Mara, Daughter of the Nile

The New York Times said 'The vigor of their thoughts, emotions and actions lends an appeal beyond that of historical fiction.' That puts a few authors in their place. This author dedicated Mara to someone 'who is my idea of all an editor should be'. Uh-huh. Who didn't edit Chapter 1? The cover has an appeal new to Puffin (heroine breasts the wind, terrace over the Nile, stormy sunset). Why resurrect this 1953 romance? Scraping the barrel for resourceful female characters? Teen-appeal? Bridging a gap between Kemp/Kaye/Blume and Virago/Women's Press? I'm a sucker for books, including historical, but I had trouble with Nekonkh, sighing explosively while chewing his lip. Also with the formula for sense of period. The following which illustrate the combination all appear on page 9: 'So there you are, Miss Blue-Eyed Good-for-Nothing!' - twentieth-century colloquial punch; 'Aye, aye, so wish we all.' - archaism; 'Hai-ai! - it's ancient Egypt, see. I finished it. Maybe it fills a gap. Between Scotland losing and me falling asleep, I recall.