2 Books Like Maya & Natasha

This thoroughly engrossing tale about the lasting bond between siblings—both human and divine—follows the attempts of Clementine (Clemmie) Attridge, a budding Egyptologist living in 1890s England, to rectify a mistake made by her father that has placed the entire family in jeopardy. What I particularly love about this book is the author’s ability to take the timeworn image of the mummy’s curse and peel it back, layer by layer, to reveal the true source of the supposed curse: human failings such as arrogance, insensivity, avarice, and more. In the process, she raises questions that still have present relevance—specifically the theft and destruction of other people’s heritages, especially but not exclusively for personal gain.

It’s not easy to approach such a well-known character as Eleanor of Aquitaine from a new angle. This follow-up to the author’s debut, Pilgrimage, counterposes Queen Eleanor’s experiences during the Second Crusade to the life of Lady Aude, the half-Armenian daughter of a crusader who has spent the last thirty or so years of her life in Europe but now seeks to return to her birthplace in the Holy Land.

What I love about this book is the unfamiliar setting, brought vividly to life, the relationship between Eleanor and Aude, and the complex character of Aude herself, who alternates among ruthless honesty, less than admirable behavior, indomitability, and charm while shining a spotlight on medieval life in all its complexity.