The Painted Queen: An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense
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Summary
Egypt, 1912-Amelia Peabody and her dashing archeologist husband, Radcliffe Emerson, are once again in danger as they search for a priceless, stolen bust of legendary Queen Nefertiti and Amelia finds herself the target of assassins in this long-awaited, eagerly anticipated final installment of Elizabeth Peters' bestselling, beloved mystery series.
There are plenty of reviews here from all those people who seem to be experts in the Amelia Universe. It's like they had the Companion book in front of them while listening, just to nitpick and find faults. But honestly, some of the things they criticized were actually not wrong.
As for me, I'm not that picky. I'm a big fan of Amelia and I was so excited for this release that I decided to start the entire series from the beginning. I even went the extra mile and rearranged the books in the order of the excavation season, rather than their publication order.
For those who want to know, the books go in this order after "The Ape Who Guards the Balance" (1906):
- "Guardian of the Horizon" (1907)
- "A River in the Sky" (1910)
- "The Falcon at the Portal" (1911)
- "The Painted Queen" (1912)
After "The Painted Queen," you can go back to the published order.
Listening to the series in chronological order has been quite fascinating for me.
I believe that most of the negative reviews stem from people still grieving the loss of the beloved author. They're mourning the fact that there won't be any more Amelia Peabody books. Sure, there may be a few discrepancies, but I can overlook those. And I can also forgive Joan Hess for not being Elizabeth Peters. In my opinion, she did a fantastic job.
But beyond all that, I'm just grateful to have another season with Amelia and her family. I'm glad that the story wasn't set at the end of the series, which would have wrapped everything up with something as devastating as Amelia's death. This way, I can still believe that Amelia and Emerson are happily causing trouble and stumbling upon dead bodies every year.
So, I want to express my sincere thanks to Joan Hess for making this happen. I truly appreciate what she has done!
Amelia is a character I absolutely adore, but the previous books by Peters managed to tease her without undermining her intelligence. Unfortunately, this attempt to mimic Peters' writing style falls flat on its face. It comes across as a cheesy caricature, lacking a compelling storyline.
To add insult to injury, Barbara's performance is also exaggerated and excessive. It's quite disheartening, considering she usually delivers exceptional work.
Typically, every few years I indulge in re-listening to all the Amelia books in chronological order. However, 'The Painted Queen' will never make it onto that cherished list. I'm willing to wager that there are far better fan-written stories out there. Overall, a deeply unsatisfying experience.
The characters in 'The Painted Queen: An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense' had completely different personalities. Amelia Peabody, despite being portrayed as a silly twit by Joan Hess, was originally a remarkable and independent woman. It seems like the author didn't even read the rest of the series. There were countless historical errors throughout the book, making it difficult to keep track. Elizabeth Peters, or Barbara, was always one of my favorite authors and will forever hold a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, this book didn't pay a proper tribute to her.
Subject: Major Disappointment!
I have to say, this book was a complete letdown. It's filled with impostors and obvious mistakes, which many other Amelia Peabody fans have already pointed out. The editors, publisher, and Elizabeth Peters' family should be ashamed of themselves. This book does a disservice to the series and should have never been published. Speaking of impostors, I can't help but think that the narrator was a poor imitation of Barbara Rosenblat. Did she have the flu or something? Her voice sounded sickly and disinterested, and she read it at such a snail's pace that I wondered if she was being paid by the second. I wanted to shake her and tell her to get to the point, just like Amelia would. The saddest part is that there wasn't even a point to the story, other than possibly trying to capitalize on a grieving audience. This whole endeavor was simply dreadful, and for the first time ever, I'm returning an Amelia Peabody book because it's not worth the credit.
If you're a fan of Elizabeth Peters' Emilia Peabody series, I strongly advise against listening to this book. It's an attempt to continue the series after the author's passing, but unfortunately, it falls short in multiple aspects. Emilia's character has been transformed into someone unlikable and condescending, which is a departure from the previous books. The characterizations in general feel off. Despite Barbara Rosenblatt's exceptional performance, she can't salvage the shortcomings of this story.
There was a certain enchantment that seemed to be absent from this book. It was decent, but the characters didn't feel as genuine as they did in previous books. Even though I'm a big fan of B. Rosenblat, her narration in this one seemed a bit lackluster.
I give this audiobook four stars. I want to point out that Emerson's preferred color is crimson, not scarlet. The reason provided for why Amelia needed an interpreter could have been better. At this point, she should be fluent in Arabic. Additionally, Fatima was the housekeeper, not the cook. I believe the cook's name was Mamoot. Some of the voice portrayals were not quite on point, particularly those of Amelia, Nefret, David, and Fatima. As for the story itself, it did drag a bit, but I still found it enjoyable. I've been a fan of these books for about 15 years and have even visited Egypt. Absolutely love them!
The narration by Barbara Rosenblat really elevated the quality of this book. Although there were a few mistakes and discrepancies, and occasionally it felt like I was listening to a condensed version.
Just like others have mentioned, it must be a challenge to complete someone else's work. However, in this case, maybe it would have been better to leave it as it was.
Did you enjoy 'The Painted Queen: An Amelia Peabody Novel of Suspense' enough to consider reading another book by Elizabeth Peters and Joan Hess, or listening to a narration by Barbara Rosenblat?
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