Book Reviews: King Tut's Tomb

The Visitors by Sally Beauman
Pages: 529
Publisher: Harper
Released: July 18, 2014
Received: Library, now own
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

I can't pinpoint exactly what it was I found so enthralling about this book, but enthralled I undeniably was. The story is told through the eyes of a crotchety old woman remembering her days as a withdrawn young girl convalescing in Egypt with a wallflower view of Howard Carter's infamous discovery of King Tut's tomb. While our narrator is a fictional character, most of the other characters are real people, and their stories are all fascinating. Sally Beauman's immersive writing made the people, locations, and time period feel palpably real and I was fully invested in their lives. I spent hours and hours after finishing this book scouring the Internet for books, movies, and articles about the people, time period, and discovery. It's a shame I have little interest in the other books Sally Beauman has written, because I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Valley of the Kings by Cecelia Holland
Pages: 215
Released: January 1, 1977
Received: Library
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Goodreads 

This was such a bizarre book. The first half follows Howard Carter in the years leading up to and through his discovery of King Tut's tomb. This part is ok, and considering its short length I felt it was time well enough spent. Put this in context, though: I'd just come off the high of reading The Visitors and I was desperate to read more about this subject. Had that not been the case, I don't think I would have been very impressed. As it was, the two stars come from this section of the book, and they are a generous two stars.

The second half of the book abruptly throws the reader back in time. We entirely abandon Howard Carter, never to return to his story. Instead, the rest of the book is an incredibly fictionalized and sensationalized account of King Tut's reign. This section is oddly sexual, filled with murder, and, while mildly entertaining due to its sheer absurdity, was largely off putting. I only finished this because it was so short and, honestly, it evoked a morbid curiosity in me to see what in the world the author was going to write next.

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