Maria Luisa Lang
Auteur de The Pharaoh's Cat
Œuvres de Maria Luisa Lang
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Now I have to say that talking cats aren’t really my thing because I gravitate to explanations rather than magic. Don’t do it, says Lynn Truss in her oft’ quoted splurge in the ghastly Guardian “Top Ten Cats in Literature” https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/dec/07/top-10-cats-in-literature
However, there are millions of cat lovers and only one of me, so I find myself outvoted and I have to admit that Paul Gallico (Jennie, Thomasina, The Silent Miow), Terry Pratchett (The Amazing Maurice), Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) and G.A. Henty (The Cat of Bubastes, 1889) know more about giving the public what they want than I will ever do. When you put Egyptology into the mix though, it reminds me more of the children’s film Treasure Buddies, with its talking Labrador puppies and Raiders of the Lost Ark imagery, which suggests to me that this sort of thing naturally fits into the children’s section.
This book, the second in a series, is intended for an audience slightly older than that initial assumption, so it’s perhaps young adult or beyond. It’s clearly written by and for an audience who like their cats and probably talk to them or imagine they have the re-incarnated souls of interesting beings from the past. Does that describe you? It’s fair to say that doesn’t describe everyone, so perhaps it shouldn’t have fallen to me to rate it.
The story involves time travel in a spinning boat, a magical gift bestowed by ancient divinities and takes Nefertiti beyond her regular context and lets her interact as a fictional dame. It isn’t just about explaining the missing wall eye from her famous bust (which is beautiful, by the way), it’s using her as a romantic character which interacts with a much longer span of history.
If you like the story of Akhenaten the sun-worshipping pharaoh, the short-lived monotheistic religion he founded to over-throw the old and the city named after him (now called Amarna), this might be the book for you. It’s a light-touch take on that failed revolution but shows it from the human angle, how disrespecting the old ways caused a rift that up with the priesthood would not put.
I thought the best thing about this from a non-cat owner’s perspective was the descriptive passages about ancient temples and their decorative influences. The book was like something that once was deep but today shouldn’t be taken too seriously, like walking around an old site with a well-informed tour guide for an hour or two and spinning your parasol on a sunny day.… (plus d'informations)
However, there are millions of cat lovers and only one of me, so I find myself outvoted and I have to admit that Paul Gallico (Jennie, Thomasina, The Silent Miow), Terry Pratchett (The Amazing Maurice), Lewis Carroll (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) and G.A. Henty (The Cat of Bubastes, 1889) know more about giving the public what they want than I will ever do. When you put Egyptology into the mix though, it reminds me more of the children’s film Treasure Buddies, with its talking Labrador puppies and Raiders of the Lost Ark imagery, which suggests to me that this sort of thing naturally fits into the children’s section.
This book, the second in a series, is intended for an audience slightly older than that initial assumption, so it’s perhaps young adult or beyond. It’s clearly written by and for an audience who like their cats and probably talk to them or imagine they have the re-incarnated souls of interesting beings from the past. Does that describe you? It’s fair to say that doesn’t describe everyone, so perhaps it shouldn’t have fallen to me to rate it.
The story involves time travel in a spinning boat, a magical gift bestowed by ancient divinities and takes Nefertiti beyond her regular context and lets her interact as a fictional dame. It isn’t just about explaining the missing wall eye from her famous bust (which is beautiful, by the way), it’s using her as a romantic character which interacts with a much longer span of history.
If you like the story of Akhenaten the sun-worshipping pharaoh, the short-lived monotheistic religion he founded to over-throw the old and the city named after him (now called Amarna), this might be the book for you. It’s a light-touch take on that failed revolution but shows it from the human angle, how disrespecting the old ways caused a rift that up with the priesthood would not put.
I thought the best thing about this from a non-cat owner’s perspective was the descriptive passages about ancient temples and their decorative influences. The book was like something that once was deep but today shouldn’t be taken too seriously, like walking around an old site with a well-informed tour guide for an hour or two and spinning your parasol on a sunny day.… (plus d'informations)
originally posted at http://readaholiczone.blogspot.com/
First, I want to thank the author for giving me a copy of this book to review. I was sceptical at first since The Pharaoh’s Cat it did not fit into any genre that I would usually read but I am so happy that I accepted and will be rereading this book far into the future. You do not have to have an interest in Egypt or even cats for that matter, all you need is to be eager for a brilliant read. Second, I do not find it necessary in my review to recap the blurb or give away parts of the book, just to review about the author's writing ability.
One thing that is a constant throughout is humor. So if you only like drab books, this one is not for you. The humor, mostly comes from the book's narrator, Wrappa-Hamen, a cat. Therefore, the prose is smooth and flows nicely. The plot is overflowing with events so that as a reader, there is never a dull moment. The adventures are non-stop and I assure you will never guess what is going to happen next everything fits perfectly into the story even the time travel as strange it seems. Whereas, things can be learned from this book such as who some of the Egyptian gods are and what they do, a sneak peek into the daily life in Egypt, and some of the rituals. Mostly this is a fun loving book that I could only find much wrong with but there is one part. That is when Wrappa-Hamen lost consciousness from being out in the snowy cold. I could not make sense of that. One last thing, I know you are not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it. The cover does not reflect how good the book is. It is a short book yet, you are not left wondering anything, but there is a sequel on the way!
If you read this review get a copy of this book to read, you will not be disappointed.… (plus d'informations)
First, I want to thank the author for giving me a copy of this book to review. I was sceptical at first since The Pharaoh’s Cat it did not fit into any genre that I would usually read but I am so happy that I accepted and will be rereading this book far into the future. You do not have to have an interest in Egypt or even cats for that matter, all you need is to be eager for a brilliant read. Second, I do not find it necessary in my review to recap the blurb or give away parts of the book, just to review about the author's writing ability.
One thing that is a constant throughout is humor. So if you only like drab books, this one is not for you. The humor, mostly comes from the book's narrator, Wrappa-Hamen, a cat. Therefore, the prose is smooth and flows nicely. The plot is overflowing with events so that as a reader, there is never a dull moment. The adventures are non-stop and I assure you will never guess what is going to happen next everything fits perfectly into the story even the time travel as strange it seems. Whereas, things can be learned from this book such as who some of the Egyptian gods are and what they do, a sneak peek into the daily life in Egypt, and some of the rituals. Mostly this is a fun loving book that I could only find much wrong with but there is one part. That is when Wrappa-Hamen lost consciousness from being out in the snowy cold. I could not make sense of that. One last thing, I know you are not supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but we all do it. The cover does not reflect how good the book is. It is a short book yet, you are not left wondering anything, but there is a sequel on the way!
If you read this review get a copy of this book to read, you will not be disappointed.… (plus d'informations)
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 2
- Membres
- 16
- Popularité
- #679,947
- Évaluation
- 3.8
- Critiques
- 3
- ISBN
- 2
I'd say the content is suitable for quite juvenile readers while still having enough to keep adults entertained too, but for the youngest probably better read in an episodic fashion by an adult, as the book might be a bit long for independent reading ?