Book Summary and Reviews of The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

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Cathryn Conroy

Richly Imagined and Captivating with Page-Turning Suspense: I Was Spellbound!
Clear the decks! Order takeout for dinner. Turn off your phone. This is a riveting, unputdownable history-mystery by Fiona Davis that had me mesmerized from the first chapter. Yes, it's ChickLit, but it's intelligent ChickLit.

This is the story of two very different women, a priceless ancient Egyptian artifact, and the challenges smart women have endured in a man's world.

• Charlotte Cross is 60 years old and is the associate curator of the celebrated Department of Egyptian Art at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her specialty is Hathorkare, a rare female pharaoh whom most other Egyptologists deem unimportant. It's 1978, and Charlotte has a big secret she has been guarding for decades. In 1936 as an undergraduate college student, she worked on an archaeological dig in Egypt, making an extraordinary discovery—one that may have cursed her for life. Charlotte also fell in love, got pregnant, and then got married (big taboo then) until tragedy struck. What happened on that fateful night has haunted her ever since, but repressing the memories has left her a somewhat broken woman.

• Annie Jenkins, who is 19, has spent her life since her father died when she was five years old caring for her high-strung and unstable mother. Instead of college, she took on small jobs—waitressing and cleaning houses—to pay the bills for them because her mother refuses to work. Quite surprisingly, Annie receives an opportunity to work as the personal assistant to the revered and feared Diana Vreeland, the legendary former fashion editor of Vogue magazine. Now 75, she is chairing the annual Met Gala, which is a week away. Annie is thrilled because the Met is her favorite place to visit, and her favorite display is the fragment of a statue known as the Cerulean Queen in the Egyptian Art collection.

On the night of the Met Gala, everything goes wrong—terribly, terribly wrong, and the ramifications of what happens send Charlotte and Annie to Egypt to solve the mystery and the crime, a place Charlotte has deeply feared since she left in psychological tatters 42 years ago.

Very loosely based on historical fact and prodigiously researched, this richly imagined and captivating book is filled with unlikely twists and turns. With its superb pacing and page-turning suspense, I was spellbound!

BookwormBecky 1969

Life changing!
5.0

Curse, moth, Wedjat eyes …

Charlotte’s chance for a spot on the 1936 archeological dig team in Egypt will change her life forever.

Now in 1978, Charlotte is Associate Curator of the Department of Egyptian Art Dept at the Met Museum in NYC.

Annie was recently hired as Diana Vreeland’s assistant, prepping for the Met Gala. On the night of the Gala, a valuable Egyptian artifact is missing.

Charlotte has researched Hathorkare, a female pharaoh, for three years. She hopes to recognize and celebrate women’s achievements throughout early history.

Past mistakes, decisions, and experiences will come back to haunt Charlotte all these years later.


THOUGHTS:

Fiona has another winner! Outstanding!

I went to Fiona’s author event in Ocean Isle Beach, NC on January 9. Such an enjoyable evening!

Strong female characters that show courage & determination.

Meticulous research, as usual!

One of my book clubs has read 2 books by this author. I think they would also like this one!

I went to the King Tut Exhibit at the Discovery Times Square Exhibition in 2010. It was remarkable!

Jill

Historical Fiction
Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for the ARC ebook to read.

From New York City to Cairo and back, anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on a dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, in 1936 and jumps at the opportunity. A heartbreaking tragedy strikes and Charlotte knows her life will never be the same.

This story is set in 1978 NewYork City, with flashbacks to 1936 Egypt. In 1978, Charlotte is associate curator at the Met’s Department of Egyptian Art. The upcoming “party of the year” is coming to the met. The night of the gala an unexpected event happens when an artifact goes missing. Together, Charlotte and Annie, the assistant to organizer of the Met Gala, team up to search for this missing antiquity. Charlotte will have to confront demons of her past as they travel to Egypt, where Charlotte swore she would never return.

I’ve read other books by, Fiona Davis, and this too is set in New York. I do like reading about anthropology and archaeological digs and found that portion of book to really grab my attention. All in all this is a good read and I do recommend it, however, I have enjoyed some of her other books more.

PhyllisE

Page-turning mystery
Thanks to Edelweiss and Dutton for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

Fiona Davis is an auto-read for me, so I was excited to have the opportunity to read an advance copy. Like so many of her books, this one is historical fiction and starts out in New York. The story alternates between New York in 1978 and Egypt in the 1930s, featuring Charlotte Cross who in the 1970s is an associate curator at the Metropolitan Museum’s Department of Egyptian Art.

Another major character is 18-year-old Annie Jenkins, who crosses paths with Charlotte at the Museum. Annie is a survivor who seems to be getting a big break as she becomes an assistant to quirky and iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, hosted at the museum.

This is a well-written story of hope and family, past and present, combining art, anthropology, fashion, and feminism. It’s a page-turning mystery with history and danger from a possible Egyptian curse.

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