The Visitors by Sally Beauman

ISBN-13: 9780062302700

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Date: 7 July 2015

Format: Paperback, 544 pgs

Source: Publisher

Egypt. Valley of the Kings. Tutankhamun's tomb. Do these fascinate you? If they are, then you are in for a good literate ride filled with history, adventures and not to mention a haunting tale of two young girls' journey to Egypt in the '20s and how a series of events have changed and shaped their lives.

Lucy Payne was eleven when she was sent abroad to Egypt to recover from the typhoid that killed her mother. With her father immersed in his academic work at Cambridge college, young Lucy had only Miss Mackenzie, her guardian, for their travels in Egypt. Miss Mack, whom Lucy fondly called, was not only "in loco parentis" (Latin for "in the place of a parent") but was also a great companion and a guide to Lucy.

There, she befriends Frances Winlock, the daughter of an American archaeologist and through her, Lucy learns and witnesses firsthand the intrigue of Egypt, its history and culture. She's heard enough stories about treasure hoards and the excavations in Cairo and Luxor; and that Egyptian antiquities dealers would drive up prices through inventing stories about the things they sell. There is one English archaeologist, Mr Howard Carter, who's in charge of an excavation in the Valley of the Kings and seems to have a wide knowledge when Egyptian history is concerned, Lucy finds him aloof, arrogant and mysterious as well. I found him interesting, but he wasn't really an amiable person in my opinion.

As the story progresses, we see through Lucy's eyes through her youth and her older age how Egypt was during the 20s and the intrigue and mysterious legends surrounding Egyptian history and culture. There, she'd also witnessed how the hunt and the discovery would make some people go to extra lengths to fulfill their desires. 

I was also fascinated (and horrified) to learn about the process of mummification through bits of information mentioned in the book. It goes without saying that the author had done a thorough research writing this book and did a wonderful job in it. I felt I was travelling with Lucy and the others through their journeys; and I liked Miss Mack for her sincere and bubbly personality. 

I've to admit it took me a while to find myself immersed into the story; granted it is about 540+ pages long (and an informative list of historical figures, places and provenance at the end of the book) and a cast of interesting characters who you'll either like or dislike. Some readers might also find the pace a bit slow as the pace is measured as the author seemed to take her time in building the story. However, Ms. Beauman has brought both the historical figures and the fictional characters to life through her storytelling and the Egyptology part is most intriguing. A must-read for fans of historical fiction and Egyptology.