dual timeline | Book Girl & Little Bear

Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

The daughter of an Egyptian pharaoh and the daughter of an English earl are the narrators of this dual timeline historical novel. I have read quite a few dual timeline novels, and I usually prefer the earlier timeline. In this case, I found the 1920s story of Eve, Lady Evelyn Herbert, more enthralling. It’s clear that author Marie Benedict has long been fascinated by ancient Egypt, and specifically Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut, a regent and co-pharaoh whose tomb was well hidden, had her name erased from many places in Egypt. Eve, the daughter of Lord Carnarvon of Highclere Castle, loves spending time at excavations in the Valley of the Kings with her father and Howard Carter in the early 1920s, though her mother just wants her to find a suitable Englishman and get married.

Hatshepsut’s life in the 15^th century B.C., is full of ritual and ceremony, as she must praise the rising sun each day. Unexpectedly, she becomes the eldest living child of her father, Pharaoh Thutmose, and he prepares her to help lead Egypt after him, as regent for a young pharaoh. The Egyptian settings are vividly drawn in both time periods, and both young women have considerable challenges, expectations, and limitations. Carter makes an amazing discovery, and Eve and her father are there to enter what will become a world-famous tomb. The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis is a readalike, and The Collector’s Daughter by Gill Paul also tells Eve’s story. The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters may also appeal, along with Murder Among the Pyramids by Sara Rosett.

Brenda

The Lost Letters from Martha’s Vineyard by Michael Callahan

Another good beach read, this one a dual timeline novel set in 1959 and 2018. Actress Mercy Welles leaves Hollywood after a breakup to spend the summer of 1959 on Martha’s Vineyard. Going by her real name of Edie, she is soon recognized as Mercy, and is asked to star in a new play in an island theater. She also meets a charming oysterman, Ren.

In 2018, Kit O’Neill, a young tv producer in New York City, helps her older sister Claire clear out their late grandmother Nan’s house. In the attic, Kit finds mementos of Mercy Welles, and is stunned to learn of her grandmother’s hidden past. Unwisely, Kit doesn’t immediately share the news with Claire, telling her demanding producer Lucinda instead. Kit travels to Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Martha’s Vineyard to research Mercy’s life, where she also meets an attractive man, historian Seth.

Most of the chapters are told from Mercy’s point-of-view, and are hard to put down, if overly dramatic. Many family secrets are uncovered on Martha’s Vineyard, and there are a few similarities between her summer and the Nancy Drew mysteries she enjoys reading. Island life is appealing and the play sounds promising. A young but acclaimed actress, she is considering her next move when she’s asked to read for a starring role in a new movie based on Wuthering Heights. She and Ren bake apple pie, he teaches her to swim, and she meets the matriarch of one of the island’s first families, and falls in love.

Why did Mercy never share her story with her granddaughters, who she raised after their parents’ early deaths in a car accident? Kit, meanwhile, is trying to reconcile her memories of a very loving but occasionally tough grandmother with what she’s learning of a lovely young starlet. Mercy and the Martha’s Vineyard setting make this an immersive and memorable read, with plenty of romance and adventure.

Brenda