Seeing a Large Cat

Top -Notch Story & Performance

Elizabeth Peters can always be depended on to write an entertaining tongue in cheek adventure, containing mysteries, at least one murder, danger and wry commentary on the social mores of the day. In this 9th book in the Amelia Peabody series, she delivers one of her best!

The year is 1903. In the 3 years since the previous book, the Emersons' son, Ramses, and their adopted daughter, Nefret, have aged and grown. Ramses is 16 and is 6 feet tall, Nefret is 19 and has begun to take classes at a London medical school for women. Ramses and his friend David Todros have spent the summer with a sheik and his tribe and are consequently much more mature than the previous year.

The plot involves a search for the alleged murderer of a woman, led by the actual murderer; discovery of a tomb below the floor of the Valley of the Kings; a collapse of the tomb roof trapping Amelia; the saving of Amelia by Ramses; freeing an old friend from powerful delusions about an Egyptian princess; and Vandergelt's infatuation with and engagement to an Englishwoman involved in the princess delusions matter. Much of the last half of the tale creates a good deal of suspense and laughter.

I continue to be amazed by the astounding talents of narrator Barbara Rosenblat. She is, without doubt, the most versatile narrator I have encountered on Audible. The Amelia Peabody stories require not only a wide range of accents in both male and female voices. They require, and Rosenblat delivers superbly, the voice of one character, Ramses, aging from 4 and 5 to 8, 10, 13, and now 16, while remaining clearly recognizable as the same character. A real tour-de-force!

One of the best of this series.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

The Best!

Seeing a Large Cat has now become my favorite of all the Amelia Peabody series books. It even got 5 stars from me, which is not something I do very often.

The story was exceptionally good and I am in love with the grown up Ramses. I did not find him whinny or annoying (as another reviewer noted). I found him sexy and intriguing. I am very pleased with the grown up Ramses voice - I can't say the same for David's voice. In my opinion his voice should have been more British in light of his adoption by the Walter Emersons and subsequent British education.

The Emerson family is back in Luxor - and they have built a house nearby. They still have their boat (the Amelia). David and Ramses are staying in the boat and Amelia, Emerson and Nefret are staying at the house. There are visits (known and unknown) between the two locations. Cyrus is discovering a love interest and we find that Ramses has a love interest too. The mysteries in the story are quite perplexing and the entire family and crew are involved in solving them. Ramses female cat (I can't spell her name) from previous books has died, and Ramses is quietly and silently grieving over her death - they had a special bond. Nefret wants to ease his grief by trying to get him to pay attention to one of the deceased cat's kittens, but Ramses isn't consoled at all by the new kitten.

The book includes a character named Dolly, a Southern Belle from America whom I itched to slap. She has eyes for Ramses. She is so hateful and spiteful that she may come back in future books. Dolly is the type you love to hate and she is the polar opposite of Nefret. Needless to say, Nefret can't stand her either.

Unlike another reviewer, I absolute love the insertions of Manuscript H. I think they make perfect sense where they are placed and help move the story along. Also, the Manuscript H sections are apparently written by Ramses but he writes them as if they are a fiction story. They are really helpful to tell what is happening out of Amerlia's sight and provide a viewpoint other than Amelia's about events and people (including Amelia). I think they add spice to the series and keep the books from becoming monotmous, which they will do if we only hear Amelia talking all the way through every book. I love Amelia, but she can get a little stuck on herself sometimes.

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Like Old Times

After the disaster that was <i>The Hippopotamus Pool</i>, <i>Seeing a Large Cat</i> is a refreshing return to the novels of old. Back is the fun dialogue, the satiric eye-wink of a mystery, and wonderful banter between Emerson and Amelia. With this book, Peters has pushed the children into their middle to late teens, which provides for new an interesting voices to combat the bombastic Emerson and the lovingly know-it-all Amelia. The addition of David, the only good thing to come out of <i>The Hippopotamus Pool</i>, provides a refreshing new voice to the series and loving foil to Ramses and Nefret. Also new to this book is the addition of "Manuscript H," which provides a fictionalized voice to the adventures of Ramses, Nefret, and David. While I liked the addition of a new voice that allows for a perspective different from Amelia Peabody's, I found the way Peters chose to insert them into the novel annoying. I would rather have had her break the Manuscript H sections into seperate chapters, but she's the writer, not me. Overall, this was a nice return to the Amelia Peabody mysteries of old, but with new voices, new characters, the return of old favorites, and a much more dramtic turn than we've seen before. As usual, the vocal stylings of Barbara Rosenblatt are spot on. Her over-the-top vocalizations bring a wry humor to the already fun story.

17 of 19 people found this review helpful

Dependably Enjoyable

This series is a favorite. The history is reliable, the style is authentic, and the plots are engaging. The the characters are likable and amusing; their development and their changing relationships pique interest in the ongoing saga.
A great plus in the audio versions is the amazing Barbara Rosenblat, who gives each character a distinctive and convincing voice.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

always excellent

always enjoy these books. lots of action, twists and turns and archaeology. great fun and humor

One of my favorite

This is one of my favorite Amelia Peabody books. Never did my mind drift while listening to this one.

Like visiting old friends...

I have been a Peabody/Emerson fan for many years; this book doesn't disappoint! Mrs Rosenblatt is wonderful as always.

Ramses finally accepts the cat

Great narration Story as always well done but segment about the seance rather seemed like a throw in and diversion to rest of the story. Still love this authir and narrator

Great Escapist Literature for these troubled times

It is wonderful to listen to a time when the biggest problem faced was a breach of manners...let's ALL say our prayers,,,

good writing

enjoyed it. especially the narration. I think a male voice might help the story telling