The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul

Synopsis
An unforgettable discovery
In 1922, Lady Evelyn Herbert’s dreams are realised when she is the first to set foot inside the lost tomb of Tutankhamun for over 3,000 years.
A cursed life
But the months after the discovery are marred by tragedy, when Eve’s father dies suddenly and her family is torn in two. Desperate to put the past behind her, Eve retreats into a private life with her new husband.
A deadly choice
But she is harbouring a dark secret about what really happened in Egypt. And when a young woman comes asking questions years later, the happiness Eve has finally found is threatened once more…

Review
I’m always excited to read a new Gill Paul book, as I love being immersed in her wonderful mix of history and fiction. The Collector’s Daughter is her new book and features a remarkable young woman I never knew anything about, Lady Evelyn Beauchamp, daughter of George Herbert, the fifth Earl of Carnarvon. Carnarvon, together with Howard Carter found the tomb of Tutankhamun and were the first ones inside, but what I didn’t know was that Earl Carnarvon’s daughter was also there. With a split time line, we see Eve in 1972, now in her early seventies, and suffering from the effects of a stroke. The appearance of an Egyptologist sees her reminisce about her early life in Egypt and a secret she has kept for over fifty years, and one that could threaten her happiness and her legacy.

I have always had a fascination with Ancient Egypt, its civilisation and the pyramids and also with Howard Carter and the Earl of Carnarvon and their excavations. What I didn’t realise was that the Earl of Carnarvon’s daughter was also a keen archaeologist and there at the opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb. I loved that Eve was not a conventional Earl’s daughter, something her mother despaired over, but was fascinated by all things Egypt like her father, an had dreams of becoming the first female archeologist. She didn’t want a marriage of convenience, she wanted more from life, to be in love, and she found that in Sir Brograve Beauchamp, whom she also met in Egypt after the First World War. Eve and Brograve’s love is what underpinns this book, it is Brograve who is there for her after her father’s death, during her very difficult pregnancy and is by her side throughout and after the strokes she is susceptible to after an accident. Through both Eve and Bogrove we see the devestating effect strokes can have not only on the patient but also on their family, especially the loss of memory, forgeting parts of their life, a wedding, friends, where they live, as well as the physical effects. In Eve’s story she may forget more recent parts of life but remebers the 1920’s, and her time in Egypt as clearly as if it was yesterday.

Gill Paul really brought this whole story vividly to life, capturing the emotions and character traits of her characters and the atmosphere of early twentieth century Egypt and the subsequent ferver around Tutankhamun’s tomb. Her beautifully descriptive prose and attention to detail captured the excitement and trepidation of Eve, with Carter and her father, as they opened the first seal of the tomb, and the anticipation that it may contain the tomb of Tutenkhamun. I loved the idea that they furtively entered the tomb illicitly at night, to see for themselves what was inside, and that Eve may have been the first person in three thousand years to enter the tomb; I was excited for her. I like the use of historical markers that Gill Paul includes to anchor the plot and set the scene, The Paris Peace Conference, the obsession of Seancès and the decimation of the Spanish Flu, all very much in the news of the time. In all her books Gill Paul invests a lot of time in historical research and it really shines through in her books.

The Collector’s Daughter is another fascinating and compelling read from Gill Paul. She seamlessly blends fact and fiction together weaving a multi layered and immersive read. I found Eve such an amazing character, her energy and passion for Egypt, of wanting to become an archeologist and her determination in life, with her husband always at her side. I can honestly say I adored this book, it fed my love of all things Egyptian and my history fascination, and had such an intriguing storyline, another stunning book and my new favourite from Gill Paul.

I would like to thank Avon Books and Netgalley for my copy of this book in return for my honest review.