be easier for the reader to understand if one was familiar with all the characters and their significance. The climactic ending loses it dramatic punch if one is not familiar with previous characters in the series. I am assuming that the villain in the finale played a pivotal role in the previous novel; therefore, to the first time reader the ending loses its power. Besides the story line and character development, Peter's combines fiction and historiography in a way that would keep any individual interested. Her novel becomes a carefully disguised lecture regarding Egyptology. Through her novel one can ascertain interesting facts regarding Ancient Egypt. For example, one could learn about the evolution of embalming techniques in Ancient Egypt. Peters method of giving information reminds me of how adults attempt to teach young children by disguising or hiding the actual information in a fun and entertainment; therefore, the children (or reader) is not aware that they are learning. Peter's novel does well at educating and entertaining the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring Asides do not Ruin the "Pool"
Review: Elizabeth Peters' "The Hippopotamus Pool" was a good idea poorly executed. The novel's plot is full of intrigue - from the opening scene, the reader is kept on her toes. Emerson and Peabody are met by a man cloaked in black silk who claims that he is the reincarnation of the Ancient Egyptian queen Tetisheri. This mysterious man fakes a seizure, assaults Emerson, and leaves without a trace - except for the clue of his golden hippopotamus-adorned ring. From there, our favorite family is off to Egypt to sail up the Nile in search of a sealed burial tomb, the dream of all Egyptologists. Throughout their journey, Emerson, Peabody, Ramses and Nefret are faced with several little mysteries. From kidnappings to evil antiquities dealers, there is never a dull moment on our excursion to Egypt. Half of the family's tribulations stem from them not knowing just who they can trust, and when... The novel's main drawback comes from Mrs. Peabody's asides. She has a habit of droning on little details about the people that surround her. While cute at first, two dozen glowing descriptions of her husband Emerson's chiseled features do nothing to speed up this 447-page tome. The book drags a fair amount once the family arrives in Egypt and never regains its original pace. Overall, this is an enjoyable book that is a sure hit for any budding Egyptologist.
|
