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319th out of 738 books
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1,608 voters
Whispers in the Sand
Past and present collide in richly mysterious Egypt, where recently divorced Anna Coburn is retracing a journey her great grandmother Louisa made in the 19th century. Cruising down the Nile from Luxor to the Valley of the Kings, Anna carries with her two mementos: an ancient Egyptian scent bottle, and the diary of that original Nile voyage, which has lain unread for a hund...more
Published
(first published 1995)
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Anna Fox needs a break from London and the ex-husband, and decides to journey to Egypt and retrace the trip along the Nile taken by her great-great-grandmother Louisa . On a whim, she also decides to bring along an ancient scent bottle Louisa had brought back with her - and there's a big mystery surrounding the bottle as it seems to take on a life of its own. Anna has a single cabin on board ship, but *people* sure do seem to come and go as well as things going bump in the night - is someone on...more
This follows Anna Fox as she travels in Egypt, recreating the journey her great grandmother, Louisa, once did. Accompanied by Louisa's journal, Anna starts to discover that there was more to her relative's trip than has been passed down through the family. The journal, and an antique scent bottle, attract the unwanted attention of two men aboard the boat, one a antique dealer, the other with more obscure motives. But it is the more supernatural elements that start to impact on Anna's enjoyment....more
Recently divorced, Anna Fox needs a change in her life. Once her dear Aunt Phyllis suggests she visit Egypt, Anna can't get that location out of her mind. In the mid nineteenth century her great grandmother Louisa visited Egypt and created a wealth of painting of the sites she visited. She also left a travel diary, which Phyllis bestowed to her. Hidden in the depths of both women's stories are those of the ancient priests Anhotep and Hatsek. Both died a violent death at the hands of the other, y...more
WHISPERS IN THE SAND by Barbara Erskine is a masterful interweaving of three connected stories of ancient evil surviving through the ages to surface again in the present.
After divorcing her rat of a husband after fourteen years of patronizing, faithless marriage, Anna travels to Egypt for a trip down the Nile to follow in the footsteps of her great-great-grandmother, Victorian artist Louisa, as described in Louisa's sketchbook. Anna also brings along Louisa's old Egyptian scent bottle, which exp...more
After divorcing her rat of a husband after fourteen years of patronizing, faithless marriage, Anna travels to Egypt for a trip down the Nile to follow in the footsteps of her great-great-grandmother, Victorian artist Louisa, as described in Louisa's sketchbook. Anna also brings along Louisa's old Egyptian scent bottle, which exp...more
This is my first book by Barbara Erskine but if given the chance to read another I will certainly do so. I found myself thoroughly loving (most of) the characters and certainly the locale of this book. I have a fascination for books that take place in Egypt; so mysterious, so old. In this tale Anna Fox is recently divorced and is feeling totally diminished by an ex-husband who used her as nothing more than a social secretary. Encouraged by her aunt she takes off to Egypt to follow in the footste...more
Jun 24, 2011
Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
originally posted at http://longandshortreviews.blogspot.c...
Anna Fox is recently divorced and free from her controlling husband, but she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Her aunt suggests she retrace a Nile cruise her great-grandmother had taken years before. She says yes, but doesn’t realize just what awaits her in Egypt…
Ms. Erskine writes a very solid novel. Every word she uses is there for a purpose and she weaves pictures of Egypt and its scenery, imbues you with a sense of danger, an...more
Anna Fox is recently divorced and free from her controlling husband, but she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Her aunt suggests she retrace a Nile cruise her great-grandmother had taken years before. She says yes, but doesn’t realize just what awaits her in Egypt…
Ms. Erskine writes a very solid novel. Every word she uses is there for a purpose and she weaves pictures of Egypt and its scenery, imbues you with a sense of danger, an...more
Whispers in the Sand by Barbara Erskine was first released in 2000 to rave reviews. When I saw that Sourcebooks was offering a review copy, I was so excited. Why?? Barbara Erskine is my favorite author and has been since I read Lady of Hay. In fact, I remember that I had to order the book online with my first computer. I had to order it from the UK and when I did receive it I was thrilled. It took me a few years to read it...not because it was a bad book but because I wanted to savor it and didn...more
1 like
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like
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My daughter calls me a “word nerd” often, and unlike other choice things she has to say about me, with this I am not offended. I freely admit I’m addicted to books. It’s an addiction, like many others that can lead to financial ruin if left unchecked. Which is why I adore signing up to win free books on sites like LibraryThing and GoodReads. I’ve kept food on the table by feeding my addiction with many won books. This book, Whispers In The Sand is one of them.
As an American, I had a little troub...more
As an American, I had a little troub...more
I'm a little disappointed in this novel, and I really hoped I wouldn't be because I can't afford a weekend away let alone a two week cruise down the Nile so I planned on living vicariously through it. Unfortunately I just found myself becoming increasingly irritated by it so I'm sharing my thoughts before I even finish it.
#1. If you've never read a book with English grammar it might trip you up a bit. At first I thought there were just an obscene number of typo's.
#2. I just couldn't remain exci...more
#1. If you've never read a book with English grammar it might trip you up a bit. At first I thought there were just an obscene number of typo's.
#2. I just couldn't remain exci...more
The story in this book deserves four stars but I could only give it three because it was just too long and drawn out. The story was interesting and kept you reading...but when I got half way through I was ready for it to land! The author writes well but is very verbose. She describes every little thing...food, room decor, clothes ,land, sea and sky. Although it is done well...it just doesn't allow you to get to the end of the story in a satisfactory time. There are a lot of characters to keep tr...more
May 18, 2012
Krista Mercer
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
historical-romance,
paranormal
While I remember loving other novels by Erskine (Midnight Is a Lonely Place in particular scared me deliciously), this one didn't work for me.
I loved the set-up - Anna, recently divorced and seeking a new purpose, signs on for a cruise to Egypt, taking with her an antique scent bottle and a diary from her great-grandmother (who had also traveled to Egypt, during the Victorian period). The scent bottle turns out to be haunted by the spirits of two ancient Egyptian priests, and as Anna learns mor...more
I loved the set-up - Anna, recently divorced and seeking a new purpose, signs on for a cruise to Egypt, taking with her an antique scent bottle and a diary from her great-grandmother (who had also traveled to Egypt, during the Victorian period). The scent bottle turns out to be haunted by the spirits of two ancient Egyptian priests, and as Anna learns mor...more
Jul 27, 2011
Staci
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Staci by:
Sourcebooks
Shelves:
2011-reads
First thought after finishing this book: "I so need to visit Egypt!!!"
My Thoughts: This was my first experience reading Barbara Erskine and it won't be my last. I really liked the way she wrote the story using a diary of Anna's great-grandmother as the focal point and in which she was able to link the past with the present. I know that some people do get tired of "the diary" being used in books but for me it never seems to grow old. I honestly felt like I would recognize these people and places...more
My Thoughts: This was my first experience reading Barbara Erskine and it won't be my last. I really liked the way she wrote the story using a diary of Anna's great-grandmother as the focal point and in which she was able to link the past with the present. I know that some people do get tired of "the diary" being used in books but for me it never seems to grow old. I honestly felt like I would recognize these people and places...more
Jun 26, 2011
Jamie Piscitelli
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
first-reads
I was really excited to receive my first book from the Goodreads giveaways.
Barbara Erskine weaves a wonderful tale mixing both the past and the present through the intertwining journeys between great grandmother and granddaughter to Egypt. Erskine's writing style draws the reader in so that you feel like you are experiencing everything simultaneously with the main characters. From cover to cover the story was wonderful!
Erskine paints such a vivid picture of Egypt there is no need to google any...more
Barbara Erskine weaves a wonderful tale mixing both the past and the present through the intertwining journeys between great grandmother and granddaughter to Egypt. Erskine's writing style draws the reader in so that you feel like you are experiencing everything simultaneously with the main characters. From cover to cover the story was wonderful!
Erskine paints such a vivid picture of Egypt there is no need to google any...more
At best, I found this book uneven. Thought the parts read from the Victorian diary very interesting, but the contemporary narrative, not so much. Aside from the fact that most the characters acted like they were still in high school, I found the 'cursed perfume bottle' storyline a bit absurd, along with the 'magic snake'. And really, just what was all the fuss with the 2 ancient priests feuding over it anyway? It seemed much ado about nothing.
However, I loved the Egyptian setting and the author...more
However, I loved the Egyptian setting and the author...more
2 likes
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I've read several by Erskine and this was by far her weakest, though I probably would have given it 2.5 stars rather than 2 if I could. I should have loved it - ancient Egypt, genies, evil high priests, ghosts, possession by spirits, forbidden love, betrayal. Great juicy stuff, but not told well. It was really lacking in atmosphere and any eerieness. When I think how I had to sleep with the lights on after her Midnight Is A Lonely Place! Oh, well. However, I won't give up on her since in additio...more
To recover from her recent divorce, Anna Fox decides to embark on a great adventure - a boat tour of Egypt from Luxor to Aswan tracing the footsteps of her Victorian ancestor Louisa, a renowned watercolorist. Anna takes with her two of Louisa's possessions - her diary filled with sketches, and an ancient Egyptian scent bottle. And these objects start Anna on an adventure she hadn't reckoned with.
The valuable diary unleashes a bitter rivalry between two of the men on the tour who vie for Anna's a...more
The valuable diary unleashes a bitter rivalry between two of the men on the tour who vie for Anna's a...more
A tiny bottle with an ancient Egyptian curse. A modern-day story with a yet-to-read diary belonging to a great-great grandmother. Flashbacks. And a forbidden love story. All of that sounded good and entertaining, but...There were several characters that were just annoying. Really annoying. And there was too much repetition, and no resolution. For example, main character sees haunting apparition. She trembles and screams. Nothing happens to resolve. Next chapter...repeat. As a matter of fact, eve...more
So excited to have won this book, when I started it I wasn't sure what to think, didn't seem like the book I thought I had won.......that was just the beginning for me! This book was so much more than I thought it would be. After her divorce a woman decides to trace her great grandmothers cruise on a tour of Egypt wiwth diary in hand.
Hard to put down and only took me 4 days to read a over 400 page book.
Thank you Barbara Erskine for writing a great book and thank you Firstreads for the book!
Hard to put down and only took me 4 days to read a over 400 page book.
Thank you Barbara Erskine for writing a great book and thank you Firstreads for the book!
I was enjoying this book, about a divorcee that goes to holiday in Egypt, but it became very claustrophobic very quickly - a limited group of characters, a Nile cruise, and too much emphasis on the diary of her great-grandmother and a glass bottle that she brought with her. I read a few pages of the end to see if the book was going in an interesting direction, and what I read decided me to give up on it. I'm not really into the supernatural these days, so not for me.
I loved this story! Excellent story and wonderful characters. It brought back so many memories of the time I was in Egypt and so many feelings that I had forgotten. It really is a mystical, magical land, of course none of the things that occurred in the book happened to me but in this ancient land one never knows what may happen.
I must say I didn't want this wonderful, well written book to end.
I must say I didn't want this wonderful, well written book to end.
I enjoyed Whispers in the Sand, as I enjoy well written historical novels with an Egyptian theme set in de age of discovery. I would have loved to be Harold Carter.
I'm also a big admirer of Barbara Erskine and have read all her novels.
My number one read was "Lady of Hay", the first book to keep me awake all night as I HAD to finish it;
and another one I've read twice is Child of the Phoenix.
Even though I like all Erskines books, in some I feel she slips, especially when looking at the consistent...more
I'm also a big admirer of Barbara Erskine and have read all her novels.
My number one read was "Lady of Hay", the first book to keep me awake all night as I HAD to finish it;
and another one I've read twice is Child of the Phoenix.
Even though I like all Erskines books, in some I feel she slips, especially when looking at the consistent...more
May 20, 2012
Kate
is currently reading it
This book is great! If you love egypt this is the book to read. It keeps you going with different twists happening in it and is one of the best books I have had the pleasure of reading. It is also romantic in places.
Apr 08, 2013
Alicia Hope
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Mystery & ancient Egypt buffs
Recommended to Alicia by:
My sister, Jill
This story, and the way it's written, really resonated with me. My lifelong fascination with ancient Egypt is only one reason why this book will stay on my 'keepers' bookshelf. Once I started reading it, the story called to me whenever I put it down - I simply HAD to finish it, but then was heartbroken when the 'ride' was over!
The book is great, right up until the non-existent ending. It was as if the writer just got tired and said "Eh, who cares. Whatever." It seems lazy. I have a disdain for writers who do that. If you can't write a whole book with all its parts, you are not a real author. This book thoroughly wasted my time.
I absolutely loved this book , barbara erskne does a lovely job of mixing the contemporary story with mysticism and magic and she evokes a time past and the splendour of egypt so well you feel you are there, this isn't profound literature but it is a wonderful read , it couldn't put it down
Not the type of book I usually read - mystery/romance. I liked the twist and turns. I liked the three story lines. I could have done without a few choice words. I found myself wondering where it would go next and excited to read again. I guess it sucked me in. Did not really like where the book ended ...
Having not read Barbara Erskine's work before, I was completely surprised to find how much I enjoyed the book. The sort of mystery and suspense created in this novel lends a high praise to this author's talent. Purely entertaining, this is the sort of novel when only a cliched sentence will do: this book was impossible to put down.
Read more at Suite101: Whispers in the Sand – A Suspenseful Romance Book Review | Suite101.com http://jessicahastings.suite101.com/w...
I was dissatisfied with this book. I kept reading in hopes that I would like it better when I found out what happened, but I didn't really like Anna and then there was no resolution. Was this supposed to be continued in another book? If it is, I won't be reading it.
Not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. Even more reason why I would like to book a cruise on the Nile one day - thoroughly enjoyed the "diary" entries describing times gone by when society folk toured Egypt as a matter of course.
This book had such potential, but it ddn't progress quickly enouh for me and the ending was terrible! I agree with whoever said it seemed like the author just quit when she had a certain number of pages. Very disapointing!!
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book Divas: Progress | 5 | 3 | Jul 24, 2012 01:57pm | |
| the book of barbara | 3 | 6 | Jul 20, 2012 07:36am |
An historian by training, Barbara Erskine is the author of six bestselling novels that demonstrate her interest in both history and the supernatural, plus two collections of short stories. Her books have appeared in at least twenty different languages. She lives with her family in an ancient manor house near Colchester, and in a cottage near Hay-on-Wye.
More about Barbara Erskine...
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ShiteShoot, Misfit, my library only hasupdated Jun 27, 2011 08:35am
Jun 27, 2011 08:04am