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Geluk in gevaar
Durante siglos las tumbas faraónicas han llevado el estigma de una maldición: quien perturbe el sueño de los reyes morirá. Desde niña Judith acarició un sueño: casarse con Tybalt, su vecino y brillante arqueólogo, y ayudarlo en un gran descubrimiento científico. De modo que su felicidad parecía completa cuando Tybalt le propuso matrimonio y partir a Egipto, integrando una expedición arqueológica. Los problemas comenzaron desde la llegada a Egipto.
371 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1973
24 people are currently reading
1394 people want to read
About the author
Victoria Holt
372 books1,377 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
Eleanor Alice Burford, Mrs. George Percival Hibbert was a British author of about 200 historical novels, most of them under the pen name Jean Plaidy which had sold 14 million copies by the time of her death. She chose to use various names because of the differences in subject matter between her books; the best-known, apart from Plaidy, are Victoria Holt (56 million) and Philippa Carr (3 million). Lesser known were the novels Hibbert published under her maiden name Eleanor Burford, or the pseudonyms of Elbur Ford, Kathleen Kellow and Ellalice Tate. Many of her readers under one penname never suspected her other identities.
-Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews
July 24, 2017
***2017 Summer Lovin’ Reading List ***
I really enjoyed Victoria Holt’s books when I was in my teens. Re-reading them as a mature adult has been a bit disappointing. Having always had a bit of thing for Ancient Egypt, I recall being enchanted by The Curse of the Kings. Unfortunately, having just recently read The Lord of the Far Island, I can now see far too clearly how formulaic Holt’s romances were.
The main character is an orphan, she gets her education as a fortunate extra with the children of the gentry, she’s beautiful & spirited, and she gets miraculously saved from a desperate life as a lady’s companion by snagging the man intended for the well-born gal. Still, there is a slightly older, beautiful woman who seems like she might be competition for the husband’s interest and there are mysterious goings-on.
I think my main beef with this book is Judith’s education. The reader is told repeatedly how she has read ever so many books on archaeology and Ancient Egypt, and yet there is her new husband explaining tomb paintings to her, pointing out Anubis and Amun, as if she has never seen a book before and she acting like it’s all brand new!
And I had never realized before how undemonstrative Tybalt is! I associate the name Tybalt with fiery passion, so it seems strange to have this cold man share the name.
Perhaps I should have let sleeping dogs lie, but I have another of Holt’s books out of the public library, which I will likely read.
I really enjoyed Victoria Holt’s books when I was in my teens. Re-reading them as a mature adult has been a bit disappointing. Having always had a bit of thing for Ancient Egypt, I recall being enchanted by The Curse of the Kings. Unfortunately, having just recently read The Lord of the Far Island, I can now see far too clearly how formulaic Holt’s romances were.
The main character is an orphan, she gets her education as a fortunate extra with the children of the gentry, she’s beautiful & spirited, and she gets miraculously saved from a desperate life as a lady’s companion by snagging the man intended for the well-born gal. Still, there is a slightly older, beautiful woman who seems like she might be competition for the husband’s interest and there are mysterious goings-on.
I think my main beef with this book is Judith’s education. The reader is told repeatedly how she has read ever so many books on archaeology and Ancient Egypt, and yet there is her new husband explaining tomb paintings to her, pointing out Anubis and Amun, as if she has never seen a book before and she acting like it’s all brand new!
And I had never realized before how undemonstrative Tybalt is! I associate the name Tybalt with fiery passion, so it seems strange to have this cold man share the name.
Perhaps I should have let sleeping dogs lie, but I have another of Holt’s books out of the public library, which I will likely read.
Want to read
June 1, 2024Reasons why I think reading this book would be worth it:
- This was recommended to me. (I can never turn down a book when someone recommends it to me)
- It's my first time hearing of this author.
- The cover looks so gothic and beautiful.
- Reading this book will make me come out of my comfort zone, since it was published in the 70's and I don't recall ever having read a book from that decade.
- Lastly, the synopsis sounds very intriguing.
- This was recommended to me. (I can never turn down a book when someone recommends it to me)
- It's my first time hearing of this author.
- The cover looks so gothic and beautiful.
- Reading this book will make me come out of my comfort zone, since it was published in the 70's and I don't recall ever having read a book from that decade.
- Lastly, the synopsis sounds very intriguing.
January 21, 2023
So yes, while I was certainly expecting Victoria Holt's 1973 novel Curse of the Kings to once again be totally formulaic in many if not most ways and that there would also and in all likelihood be rather stereotypical attitudes toward Egypt and all things Egyptian presented by the author (and which indeed and not at all surprisingly has certainly turned out to generally be the case), I also do have to admit that in Curse of the Kings I was pretty much and very unpleasantly flabbergasted regarding both the first person narrator (main protagonist Judith Osmond) and the supposedly oh so brilliant and esteemed archaeologist Tybalt Travers (the main love interest and hero of Curse of the Kings, whom Judith marries and then accompanies to Egypt) and of course and absolutely how Victoria Holt has chosen to depict and approach them.
For not only does Judith Osmond kind of present an in my opinion pretty odd-ball melange of an almost blue-stocking like quest for education combined with a rather overtly manifested and not all that realistic overly and exaggeratedly passionate nature (and which just does not really seem to adequately and comfortably fit in with her always present hunger for enlightenment and knowledge), Tybalt Travers himself, he also is shown by Victoria Holt as being at best frustratingly cold and undemonstrative and at worst totally and icily calculating (and thus not really what I would consider a successful partner for Judith). And while I certainly have not actively despised Curse of the Kings and have also and definitely managed to at least be able to tolerate Victoria Holt's stereotyping of Egyptians as a sign of the times (even if it does make me personally uncomfortable), I equally cannot really with a heroine I have found a bit iffy at best and a totally cold fish like and also rather majorly tedious "hero" consider more than two stars for Curse of the Kings.
For not only does Judith Osmond kind of present an in my opinion pretty odd-ball melange of an almost blue-stocking like quest for education combined with a rather overtly manifested and not all that realistic overly and exaggeratedly passionate nature (and which just does not really seem to adequately and comfortably fit in with her always present hunger for enlightenment and knowledge), Tybalt Travers himself, he also is shown by Victoria Holt as being at best frustratingly cold and undemonstrative and at worst totally and icily calculating (and thus not really what I would consider a successful partner for Judith). And while I certainly have not actively despised Curse of the Kings and have also and definitely managed to at least be able to tolerate Victoria Holt's stereotyping of Egyptians as a sign of the times (even if it does make me personally uncomfortable), I equally cannot really with a heroine I have found a bit iffy at best and a totally cold fish like and also rather majorly tedious "hero" consider more than two stars for Curse of the Kings.
March 8, 2019
So, Egypt. The British liked going there to muck around in the sand looking for treasure and mummies. They would hire 100s of locals to do the digging, and spend a lot of time complaining to each other about the heat, the food, the scorpions, and how the Egyptian officials were so cross about them doing their ‘important work’ and sometimes getting themselves murdered.
I know this is my first time reading this book, and it’s not great. I still cannot believe that the characters only GET to Egypt on page 176. Of 320. This book wastes a lot of time. I like Holt’s prose style, but I think she did a terrible job of structuring this book.
We start with orphan Judith. She’s a lady's companion, and she’s taking her boss’s dogs for a walk over to the house of her crush, Tybalt. As an aside, I sort of wish I had read this book when I was younger, and read his name as Tyblat instead of Tybalt. 'What a weird name,' I imagine myself thinking. 'Is it like Peregrin, another name I cannot work out how to pronounce?'
Both Tybalt and his father are archaeologists, and Tybalt’s father recently died under mysterious circumstances on a dig in Egypt. There are rumours of a curse. Tybalt wants to go back to Egypt on an expedition to finish his father’s work. He asks hopefully after the health of Judith’s boss’s husband, the local squire. The husband was good friends with Tybalt’s father, and rich. He’d sunk a lot of cash into earlier expeditions, so maybe he’d fund some more? Judith doesn’t know.
Flashback. Judith at 14 is a vibrant and adventurous girl, living at the rectory with the rector and two maiden aunts but they aren’t her aunts (or are they? Mystery!). Judith has befriended the parish gravedigger, and when she takes over the digging of a grave she finds an Anglo Saxon artefact.
Judith is being tutored with the squire’s daughter and nephew. She’s young and bossy and orders the nephew around and bullies the daughter. The archaeologist moves to the neighbourhood and he has a daughter who never shuts up about her older brother, Tybalt. Judith meets Tybalt when she decides to scare the squire’s daughter by wrapping herself up like a mummy and emerging from a sarcophagus that the archaeologist has lying around his house. Tybalt catches her and is unimpressed. A more bodice ripper~y author would have had him spank her, and I cannot believe that I wished that had happened. Mostly so I could complain about how inappropriate it was, but still.
So the first 170 pages of this book are Judith growing up with these other children and developing her interest in archaeology and Egyptology. She has a big desperate crush on Tybalt, and tortures herself over the fact he seems to prefer the squire’s daughter. Then the girls get to be about 20, and they start getting married. The flashback ends, and Tybalt proposes to Judith. He tells her he loves her but is going to be a crap husband. Judith doesn’t care, she loves him heaps and heaps!
Then, the squire dies, and Judith’s secret parentage is revealed. She’s the squire’s bastard, and the squire has left her half his fortune. How convenient that Judith is going to marry Tybalt, who is really expensive.
And Judith is also noticing, now she has Tybalt, that his housekeeper is real pretty. She’s been around all this time, but maybe Tybalt is in love with her, and is only marrying Judith for the money?
Judith and Tybalt marry, and the sex is pretty decent. They can talk archaeology together, and everything would be pretty perfect except for the suspicions about the money and the housekeeper, and the fact that Tybalt won’t stop apologising for being a crap husband, rather than doing anything about it.
And then finally, they go to Egypt. Those 170 pages were a waste of time. They were fun because Judith is an entertaining character, and has won her Tybalt prize in the face of some very long odds. But it started to dawn on me that I was already exhausted by this book, and didn’t much care what a bunch of 19th century British people were going to do in Egypt. I mean, it’s a given that they are going to be racist, and swan about like they own the joint. It’s also a given that there will be danger and adventure, but that Holt isn’t going to do the Mummy, and Tybalt is not going to turn into a cute, Brandon Fraser style hero and make everything fun and sexy.
Tybalt is a disappointment from the moment he’s introduced. Judith does the usual thing of saying he’s not conventionally handsome (couldn’t just one hero be worth looking at?). Then she says something really dreadful: he has scholar’s eyebrows. I have never heard of this as a thing. But unless it’s accompanied by some kink it’s deeply unsexy. Scholar’s eyebrows have got to be old man bushy, sticking out everywhere things. If you can imagine Einstein eyebrows on a less attractive Nicholas Hoult, congratulations, you’re in my head. Stay awhile! Help me imagine an attractive way to play with Einstein eyebrows on a man that doesn’t make you shudder!
He’s boring. He’s cold. He won’t let Judith do any fun archaeology stuff. It’s not his fault that Judith, in suddenly finding herself with all her dreams coming true, immediately self-sabotages. But he’s dull and distracted and even when she thinks they’re having a good time he has this way of pointing out that he wasn’t actually present in the moment, and isn’t that a shame? Nothing more annoying than people continually apologising for something they have no intention of changing.
The suspense plot, when it finally gets going, is a dud. There’s a whole lot of ‘why is this happening, I guess we’ll never know for sure?’ and our heroes can’t do more than mildly inconvenience the villains. And, no super cool loot either. Holt's trying to make a point somewhere about archaeology not being about the treasures, but I wanted treasure. I'm pretty sure Howard Carter and that German guy who plundered Troy (name starting with S? It'll come to me) did at least one sex scene where they draped lots of gold and precious jewellery over the naked bodies of their sorta girl friend (Carter) and wife (the S guy).
Tybalt is maybe fun in bed? Although since there isn't any ancient gold on boobs action I'm being really generous in thinking so? And sure, he's interesting when you’re prepared to listen to him talk archaeology. But Judith probably should have nearly had sex with cousin Hadrian, so she’d have some basis for comparison. Or at least got herself a punishing snog. Hadrian had some roguish charm going, and since they’re English they didn’t have to worry about the incest thing. Tybalt doesn’t even have romantic confession game. Judith almost DIES, and he still can’t do a good ‘you are the most precious and interesting thing in the entire world and I’d prefer a lifetime of dusting sand off your boobies to dusting sand off priceless ancient artefacts’ speech at her bedside.
I’m not completely satisfied with my return to Holt. I mean, I knew there wasn’t going to be the type of romance I’m now more used to, but I do have some fond memories of plucky heroines and angry heroes getting all Gothic. The problem is … I don’t think she gets it right. It’s not just the plotting, it’s the lack of commitment to an actual genre. In ‘Curse’ we have a vague historical setting of trains and long dresses but there aren’t any other technology hints for me to narrow it down further. I think they probably had the telegraph, since there were a few 'faster' communication moments. I could have entirely missed a big event clue that would have firmly dated it, but vaguely 1870s is as close as I get.
It’s not plotted as suspense, or as a gothic. There are warnings about the Curse, but since nothing happens for the first half of the book, the whole Egypt thing has lost any immediacy. No one takes the curse seriously. There's a character who does not want to be in Egypt, but her objections aren't based on anything supernatural. There are two stereotypes don’t their bit for the curse but they don't get much traction with their menacing gloom. The book’s not really romance, either. A romance would have spent a lot more time on giving Judith a proper rival, or made Tybalt a more interesting hero, and investing more in Judith’s boss’s antagonism - giving that plot real stakes.
I’m not giving up. At the next book fair I’ll see if I can find that one where the heroine gets walled up, or the one where there are witches dancing around stones. Those could actually be the same book, now I come to think about it. And I’m pretty sure somewhere along the way Holt introduced me to that whole thing about brides hiding in huge chests and suffocating and never being found. Fun!
I know this is my first time reading this book, and it’s not great. I still cannot believe that the characters only GET to Egypt on page 176. Of 320. This book wastes a lot of time. I like Holt’s prose style, but I think she did a terrible job of structuring this book.
We start with orphan Judith. She’s a lady's companion, and she’s taking her boss’s dogs for a walk over to the house of her crush, Tybalt. As an aside, I sort of wish I had read this book when I was younger, and read his name as Tyblat instead of Tybalt. 'What a weird name,' I imagine myself thinking. 'Is it like Peregrin, another name I cannot work out how to pronounce?'
Both Tybalt and his father are archaeologists, and Tybalt’s father recently died under mysterious circumstances on a dig in Egypt. There are rumours of a curse. Tybalt wants to go back to Egypt on an expedition to finish his father’s work. He asks hopefully after the health of Judith’s boss’s husband, the local squire. The husband was good friends with Tybalt’s father, and rich. He’d sunk a lot of cash into earlier expeditions, so maybe he’d fund some more? Judith doesn’t know.
Flashback. Judith at 14 is a vibrant and adventurous girl, living at the rectory with the rector and two maiden aunts but they aren’t her aunts (or are they? Mystery!). Judith has befriended the parish gravedigger, and when she takes over the digging of a grave she finds an Anglo Saxon artefact.
Judith is being tutored with the squire’s daughter and nephew. She’s young and bossy and orders the nephew around and bullies the daughter. The archaeologist moves to the neighbourhood and he has a daughter who never shuts up about her older brother, Tybalt. Judith meets Tybalt when she decides to scare the squire’s daughter by wrapping herself up like a mummy and emerging from a sarcophagus that the archaeologist has lying around his house. Tybalt catches her and is unimpressed. A more bodice ripper~y author would have had him spank her, and I cannot believe that I wished that had happened. Mostly so I could complain about how inappropriate it was, but still.
So the first 170 pages of this book are Judith growing up with these other children and developing her interest in archaeology and Egyptology. She has a big desperate crush on Tybalt, and tortures herself over the fact he seems to prefer the squire’s daughter. Then the girls get to be about 20, and they start getting married. The flashback ends, and Tybalt proposes to Judith. He tells her he loves her but is going to be a crap husband. Judith doesn’t care, she loves him heaps and heaps!
Then, the squire dies, and Judith’s secret parentage is revealed. She’s the squire’s bastard, and the squire has left her half his fortune. How convenient that Judith is going to marry Tybalt, who is really expensive.
And Judith is also noticing, now she has Tybalt, that his housekeeper is real pretty. She’s been around all this time, but maybe Tybalt is in love with her, and is only marrying Judith for the money?
Judith and Tybalt marry, and the sex is pretty decent. They can talk archaeology together, and everything would be pretty perfect except for the suspicions about the money and the housekeeper, and the fact that Tybalt won’t stop apologising for being a crap husband, rather than doing anything about it.
And then finally, they go to Egypt. Those 170 pages were a waste of time. They were fun because Judith is an entertaining character, and has won her Tybalt prize in the face of some very long odds. But it started to dawn on me that I was already exhausted by this book, and didn’t much care what a bunch of 19th century British people were going to do in Egypt. I mean, it’s a given that they are going to be racist, and swan about like they own the joint. It’s also a given that there will be danger and adventure, but that Holt isn’t going to do the Mummy, and Tybalt is not going to turn into a cute, Brandon Fraser style hero and make everything fun and sexy.
Tybalt is a disappointment from the moment he’s introduced. Judith does the usual thing of saying he’s not conventionally handsome (couldn’t just one hero be worth looking at?). Then she says something really dreadful: he has scholar’s eyebrows. I have never heard of this as a thing. But unless it’s accompanied by some kink it’s deeply unsexy. Scholar’s eyebrows have got to be old man bushy, sticking out everywhere things. If you can imagine Einstein eyebrows on a less attractive Nicholas Hoult, congratulations, you’re in my head. Stay awhile! Help me imagine an attractive way to play with Einstein eyebrows on a man that doesn’t make you shudder!
He’s boring. He’s cold. He won’t let Judith do any fun archaeology stuff. It’s not his fault that Judith, in suddenly finding herself with all her dreams coming true, immediately self-sabotages. But he’s dull and distracted and even when she thinks they’re having a good time he has this way of pointing out that he wasn’t actually present in the moment, and isn’t that a shame? Nothing more annoying than people continually apologising for something they have no intention of changing.
The suspense plot, when it finally gets going, is a dud. There’s a whole lot of ‘why is this happening, I guess we’ll never know for sure?’ and our heroes can’t do more than mildly inconvenience the villains. And, no super cool loot either. Holt's trying to make a point somewhere about archaeology not being about the treasures, but I wanted treasure. I'm pretty sure Howard Carter and that German guy who plundered Troy (name starting with S? It'll come to me) did at least one sex scene where they draped lots of gold and precious jewellery over the naked bodies of their sorta girl friend (Carter) and wife (the S guy).
Tybalt is maybe fun in bed? Although since there isn't any ancient gold on boobs action I'm being really generous in thinking so? And sure, he's interesting when you’re prepared to listen to him talk archaeology. But Judith probably should have nearly had sex with cousin Hadrian, so she’d have some basis for comparison. Or at least got herself a punishing snog. Hadrian had some roguish charm going, and since they’re English they didn’t have to worry about the incest thing. Tybalt doesn’t even have romantic confession game. Judith almost DIES, and he still can’t do a good ‘you are the most precious and interesting thing in the entire world and I’d prefer a lifetime of dusting sand off your boobies to dusting sand off priceless ancient artefacts’ speech at her bedside.
I’m not completely satisfied with my return to Holt. I mean, I knew there wasn’t going to be the type of romance I’m now more used to, but I do have some fond memories of plucky heroines and angry heroes getting all Gothic. The problem is … I don’t think she gets it right. It’s not just the plotting, it’s the lack of commitment to an actual genre. In ‘Curse’ we have a vague historical setting of trains and long dresses but there aren’t any other technology hints for me to narrow it down further. I think they probably had the telegraph, since there were a few 'faster' communication moments. I could have entirely missed a big event clue that would have firmly dated it, but vaguely 1870s is as close as I get.
It’s not plotted as suspense, or as a gothic. There are warnings about the Curse, but since nothing happens for the first half of the book, the whole Egypt thing has lost any immediacy. No one takes the curse seriously. There's a character who does not want to be in Egypt, but her objections aren't based on anything supernatural. There are two stereotypes don’t their bit for the curse but they don't get much traction with their menacing gloom. The book’s not really romance, either. A romance would have spent a lot more time on giving Judith a proper rival, or made Tybalt a more interesting hero, and investing more in Judith’s boss’s antagonism - giving that plot real stakes.
I’m not giving up. At the next book fair I’ll see if I can find that one where the heroine gets walled up, or the one where there are witches dancing around stones. Those could actually be the same book, now I come to think about it. And I’m pretty sure somewhere along the way Holt introduced me to that whole thing about brides hiding in huge chests and suffocating and never being found. Fun!
May 3, 2020
During these difficult times I have found some comfort in reading some of my old favorite authors. I started reading Victoria Holt books in my teens. Back then her books were called psychological suspense, or romantic suspense/intrigue. I like to call them gothic novels. Her books (along with fellow authors Phyllis Whitney, Mary Stewart, Nora Lofts and Barbara Michaels) always had ever-present danger and sinister characters. These ladies were very good at setting the gothic atmosphere and throwing in a little romance too. This book I had never read. It is very well-written and the story will keep you on your toes. I would highly recommend this book or any of these authors' books if you want some old-time spooky reads or just want to return to the romantic suspense of your youth! Something that really stood out in this book is the great editing.
January 17, 2013
3.5 stars
I had to go ahead and just finish this one. This story had almost an identical feel as Menfreya in the Morning, but somewhat less depressing, at least in the scenes from the heroine's childhood. Both stories are divided into two parts, the childhoods and then their life with their respective spouses. The particular events in the stores are different of course, but it's basically the same format: (I'm assuming since I haven't finished Menfreya, which I'll have to do now.) I have to admit that I like better Holt's books set in castles with Barons or Dukes or what have you. But she's still an excellent story teller regardless.
It was interesting enough, but you could really skip the first half of this book. However, it did allow you to have a deeper understanding of the characters and their relationships with each other. Nothing too angsty or exciting, though, nail biting exciting, that is.
The second half got a lot more angsty and gradually built up to where I was afraid of what was coming next. I guessed some plot points, but you just never know with VH. If the whole book kept you on tenderhooks like it did towards the end, it's would've been a 4 or 5 star. The fact that 50% of the book was background and filler brought it down for me.
I would still recommend this book, even reading the section about the characters' childhoods as it made for an interesting, though not exciting, story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2018
*Actual rating 2.5 stars*
Holt's novels are kind of hit or miss for me, and this wasn't one of her better ones. Plucky heroine marries an emotionally distant archaeologist and heads off for a dig in Egypt despite rumors of a Pharaoh's curse. Holt's writing is as good as ever, but the book took forever to get off the ground (they don't arrive in Egypt until halfway through, and the heroine's backstory isn't that interesting) and fizzled out with a rushed, predictable ending. I also did not like the hero and the author's attempt at OW drama; with a "cursed" archaeological dig in the story, that should have provided plenty of tension on its own.
Holt's novels are kind of hit or miss for me, and this wasn't one of her better ones. Plucky heroine marries an emotionally distant archaeologist and heads off for a dig in Egypt despite rumors of a Pharaoh's curse. Holt's writing is as good as ever, but the book took forever to get off the ground (they don't arrive in Egypt until halfway through, and the heroine's backstory isn't that interesting) and fizzled out with a rushed, predictable ending. I also did not like the hero and the author's attempt at OW drama; with a "cursed" archaeological dig in the story, that should have provided plenty of tension on its own.
May 31, 2010
See Mistress of Mellyn.
December 19, 2011
Annoying heroine stood in the way of my enjoying this ook.
Also Tybalt was a cold fish.
Also Tybalt was a cold fish.
February 17, 2020
not really but 40 year old paperback is falling apart and I can't keep it together (hard to read in bed) - so marked done but not done = I'll be a book behind on my challenge
June 13, 2021
Not one of the best by Holt, but enjoyable.
September 3, 2020
My Thoughts
We hear of Judith Osmond who finds when digging a grave, an artifact. A bronze shield. Judith seeks more information on it and hears some very interesting tales of old Egyptian ways. Judith does have an enquiring mind, and at the age of 14 she dresses up as a mummy in bed sheet rags and lying in a tomb and scares her friends, something that her friends will not let her forget through the years.
We are then thrown into a world of growing up, time goes by and certain people get married and Judith has to step aside and shift into a house nearby to be Lady Bodreans companion, although this is a very laughable word, "companion" as Lady Bodrean is known to have much delight and glee about making her "companions" unhappy on purpose.
The first half of the book, which I have mentioned delves into who Judith is, where she came from and alot is revealed with some shocking discoveries.
The second half of the book then goes into Judith's married life with Tybalt and being whisked away to Egypt to help in his archaeological finds, little did Judith know that a mystery and a curse was hidden behind a story of old.
I enjoyed the authors writing as this was a first introduction to Victoria Holt, although it wont be my last as I bought more of her books at the same time. She kept me well and truly focused on the mystery and the lead up to it. The last three chapters were particularly very exciting, and I had to read those before closing the book. A marvellous, exciting story that kept me highly amused and entertained.
Recommendation
I recommend to anyone who likes mysteries especially when the point of interest is Egypt.
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We hear of Judith Osmond who finds when digging a grave, an artifact. A bronze shield. Judith seeks more information on it and hears some very interesting tales of old Egyptian ways. Judith does have an enquiring mind, and at the age of 14 she dresses up as a mummy in bed sheet rags and lying in a tomb and scares her friends, something that her friends will not let her forget through the years.
We are then thrown into a world of growing up, time goes by and certain people get married and Judith has to step aside and shift into a house nearby to be Lady Bodreans companion, although this is a very laughable word, "companion" as Lady Bodrean is known to have much delight and glee about making her "companions" unhappy on purpose.
The first half of the book, which I have mentioned delves into who Judith is, where she came from and alot is revealed with some shocking discoveries.
The second half of the book then goes into Judith's married life with Tybalt and being whisked away to Egypt to help in his archaeological finds, little did Judith know that a mystery and a curse was hidden behind a story of old.
I enjoyed the authors writing as this was a first introduction to Victoria Holt, although it wont be my last as I bought more of her books at the same time. She kept me well and truly focused on the mystery and the lead up to it. The last three chapters were particularly very exciting, and I had to read those before closing the book. A marvellous, exciting story that kept me highly amused and entertained.
Recommendation
I recommend to anyone who likes mysteries especially when the point of interest is Egypt.
.
.
Follow/Contact me on
Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
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June 1, 2013
Victoria Holt has always been one of my favourite gothic writers. I started reading her many years ago, and I still enjoy delving into one of her books every now and then.
This one, although it started off a little slow in the action department, was no exception. The first part spent a fair amount of time introducing the characters, showing how their childhood and interactions with each other helped mold them into the adults they became. And, then, the mystery, suspense and intrigue common to these types of novels made the second part of the book more exciting and fast-paced.
Judith was an unusual woman for the times in which she grew up--feisty, unconventional, impulsive, domineering, exuberant. She wanted nothing to do with the genteel, feminine pursuits that were expected of women in that age. Her passion and obsession was with the male-dominated profession of archeology, and she set out to learn as much as she could about it. I admired her strong loyalty and love toward Tybalt, but sometimes she let her over-active imagination run away with her. Tybalt himself seemed a little too aloof and cool at times and totally obsessed with the dig his father had been involved with, but, to be fair to him, he did warn Judith that such might be the case.
I really enjoy reading novels that deal with mythology and history and Egyptian culture is particularly fascinating, as is archeology itself. Ms. Holt's descriptions of the beautiful but sometimes harsh land of the pharaohs were very interesting and intriguing.
All in all, perhaps not Ms. Holt's best offering (her The Shivering Sands still remains my favourite), but still an enjoyable read for me.
This one, although it started off a little slow in the action department, was no exception. The first part spent a fair amount of time introducing the characters, showing how their childhood and interactions with each other helped mold them into the adults they became. And, then, the mystery, suspense and intrigue common to these types of novels made the second part of the book more exciting and fast-paced.
Judith was an unusual woman for the times in which she grew up--feisty, unconventional, impulsive, domineering, exuberant. She wanted nothing to do with the genteel, feminine pursuits that were expected of women in that age. Her passion and obsession was with the male-dominated profession of archeology, and she set out to learn as much as she could about it. I admired her strong loyalty and love toward Tybalt, but sometimes she let her over-active imagination run away with her. Tybalt himself seemed a little too aloof and cool at times and totally obsessed with the dig his father had been involved with, but, to be fair to him, he did warn Judith that such might be the case.
I really enjoy reading novels that deal with mythology and history and Egyptian culture is particularly fascinating, as is archeology itself. Ms. Holt's descriptions of the beautiful but sometimes harsh land of the pharaohs were very interesting and intriguing.
All in all, perhaps not Ms. Holt's best offering (her The Shivering Sands still remains my favourite), but still an enjoyable read for me.
September 3, 2016
I've read four of Victoria Holt's novels now, and I liked all of them, but I've noticed all of her books work on a formula, and now I have very little interest in reading the rest of them.
Here's the formula:
Female protagonist is childhood friends with wealthy children in the area, but is not wealthy herself. She becomes close to them and somewhere in her adolescence she falls madly in love with one of the rich men, who she can't have. As she gets older, her life continues to parallel the wealthy friends, but she is always on the outside of their world. Eventually she is given an opportunity for adventure - either in a foreign land or in love or by moving into a creepy old house - and everyone in her life warns her off it, especially the guy she's been in love with forever. Everyone thinks the worst of him, and warns her off going to this place with him, but she goes anyway. Murder! Intrigue! Stuff happens! Every step of the way, the guy looks more and more guilty, until finally our heroine is led into MORTAL DANGER! This usually leaves her locked in a room with certain death until her man comes along to rescue her, reassure her that he loves her and all her fears are not justified, and they live happily ever after.
Copy. Paste. Change the names. There you have Victoria Holt. :/
Here's the formula:
Female protagonist is childhood friends with wealthy children in the area, but is not wealthy herself. She becomes close to them and somewhere in her adolescence she falls madly in love with one of the rich men, who she can't have. As she gets older, her life continues to parallel the wealthy friends, but she is always on the outside of their world. Eventually she is given an opportunity for adventure - either in a foreign land or in love or by moving into a creepy old house - and everyone in her life warns her off it, especially the guy she's been in love with forever. Everyone thinks the worst of him, and warns her off going to this place with him, but she goes anyway. Murder! Intrigue! Stuff happens! Every step of the way, the guy looks more and more guilty, until finally our heroine is led into MORTAL DANGER! This usually leaves her locked in a room with certain death until her man comes along to rescue her, reassure her that he loves her and all her fears are not justified, and they live happily ever after.
Copy. Paste. Change the names. There you have Victoria Holt. :/
September 9, 2016
No fue entretenido; me dejó harta del tema "arqueología" que es torno al cual gira tooooooda la historia. Solo una cosa me hizo -a regañadientes-terminarlo: La protagonista -Judith- es casi insoportable; vivía en las nubes, nunca se enojaba, siempre estaba llena de energía y se tomaba las noticias con una ligereza impresionante.
La narración, si bien no era simplona, me pareció muy desabrida y en el final me dio la impresión de que hasta la autora estaba aburrida de la arqueología por lo rápido que explicó todo. En fin, es una historia que está bien escrita, pero nada emocionante.
La narración, si bien no era simplona, me pareció muy desabrida y en el final me dio la impresión de que hasta la autora estaba aburrida de la arqueología por lo rápido que explicó todo. En fin, es una historia que está bien escrita, pero nada emocionante.
December 28, 2010
I like Victoria Holt books. I agree with an earlier reviewer that this is not her best book. This was the first novel of her's that I read and so it holds a special place in my heart. I enjoy her style of writing because I feel like I am reading something written in the 1870's instead of the 1970's.
November 7, 2008
Set in Egypt... Delightful pharaohnic gothic romance...
July 5, 2009
A wonderfully suspenseful and thrilling read tinted with the mystique, legends, and a possible curse of ancient Egypt.
Certainly a must-read for all VH fans.
Certainly a must-read for all VH fans.
July 11, 2015
I absolutely love gothic romances with all of the mystery and the strong female characters. Victoria Holt is an amazing author incorporating an unforgettable story with amazing characters.
January 9, 2019
A definite guilty pleasure that I have been indulging for 16 years.
October 4, 2015
A good while away a chilly Saturday book. The prolific Ms. Holt tends to be a reliable and engrossing author. Her G-rated gothic romances work for me!
January 19, 2025
Перед нами класика ґотичного і водночас любовного роману.
⠀
Головна героїня Джудіт — розумна, але бідна дівчина, якій дозволяють навчатися разом з дітьми місцевого багатія (як згодом виявиться, не випадково). Головний герой Тибальт загадковий красень, залюблений у археологію. Другорядні персонажі яскраві, але надто закохані, якщо можна так сказати.
⠀
На нас чекає подорож у Єгипет. Ряд моторошних подій. І хеппі-енд (як неочікувано, правда?)))
⠀
Мені подобається уміння авторки передавати атмосферу: як місцевості (маленьке англійське містечко, що потопає у зелені і регулярно омивається рясними дощами, єгипетські землі, оповиті запахом сандалу і немилосердною спекою), так і таємничості. Її сюжети цікаві, але від ванільності любовних ліній цукор у крові зашкалює.
⠀
Книга ідеально підходить для відпочинку і розвантаження мозку, але перечитувати її точно не захочеться.
⠀
Головна героїня Джудіт — розумна, але бідна дівчина, якій дозволяють навчатися разом з дітьми місцевого багатія (як згодом виявиться, не випадково). Головний герой Тибальт загадковий красень, залюблений у археологію. Другорядні персонажі яскраві, але надто закохані, якщо можна так сказати.
⠀
На нас чекає подорож у Єгипет. Ряд моторошних подій. І хеппі-енд (як неочікувано, правда?)))
⠀
Мені подобається уміння авторки передавати атмосферу: як місцевості (маленьке англійське містечко, що потопає у зелені і регулярно омивається рясними дощами, єгипетські землі, оповиті запахом сандалу і немилосердною спекою), так і таємничості. Її сюжети цікаві, але від ванільності любовних ліній цукор у крові зашкалює.
⠀
Книга ідеально підходить для відпочинку і розвантаження мозку, але перечитувати її точно не захочеться.
January 20, 2021
Es la segunda novela que leo de Victoria Holt, su novela se centra mucho sobre la protagonista, su vida, la primera parte habla su niñez, y es la parte que más me gustó , después de eso la novela bajo mucho de intensidad teniendo un final muy flojo.
July 25, 2023
Haven’t read a Victoria Holt book in ages. This was just okay.
January 19, 2025
A classic Victoria Holt like “The Curse of the Kings” is a sure-fire way to dispel a reading block. Her tales of imperiled but adventurous women have aged surprisingly well since they were first published, when, like many of her other readers, I quickly snapped up each new one as soon as it appeared in stores.
Inspired no doubt by the story of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, “The Curse of the Kings” is narrated by Judith Osmond, a lowly companion to the widow of the local squire, and a friend of her daughter ad nephew.
Judith has long admired the son of the local lord who had died in Egypt on an archaeological expedition. Tybalt, his sole heir, is similarly in thrall to the past, and determined to carry on his father’s work. The passion for digging up the past is one that Judith shares, ever since the day she found a piece of a bronze shield in a freshly dug grave in the local churchyard.
From the green countryside of England to Egypt and the palace of a local Pasha, Judith’s story progresses from her teenage fancies to realizing some of her most cherished dreams. But there are other dreams that darken her path – nightmares involving the same supposed ‘curse’ that claimed Tybalt’s father just as he was on the verge of making a great discovery.
It had been so long since I last read this book, I honestly could not remember the outcome – who was the villain, and which of Judith’s fears where unfounded, and which justified. There are the inevitable red herrings and misunderstandings, but until very late in the book I was kept guessing.
“The Curse of the Kings” reminded me what a delightful experience reading a Victoria Holt novel can be.
Review by Kerry Hennigan
14 January 2015
Inspired no doubt by the story of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, “The Curse of the Kings” is narrated by Judith Osmond, a lowly companion to the widow of the local squire, and a friend of her daughter ad nephew.
Judith has long admired the son of the local lord who had died in Egypt on an archaeological expedition. Tybalt, his sole heir, is similarly in thrall to the past, and determined to carry on his father’s work. The passion for digging up the past is one that Judith shares, ever since the day she found a piece of a bronze shield in a freshly dug grave in the local churchyard.
From the green countryside of England to Egypt and the palace of a local Pasha, Judith’s story progresses from her teenage fancies to realizing some of her most cherished dreams. But there are other dreams that darken her path – nightmares involving the same supposed ‘curse’ that claimed Tybalt’s father just as he was on the verge of making a great discovery.
It had been so long since I last read this book, I honestly could not remember the outcome – who was the villain, and which of Judith’s fears where unfounded, and which justified. There are the inevitable red herrings and misunderstandings, but until very late in the book I was kept guessing.
“The Curse of the Kings” reminded me what a delightful experience reading a Victoria Holt novel can be.
Review by Kerry Hennigan
14 January 2015
October 27, 2009
Despite her unknown parentage, Judith Osmond has a lovely childhood. The local pastor and his sisters have provided a loving home for her at the rectory. She has attended lessons with the local squire’s daughter and nephew. That same squire, Sir Ralph, is quite pleased with her when she chances upon a Roman artifact; having a strong interest in archaeology himself, he finds her passion for archaeology worthy of indulging.
Years later, on an expedition in Egypt financed by Sir Ralph, his neighbor and close friend Sir Edward dies unexpectedly and without apparent cause. As Sir Edward was a healthy man, rumors quickly spread of a curse. Judith dismisses the rumors . . . at first.
Set sometime before the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Curse of the Kings is a predictable but enjoyable gothic. Judith is annoying but still likable. This is actually a re-read for me; Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors in high school and I decided it was time to revisit some of those titles.
Years later, on an expedition in Egypt financed by Sir Ralph, his neighbor and close friend Sir Edward dies unexpectedly and without apparent cause. As Sir Edward was a healthy man, rumors quickly spread of a curse. Judith dismisses the rumors . . . at first.
Set sometime before the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, Curse of the Kings is a predictable but enjoyable gothic. Judith is annoying but still likable. This is actually a re-read for me; Victoria Holt was one of my favorite authors in high school and I decided it was time to revisit some of those titles.
November 2, 2014
A very stern look at the regime of King Henry the Eight - and this is no romance. It puts a very human feel to the time many books lack. The reader has a narrator they can identify with in Katherine Pole that completely removes whatever sympathy romance novels about the era have created. It is the story of a family rule riddled with doubt, treachery, corruption, torture and murder. No one was safe during the reign of Henry and his father before him. It was better to hold on to one's scruples and honor because even giving them away seldom saved. Even as the narrator tries to maintain her faith and loyalty, she is betrayed again and again. There is no happy endings in this book, but there is, for the reader, the truth.
August 7, 2010
The book opens with the deaths of Sir Edward Travers and Sir Ralph Bodrean. Sir Edward was an archaeologist and died in Egypt while on a site. Sir Ralph had helped fund the expedition. Rumors a circulating that it's the curse of the Kings. The beginning of the book is about Judith growing up with the children in both homes. She was interested in archaeology and while growing up they had lessons about it and she continued her interest by reading books on the subject. Eventually you get to the present where there is an unexpected inheritance, a marriage and another expedition to find whatever Sir Edward had been looking for. Of course the book is full of drama and worry. I loved it!
July 10, 2011
Hands down, this is my favorite Victoria Holt novel because I love the protagonist so much. I'll admit it's not her strongest novel. The plot is a touch contrived and Judith's ability to let her imagination run away from her is taken to a rather unbelievable extreme.
However, the characterization of Judith herself is more than enough to make up for the novel's flaws. Judith is exuberant, passionate, imaginative, and headstrong. The zeal with which she tackles life is incredibly appealing, and it's what keeps me reading this over and over again.
However, the characterization of Judith herself is more than enough to make up for the novel's flaws. Judith is exuberant, passionate, imaginative, and headstrong. The zeal with which she tackles life is incredibly appealing, and it's what keeps me reading this over and over again.
August 29, 2014
all through the book judith was worried that her man did not love her enough, they traveled to egypt and he worked on a dig but a man involved with the pasha tried to kidnap her and held her in tomb at the climax of the story. i think i could see this made into a nice tele-movie and surprised they didn't do that in the 1980s when it was so fashionable and finance was freely available to such ventures. I found i liked the book better the more i read it, like most books by the time the climax happens about 3/4 way through it seems sad that you have to put the book down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 98 reviews