Children of the Storm audiobook

At last the Great War is over and the Emersons (ALL of them) are reunited in Egypt for their biggest projects yet. Emerson can’t wait to have all hands helping with the temple site, while the scholars want to translate papyri and Cyrus Vandergelt needs help preserving the Queens’ treasure. With all that is happening, random events seem unrelated: Ramses makes an unusual new … er… acquaintance making Nefret seethe with jealousy; Hassan has become a holy man; Selim and Daoud are beset with accidents and a new friend has a very nasty sort of caretaker. Sethos wants Amelia to find his estranged daughter Maryam so father and daughter can reconcile and reunite. Then Abdullah admonishes Amelia and issues a dire warning about a web of evil being spun around them. Can Amelia put the clues together before it is too late?This is another incredible Amelia Peabody mystery. The mystery kept me guessing even though I did pick up on some of the clues Amelia missed and something was on the tip of my brain. It makes sense from a realistic perspective that Amelia would be so busy with domestic matters she would miss the clues. Sometimes she’s a little too astute to be real. However, as a character, she usually figures something is going on and with their past history, she should have known better. The evil villain is so diabolical but actually very clever. There’s plenty of humor to balance out the story as well, most of which is provided by the third generation of Emersons. I am surprised the nature vs. nurture debate doesn’t come up here. This was a time when people were preoccupied with eugenics and went around measuring skulls and all that weird stuff. I thought it would when discussing Sethos and Maryam. Some of the characters slightly suspect Sethos is not reformed and his daughter takes after her father but thankfully that is as far as that debate goes.As much as I enjoyed the mystery, I didn’t enjoy the characters as much as I usually do. Amelia is extra “managing” here and annoys Emerson (and me). Emerson is super cranky, losing his temper left and right at people who do not deserve it. He is incredibly rude to Walter and even curses in front of Sennia. By the last half of the novel, they revert back to their usual behavior patterns. I was dismayed at how changed Walter and Evelyn are. Yes they are elderly for their time but being used to Emerson and Amelia, who are older, it came as a shock. Walter is a bit too meek and too much of an old man already. I believe the loss of their son in the war has aged them more than Amelia realized from their letters. David and Lia are as lovely as ever but their children are rather annoying. I am heartbroken that Dolly is becoming a proper English gentleman and Evvie is horrid. I hate most children, especially children in books and Evvie is no exception. Sennia has grown up a lot and seems to have gotten over her crush on Ramses. She’s hardly in the story. Gargery is in the story a bit more but not as much as he would like to be. His rivalry with Fatima provides some humor in the story.Sethos seems to have reformed. He’s actually serious about being a family man now! He still possesses his bizarre trademark sense of humor and may not be as reformed as Amelia thinks he is or his beloved Margaret would like. His concern for Maryam is touching. What does he think he will do with her? Maryam, last known as Molly, is a young adult now and is found in the most unlikely place. I did not expect THAT. I expected something else. She kept me guessing until the end. Some of the story is told from the point-of-view of Ramses and Nefret. Ramses has changed so much! He’s more open and emotional now. Nefret has changed too and not in a good way. Now she’s the one who is brooding and jealous. Skip this next sentence if you don’t wish to be spoiled about their story. (view spoiler)[Ramses and Nefret are now doting parents of twins! Charlotte “Charla” and David John “Davy” are over two and very close. Ramses frets because they don’t yet speak intelligible language, let alone English. Charla is a little flirt and while not as horrid as Evvie, still rather bratty. Davy seems better behaved and more of a typical toddler. The last scene made me laugh but it’s preposterous! (hide spoiler)]I love Selim and Daoud more than ever. They get to play much larger roles here. Selim’s fascination with the motorcar, aeroplane and other mechanics makes the story funny. The new characters here are Justin Fitzroyce, his grandmother and his caretaker, Francois. Mrs. Fitzroyce is a grand, but senile, old lady. She seems quite protective of her grandson and is horrid to her companion. She’s very very Victorian English gentry. Her grandson Justin must be in his early teens but has the mental capacity of someone much younger. He is downright weird and gives me the creeps. I know people with intellectual disabilities but none quite like Justin. He seems to be prone to fits so perhaps his seizures have damaged his brain. His caretaker, Francois, is built like a thug, acts like a villain and gets on the wrong side of the Emerson men. Why on earth is he a fitting companion for Justin? Finally, we have the mysterious woman dressed as the goddess Hathor. Who is she and what does she want? I’m sad to be coming to the end of the series soon. Amelia and Emerson are very much real people who live forever having adventure after adventure.

Every time I read an Emilia Peabody book it's like visiting family. The quirkiness of the characters makes them all so absolutely loveable and the story is always exciting. Emilia and Emerson are still passionate for each other, even as they explore grandparenthood, and Emilia's attitude toward the children is absolutely in keeping with her character...no ridiculous grandmothery sugar here (unless you count cakes at tea to keep the little ones occupied). It was particularly fun reading this exact book at the same time as watching Downton Abbey as they take place during the same time period. It added something to my enjoyment of the book to know a little more about the historical setting and manners of the time, even as the Emersons are in Egypt. I let too much time go between the last two of the series. I won't make that mistake again.

Finished an audio re-read of this and perhaps like it more than on my initial reading. I love that the entire Emerson clan is present for this book. And towards the end I also like that Ramses and Amelia spend time together working on the mysteries as do Nefret and Emerson. It was nice to see the depth of feelings they have for each other. I also enjoyed seeing Walter and Bertie come into their own a bit at the end.And the ending? Best ending ever! (and will be completely meaningless if you haven't read the early books featuring a young Ramses).September 27, 2020: Finished another audio re-read today. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and narration, and still think it's the BEST ending ever, featuring the words, "articulating with hideous precision."07/28/2022: Finished another audio re-read today and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I could never rate these books anything less than 5 stars. Or ten, if that was an option. This installment adds the edition of The Children's Children, and what a delight they are. I especially have a fondness for little Charla, who bites. XDI constantly found myself tearing up and laughing out loud throughout the narrative. Ms. Peters really knew how to throw a gut punch and then make you glad you took it, lol. I love this gang of heroes and miscreants like they're my own family. I've been putting off finishing this series for a good decade, because clearly I have issues with saying goodbye. But I think I'll finally move on to the next one, because as Amelia always says, we will not say goodbye, but à bientôt.

At this point in the Peabody/Emerson family saga there are just so many family members that you can get dizzy just trying to recall all of them. Peters brings them (almost) all together in this post-WWI tale (I can only think of one or two absent characters I'd have liked to have seen), a sort of restorative banquet after the tough war years. By "family" I (and Peters) also mean the Egyptian characters who have been there all along to serve, protect, and criticize the Emerson clan; like the Emersons they are also on the third generation. And then there are old friends and English servants . . . quite a cast list.Within the Emerson family young children abound, in particular Ramses' and Nefret's twins who are just old enough to start to get interesting. Unlike some readers I was a fan of Ramses in his earlier years so I loved the ending of this book.As for the mystery, did it even matter apart from giving the Emersons (and extended family) lots of chances to spring into action? It was, as Peters' mysteries generally are, preposterous and entertaining, and didn't stray too far from the family reunion theme. I felt that Peters really nailed the ending of this one and enjoyed the last two or three chapters a great deal. It would have made a lovely final book in the series had she not gone on to write more.

Having read several in the series I love the exact use of language and enjoy the family dynamics. It has a slow leisurely pace, which means although I want to finish the series I need to take a break and read something a little faster paced for a while. Come the holidays the easy rythms will be the perfect way to destress.

I have been reading Elizabeth Peters from the beginning series and every last one is and will always be my favorite characters - Peabody and Emerson. Love that couple and their adventures. I re-read or listen to these books constantly.

I’m very much enjoying re-reading this series by listening to the audio books. The narrator is very good and the stories are great.

I'm a huge Sethos fan, so this one's a big favorite