I selected this book strictly due to the subject matter of Egypt in the early 1920s, but the book is more a fictional biography of an emotional and headstrong young woman, Eve, the daughter of Lord Carnarvon. Although she was present at the discovery of Tutankhamen's Tomb, her role appears to have been peripheral, and although the event plays a major role in the book, it's all about Eve and her life, moving back and forth between the events of the 1920s and the end of her life in the 1970s. Nicely researched, well imagined, and good prose. Rounded up from 3.5 due to excellent narration by Imogen Church

I was fascinated by the audio version of a book that brings to life the exploration of Tutankhamun. She brings to light the importance of Lord Carnarvon’s daughter, Lady Evelyn (Eve) Herbert. Eve had always wanted to be an archaeologist. Her father’s friendship and sponsorship of Howard Carter’s Egyptian exploration. She, her father, and Carter secretly entered the tomb before they were allowed by the Egyptian government and removed some artifacts. She never became an archaeologist, but she married for love. Her husband, Sir Brograve Beauchamp, recognized her enthusiasms and her energy. The story moves back and forth from the 1920’s to the 1970’s and 80’s when Eve suffered many strokes after a debilitating auto accident, when an Egyptian scholar comes looking for the artifacts. Imogene Church’s narration, particularly that of Eve when she was recovering from a stroke and regaining her ability to speak did the story justice, not only as historical fiction, but a marriage that never lost its romance.

This audiobook was a joy to listen to. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator Imogen Church. She did a fantastic job preforming all the roles in the book. Although the book skipped around through time periods, I did not find it hard to follow. Each section was clearly dated and although it was skipping through time the sections from the 1920s were sequential as they skipped to the parts that took place in the 1970s (also in sequence).
Evelyn, the daughter of Lord Carnarvon, was a lovable character.
Brograve her husband was so loving and supportive. Their romance through the ages was thoroughly endearing. He deeply loves Evelyn and is ever protective.
Anna Mansour is a mixed character in my opinion. Her character definitely helps drive the story and leads Eve to remember the details about the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb.

The story of what really happened when Howard Carter found Tutankhamun's tomb seen through Evelyn's first hand experience was very exciting. The descriptions transported me through time and I felt as though I myself was seeing the luxurious burial site. The listener can feel the palpable frenzy that transfixed not only those in Egypt at the time, but also how it affected those around the world.

I highly recommend this book for those who love ancient Egyptian history or historical fiction.

The Collector's Daughter is a fictionalized account of the life of Lady Evelyn Herbert, one of the first people to enter the tomb of King Tutankhamen when it was discovered in Egypt in 1922. The story flips back and forth between different timelines and it was sometimes confusing as a result. I listened to the audio version and I really enjoyed the narrator. I was given an advanced audiobook of The Collector's Daughter by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
#thecollectorsdaughter #netgalley #gillpaul

Like so many people, ancient Egypt is a source of endless fascination for me. When I saw this one was coming out, it was a no brainer—I had to read this one. I actually listened to the audio version on my commutes in Arizona. The narrator had a pleasant voice and made the book interesting while I was stuck in the desert traffic. Not to mention the story was equally interesting.

A few years ago I read a non fiction novel on the Countess of Carnarvon and I had a deep affection for Lady Almina when I finished it. This book does not portray the Countess in a favorable light though, at times that rankled but considering the era, the way she was portrayed in this novel would probably be a bit more accurate. In actuality, this book made me want to know more about the Countess of Carnarvon so maybe I will look for more books on her not just about her castle and charitable works.

This book alternates between Lady Evelyn Herbert’s accounting of her life as a young girl and as an older woman. If you love ancient Egypt and your historical fiction with some glamour and a hint of the occult then this is a wonderful novel to pick up and spend some time with. While I enjoyed the audio version, I think I might have been happier if I had read the book rather than listened to it. I like the narrator and found her soothing but I also wanted to devour the book faster than she could read to me. That was my only regret in choosing the audiobook over the hard copy.

Summary
Bestselling author Gill Paul returns with a brilliant novel about Lady Evelyn Herbert, the woman who took the very first step into the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, and who lived in the real Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, and the long after-effects of the Curse of Pharaohs.

Lady Evelyn Herbert was the daughter of the Earl of Carnarvon, brought up in stunning Highclere Castle. Popular and pretty, she seemed destined for a prestigious marriage, but she had other ideas. Instead, she left behind the world of society balls and chaperones to travel to the Egyptian desert, where she hoped to become a lady archaeologist, working alongside her father and Howard Carter in the hunt for an undisturbed tomb.

In November 1922, their dreams came true when they discovered the burial place of Tutankhamun, packed full of gold and unimaginable riches, and she was the first person to crawl inside for three thousand years. She called it the “greatest moment” of her life—but soon afterwards everything changed, with a string of tragedies that left her world a darker, sadder place.

Newspapers claimed it was “the curse of Tutankhamun,” but Howard Carter said no rational person would entertain such nonsense. Yet fifty years later, when an Egyptian academic came asking questions about what really happened in the tomb, it unleashed a new chain of events that seemed to threaten the happiness Eve had finally found. (summary from Goodreads)

Review
I can’t decide if I like the romance part of this book or not. Eve and Brograve meet in Egypt and it is practically love at first sight for Eve and Brograve but they have a long way to go before they make it to the alter. I liked their romance and at times found it tender and sweet but I was so intrigued by the larger story about Howard Carter and Egypt that I didn’t really feel as invested in their romance as I normally would have been. It was ok but for me it wasn’t the highlight of the story. The star of the show is really King Tuts tomb and finding out if Howard Carter did in fact ‘loot’ the tomb before the Egyptian authorities arrived to secure it—oh and if it was truly cursed or not.

I have read quite a bit on King Tut’s tomb and life and of course the suspected murder of the boy king, but I haven’t read much about Howard Carter. Now I certainly want to read more about him. I really liked how the author examined his character and made readers wonder if he was maybe a tab bit of a villain. The author also did a really great job explaining some of the difficulties that the British encountered with the Egyptian government as well as some of the logistical issues. For example, it wasn’t as if anyone could just barge into the tomb and start excavating the second it was discovered. I think it was like 6 months before anyone could actually get into the tomb. It also took Eve and her father 2 weeks to arrive once they received word from Carter of a discovery. I mean think about that……you invest your entire life and money into discovering a tomb and when you do you have to wait 2 weeks to get there and another 6 months before you can even see what’s inside. The author did a great job with his historical research and presentation in this book. If you love historical fiction and Egypt you will devour this book!

While I enjoyed the narrator and her performance, I also struggled with her rendition of Eve’s character. The narrator did a great job making Eve come alive, but when she was reading the parts with Eve post stroke, she even added in the stutter. It was sometimes hard to listen to but I did think it added a lot to the performance. If I had been reading it physically I would have probably skipped over the stutter parts but listening to is made the story come alive even if I felt frustrated and wanted it to move long. Overall this was a fascinating story and a wonderful piece of historical fiction! I really enjoyed it and the audio version. I have read many books by Gill Paul and have loved many of them but few in the way that I loved this one. Great read!

Book Info and Rating
Format 384 pages, Paperback

PublishedSeptember 7, 2021 by William Morrow Paperbacks

ISBN9780063079861 (ISBN10: 0063079860)

Free review copy provided by publisher, William Morrow, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Happy Pub Week!
Based on the true story of Lady Evelyn Hubert and her archeologist father, Howard Carter, who, along with others, discovered the Tomb of Tukankhamun in Egypt. Shortly after entering the Tomb, mysterious deaths began to occur to all those who entered it including Howard Carter. Lady Evelyn is soon in a car accident and suffers from a series of strokes throughout the rest of her life. Is it a curse or is it coincidence? It was such an intriguing read and it encouraged me to look up more about this “curse”. I loved how the story went back and forth between “current time”, 1970’s and Lady Evelyn’s memories. This was a great historical fiction not based on World War II. The character relationships and story line were deep and well planned out. I enjoyed reading this one.

This was the first Gill Paul book I’ve picked up, but I don’t think it will be the last. I really enjoyed the combination of historical fiction with some mystery and intrigue mixed in as well. As a kid of the many, many rabbit holes I went down was Egyptology. This felt like a call back to that! My one frustration was that the ending felt a little lackluster. It felt like the book was building toward a big reveal about the curse and then just didn’t. But, I throughly enjoyed the writing style and characterization and will definitely read more by the author.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I have read several of this authors other books and really liked them. This one was just ok for me. I think that it was the subject that I wasn't as interested in as some of her previous work. I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction still. I think this one just missed the mark for me.

As a huge fan of The Secret Wife, I was very excited for Paul’s newest book. While I’m less captivated by the curse of Tuktankhamun than I am by the Romanovs, the idea of it interested me enough to read (not to mention that Eve lived at Highclere, the real Downton Abbey!). While it was certainly an interesting story, I felt unfulfilled anticipation, like the story was building and building to a big reveal or climax that never came. Ultimately, it’s the story of a fascinating life that didn’t translate into an epic story in a way that really captivated me.

Trigger warnings: stroke, death of a parent, death of a spouse, separation from children

Lady Evelyn Herbert, daughter of George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon, tags along to her father's trips to Egypt looking for the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings. Howard Carter heads up the search for the tomb by mapping the valley and all the previous expeditions. Eve grew up studying Egyptian stories and myths and longs to be a lady archaeologist. In Egypt, she meets Sir Brograve Beauchamp, her future husband.

The story begins with Evelyn as an old woman in the 1970s. After suffering a stroke, she returns home with her husband to find a woman with questions about the excavation of the tomb. An ancient account of all the items in Tutankhamun's tomb lists several items that weren't found in Howard Carter's catalog. As Eve is the last living person who was present, she hopes to find out the whereabouts of the items.

The mystery of the items unfolds in a story alternating between Eve's early twenties in the 1920s and her recovering from the stroke in the 1970s. Gaps in the elder Eve's memory allow for the mystery of the items' whereabouts to be drawn out to its conclusion.

This novel gives the reader all of the information about the curse surrounding those involved with the disturbance of King Tut's tomb. This increases the drama by adding the supernatural without explicitly saying that the curse is factual.

The book is slow to start as it begins with Eve's struggles in the hospital while recovering from the stroke. When Egypt is introduced as a setting (and basically as another character), the pace begins to quicken.

This is the first audiobook I recall listening to that's narrated by Imogen Church. She is a good narrator for British characters as she is proficient in the accent.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction and Egyptology.

I typically don't read historical fiction or biographies, but the description of The Collector's Daughter piqued my interest, so I decided to try it.. Am I sure glad i did! While the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb and a dynamic cast of characters is compelling enough, it is the character of Evelyn that truly shines. She was fascinating to read about!

Thank you so to Netgally for the audiobook review copy!

I've long a love/hate relationship with fictional biographies, my biggest complaint being that the stories usually lack dramatic tension, and as such, can cause me to lose interest.

Not in this case.

Gill Paul solves the tension issue by giving us a modern mystery to accompany Lady Evelyn Herbert''s story. The mystery surrounding a missing artifact and an overzealous researcher kept my interest even when the biographical portion lagged a bit.

It helps that I knew nothing about Lady Beauchamp or that she was the first modern person to enter King Tut's tomb. Paul portrays her as a woman curiosity and energy well ahead of her time. I loved learning about her relationship with her father, Lord Carnarvan and Howard Carter, and about her 50 year romance with Brograve Beauchamp. I'm not embarrassed to admit I shed a few tears at the end of the book. I didn't want to say goodbye.

As for the audio narrator - she was fabulous. She made the characters come to life! I would highly recommend enjoying this book in audio form as it added to the experience.

Fantastic historical fiction about the life of Lord Carnarvon's daughter, Eve. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review audio copy of this very interesting book. The narrator, Imogen Church, is top-notch as always, with what must have been a bit of a challenging character. This begins with Eve recovering from a stoke later in life and alternates between the 70s and her youth in the 20s. I had no idea she was involved with the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb. I'll be looking more at that period in history thanks to Ms. Paul!

The Collector's Daughter by Gill Paul was a wonderful book. I enjoyed the story about the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun and the life of the main character. Great story.

Eve has had multiple strokes and other 'incidents' and is losing her memory. Dr. Ana Mansor has come from Egypt and insists on asking Eve about her involvement in the finding of Tutankhamun's tomb and missing artifacts. Through flashbacks Eve recalls her life and her involvement in the discovery of the tomb and the events that followed. Could the tragic events be the result of the curse of Tutankhamun?

The narrator gives Eve a voice and is enjoyable to listen to.

I’m at a loss for words… heartbreaking and yet so captivating. Imagine being having this life altering secret but can’t remember it. The curse of Tutankhamun plays a huge role for Evelyn. She was the first person to enter his tomb after 3,000 years, shortly after everything started to change for Eve. Was it the curse? After a series of strokes, Eve struggles to put the pieces together.
I love the way the author flips back and forth between the present and the past as Eve remembers bits and bobs. Your heart aches for Eve as you feel her struggle to remember her life but in awe of the life she lived.

I saw the "Treasures of King Tut" in San Francisco as a kid in the late 1970s. I wanted to read this book because of the fond memories I have of visiting the exhibit and how the discovery of this young man's tomb captured my imagination when I was a child.
I expected more about the actual exploration and discovery. The main character is a wealthy young woman (Eve) who went on an archeological expedition to Egypt with Howard Carter, the man who discovered Tut's tomb. I would have really enjoyed more backstory about the expedition and archaeology.
The bulk of this story moved between two timelines: the 1920s when the tomb was discovered and the 1970s when Eve is recovering from one of many strokes. Much of the novel is the love story of Eve and her husband. Another plotline involves speculation about "the curse of King Tut's tomb" and how it may have affected Eve, Howard, and other people in their lives. At one point the narrative turned to seances. It seemed to come out of nowhere and had little relationship with anything else that had been happening in the story. Then I realized this novel was headed down a path I had not anticipated.
Also an Egyptian woman came to visit Eve repeatedly supposedly to interview her about the expedition with Carter. I did not like this character, but she created a vehicle into Eve's memories. However, her presence seemed random, disjointed, and cruel. Another means of presenting Eve's memories may have been more enjoyable for me as a reader. She convinced Eve's husband to allow the interview because it may help with her memory. She had other motives.
The ending was anticlimactic at the very best.
This is not a bad book. It just did not meet my expectations. I actually found it disappointing.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The discovery of King Tutankhamen’s tomb in 1922 was one of the most exciting finds in the history of archaeology. Archaeologist Howard Carter, funded by Lord Carnarvon, was joined by both the Earl and his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, a woman who longed to escape the prison of her life by becoming an archaeologist herself. Her dreams appear to have come true when she becomes the first human to enter Tut’s tomb in 3,000 years. But not long after, those around her begin to fall ill, die or suffer terrible accidents. The press famously called these incidents the Curse of Tutankhamun, but there was more at play than the supernatural. Based on the real story of the greatest archaeological find of the 20th century, this is a fascinating look behind the scenes