The Visitors by Sally Beauman
The discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1923 was the single most important Egyptian archeological find of the 20th C. Not because King Tut was a legendary ruler, but because Tut’s tomb had not been looted, unlike the tombs of his fellow pharaohs in the famous Valley of the Kings.
The opening of the tomb was huge news. Dozens of reporters from around the globe camped outside the entrance to the tomb in the blistering heat hoping for a glimpse of glittery treasure or a juicy quote from one of the archaeologists. The relentless media coverage made Lord Carnarvon, (of Highclere Castle, the real Downton Abbey) who financed the dig, and his lead archaeologist, Howard Carter, world famous.
The opening of the tomb also led to deception, death, and disagreements.
This is the backdrop of Sally Beauman’s meticulously researched and enchanting novel The Visitors featuring eleven-year-old Lucy Smith.
Lucy, recovering from a recent bout of typhoid fever, and her guardian, Miss Mackenzie, arrive at Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo in January 1922. They are immediately introduced to Carnarvon, Carter, and the other members of the British and American archeology community, a passionate and competitive group.
Lucy’s first friend is Frances Winlock, the daughter of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art’s on-site excavator. Her other companions are the children of Poppy d’Erlanger, described in the Cast of Characters as, “a beauty, bolter and divorcee.” (Love a book with a “Cast of Characters!”)
Lucy and Miss Mackenzie occupy front row seats for the Tut drama, which is as life changing for Lucy as it was for the field of Egyptology.
I highly recommend this suspenseful and moving novel.
WHAT OTHER REVIEWERS THINK
Booklist “A book of astounding scholarship on Egyptology and the 1920s, The Visitors never loses sight of its compelling characters’ search for that thing –-a great achievement, financial independence, and a kindred soul– that will give their lives meaning. The novel’s …writing and characterizations are golden.”
WHO WROTE IT
Sally Beauman is a New York Times bestselling author and journalist. Her internationally bestselling novels, including Rebecca’s Tale, her sequel to Daphne du Maurier’s iconic work, have been translated into more than twenty languages.