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baileyisbookish's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
The main cast of characters are racist and supremacist and it was so clearly a huge part of their personalities. I loved the story but was disappointed with the number of problematic things said and displays of their crappy attitudes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Colonisation, and Racial slurs
chelseaisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
As someone who was obsessed with Ancient Egypt in grade school, this cozy mystery was made for me! The romantic subplots totally gave Pride & Prejudice vibes as well, which was lovely.
Amelia and Evelyn’s friendship was such a highlight for me as well, we love a woman who doesn’t give a f about silly societal rules.
There is some colonialist rhetoric that I don’t love (calling the native Egyptians “too simple” to devise a plan, among other not so nice depictions of Victorian times Egypt) but overall still enjoyable and fun. You can tell the author was an Egyptologist.
Amelia and Evelyn’s friendship was such a highlight for me as well, we love a woman who doesn’t give a f about silly societal rules.
There is some colonialist rhetoric that I don’t love (calling the native Egyptians “too simple” to devise a plan, among other not so nice depictions of Victorian times Egypt) but overall still enjoyable and fun. You can tell the author was an Egyptologist.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism
borkyreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The story itself was fun and enjoyable. I really appreciated the archaeological accuracy as a fellow archaeologist however it’s quite hard to get past the racism that oozes out of every page, especially towards Egyptians. I get the sense that Michaels was trying to satirize the views of Victorian Egyptologists but from a 2024 perspective it just read as prejudism.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Islamophobia, Racial slurs, and Misogyny
Minor: Violence, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Cultural appropriation
queen_of_the_rats's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, Medical content, Alcohol, Gun violence, Islamophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, Classism, and Sexism
sparksofkell's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, Classism, Xenophobia, Cultural appropriation, Gun violence, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Religious bigotry
rainwombat's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
emlo's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found the plot of this book quite boring. It was written in the 70s and it shows; no cultural sensitivity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Colonisation, Xenophobia, and Racism
singalana's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
If you like The Mummy (1999), starring Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, I think you will like this book.
NOTE: This story is told from the point of view of a British upper-class person and has unchallenged colonialistic views. If that is something that bothers you as a reader, then I would not recommend this. I read this book keeping in mind that these are the opinions of the character, so I will not be commenting on this aspect of the story.
Crocodile on the Sandbank is the first novel in the Amelia Peabody murder mystery -series. The story takes place in 1880s Egypt when archaeology (and I use this term loosely) was a popular pastime with the British aristocracy. The main character Amelia has inherited a significant amount of money and decides to travel. In Rome, she rescues another Englishwoman, Evelyn, and takes her as a travelling partner. Her interest in archaeology gets her involved with the Emerson brothers. But what would a story set in Egypt be without a mummy making an appearance?
This is a lighthearted mystery book with a dash of the supernatural. The characters are archetypical to what you might imagine finding in this kind of book. It feels almost campy, but as I read on, the characters grew on me, and their relationships seemed to develop organically. I found the writing to be lively and the style fitting to the story. The banter between the characters was delightful, and despite their flaws, I was rooting for the characters.
If the reader has experience with mystery books, the ending might be somewhat predictable, but because of the campy and lighthearted nature of the book, I wouldn’t necessarily count it as a flaw. All in all, I like the characters and the milieu enough to be interested in continuing the story.
However, regarding this edition of the book: There were some typos, and the printing quality was not the best. And I would skip Amelia’s biography at the beginning of the book to avoid all spoilers. At the end of the book, there’s an extract from the 18th book in the series, which is an odd choice considering this is the first book…
Content Warnings
Minor: Classism, Kidnapping, Animal death, Gun violence, Alcohol, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
A simple story in 1800s style with an Anglophile bent, having been with in the 1970s it allows a story told from the point of view of the women, despite the antics being primarily of Egyptology.
You're not going to like this story if you are disinterested in stories of rich Brits flitting about the countryside buying the time and energies of the locals, while pillaging the countryside of its relics and treasures. It's all quite ridiculous but at least, if you can hold your nose, it's not as rife with racism and misogyny as Wilbur Smith.
The sarcastic humour and dry turn of phrase is amusing. I did laugh out loud at some of the quips, and the casual banter between main characters is stuffy and kind of toxic, but is a foil for solid relationship building and mutual respect.
Not my usual flavour, but a fun little mystery, that's a bit ScoobyDoo in the execution.
You're not going to like this story if you are disinterested in stories of rich Brits flitting about the countryside buying the time and energies of the locals, while pillaging the countryside of its relics and treasures. It's all quite ridiculous but at least, if you can hold your nose, it's not as rife with racism and misogyny as Wilbur Smith.
The sarcastic humour and dry turn of phrase is amusing. I did laugh out loud at some of the quips, and the casual banter between main characters is stuffy and kind of toxic, but is a foil for solid relationship building and mutual respect.
Not my usual flavour, but a fun little mystery, that's a bit ScoobyDoo in the execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Colonisation, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Violence, Drug abuse, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death, Cultural appropriation, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Stalking, Slavery, and War
amynbell's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
This book was, quite frankly, horrible. I saw two people gushing over it and remembered the series from my high school library, so I thought I would be fun to read for nostalgia's sake. Boy, was I wrong. Between the culture-bashing, male-bashing, and being written in the most boring way possible, I'm surprised I even finished it. The story is narrated by a self-sufficient Victorian heiress who has gone to Egypt for adventure. I always enjoyed novels narrated by self-sufficient ladies fighting their way through a man's world when I was younger, but Amelia Peabody is just annoyingly superior. She seems to magically know everything about medicine and even learns fairly fluent Arabic and hieroglyphics by studying them on the boat ride to Egypt. Once she gets to Egypt, she can's set sail down the Nile until the curtains on her boat don't clash with her wardrobe.
Of course, she finally meets a man who puts her in her place:
Of course, she finally meets a man who puts her in her place:
"I know you, madam! I have met your kind too often —the rampageous British female at her clumsiest and most arrogant. Ye gods! The breed covers the earth like mosquitoes, and is as maddening. The depths of the pyramids, the heights of the Himalayas—no spot on earth is safe from you!”
And she retaliates in kind:
“And you, sir, are the lordly British male at his loudest and most bad-mannered. If the English gentlewoman is covering the earth, it is in the hope of counteracting some of the mischief her lord and master has perpetrated. Swaggering, loud, certain of his own superiority…”
*eyeroll*
Several people have compared this particular Amelia Peabody book to Scooby Doo since the main storyline involves someone dressing as a mummy and terrorizing the locals, while Amelia Peabody and her friends try to figure out who it is. And I suppose that could have been interesting if the majority of the book after the mummy appears hadn't simply become vague moments of action requiring multiple readings to try to figure out, with 90% of the rest of the text comprised of characters discussing what happened and what they are going to do ad nauseam. Oh, and let's not forget the part where Amelia looks down upon all the Egyptians living in dirty squalor and preventing their children from batting away the flies that are covering their eyes and making them go blind. Really?
This book has absolutely no redeeming qualities, and the only crocodile on a sandbank is from an ancient poem. Will I read any more Amelia Peabody books? Absolutely not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Racism, and Gun violence