Whispers in the Sand by Barbara ErskineBook Details:
Paperback: 496 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark; Original edition (July 1, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1402261756
ISBN-13: 978-1402261756
About the book:
Recently divorced, Anna Fox decides to cheer herself up by retracing a Nile cruise her great-great-grandmother, Louisa, made in the mid-nineteenth century. Anna carries with her two of Louisa's possessions-an ancient Egyptian scent bottle and an illustrated diary of the original cruise, a diary that hasn't been read in a hundred years. As she follows in Louisa's footsteps, Anna discovers in the diary a wonderful love story from the Victorian past-and the chilling, more distant secret of the little glass bottle. Meanwhile, two men on the cruise are developing an unfriendly rivalry for Anna's attention-and a disturbing interest in Louisa's things. Most frightening of all, Anna finds herself the victim of a threat that grows in strength and darkness as the dramatic stories from three different eras intertwine along the mysterious waters of the Nile. What Readers are Saying "The images she creates are fantastically interwoven in a mysterious romance. I couldn't stop reading." "Great! Chilling and full of betrayal, revenge, and heat." "All Barbara Erskine's books have the excitement, detail, slight historical slant, and twists which make the reader look over their shoulder." "I found myself gripped by the story of Anna and her ancestor, Louisa. The two stories are skillfully threaded together with a magical blend of the stunning descriptions of Egypt and the love stories that enfold the two women." "It is a mystery that is unfolding before your very eyes. A real page-turner."
About Barbara Erskine:
"Barbara Erskine is a historian and internationally bestselling writer whose books include Lady of Hay, Daughters of Fire, Hiding from the Light, Kingdom of Shadows, Child of the Phoenix, and Midnight is a Lonely Place. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies worldwide, and she is published in 24 languages.
Visit www.barbara-erskine.co.uk"
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My thoughts:
Whispers in the Sand by Barbara Erskine was first released in 2000 to rave reviews. When I saw that Sourcebooks was offering a review copy, I was so excited. Why?? Barbara Erskine is my favorite author and has been since I read Lady of Hay. In fact, I remember that I had to order the book online with my first computer. I had to order it from the UK and when I did receive it I was thrilled. It took me a few years to read it...not because it was a bad book but because I wanted to savor it and didn't want it to end. I think I even took it along on my first trip to Ireland. Finish it I did and I think it was also one of my first reviews on my blog. I am not a reader who will reread a book but Barbara's books I definitely will.
That said, chapter one opens with this paragraph:
" May there be nothing to resist me at my judgement;
may there be no opposition to me;
may there be no parting of thee from me
in the presence of him that keepeth the scales."
" It is thirteen hundred years before the birth of Christ".....
The chapters of the story are told in alternating voices; Anna Fox, as she is on her cruise in Egypt as a vacation away from the stress of her life, of Louisa, Anna's great-grandmother who took a similar cruise in the Victorian era and lastly the ghosts of the dead priests. All these stories combine to tell a powerful spooky story of love, hate, evil, curse's on ancient relics and secrets of a diary. The way that the author told the story had me immersed from the first page and I could not wait to pick it up again, even staying up late to finish it. The research is impeccable and the writing is easy to read, I felt like I was right there with Anna as she discovers more of her great-grandmother's story. I give this book 5 stars and I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction and specifically the Egyptian era. You will not be disappointed!
I received this book from Sourcebooks and was not monetarily compensated for my review
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