Review: The Collector’s Daughter

Title: The Collector’s Daughter

Author: Gill Paul

Publisher: 30th September 2021 by Avon Books UK

Pages: 384 pages

How I Read It: ARC book

Genre: historical fiction

My Rating: 4.5 cups

Synopsis:

A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb

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.

My Thoughts

‘Eve worked her patch with great diligence, daydreaming about the Ancient Egyptians who chose this spot as their burial ground.’

Gill always pens wonderful historical fiction stories and this is no exception. The Collector’s Daughter has everything I love and look for in such a book and she has certainly done her research with Tutankhamen and Highclere Castle taking centre stage in her latest offering. 

If you are a lover of all things Egyptian with some glamour of Downton Abbey fame - Highclere Castle - added into the mix, then you are in for a treat. From the Castle to Cairo, from London to Luxor … this is a story that has it all. A dual time narrative that is overflowing with mystery, intrigue and suspense. Told through flashbacks, this is the story of Eve and her involvement in both the discovery and curse of King Tut’s tomb. 

The strength of this story is in Gill’s ability to give voice to a female historical figure who was present but had not been heard until now. What it must have been like to have witnessed the opening of Tutankhamen’s tomb! In this story, you have front row seats as Gill takes what little is known of Eve from history and combines this with her fictionalised account. 

This is a fabulously crafted work of biographical fiction which I highly recommend to lovers of all things Ancient Egypt with the discoveries of the 1920s.

“And there’s Howard Carter.” Eve remembered Howard. “He found Tutankhamun,” she said. “And then there was a curse.” “No.” Brograve smiled and shook his head. “There was no curse. That was just a fairy story.”

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.