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Mistress Of Nothing (2009)

by Kate Pullinger(Favorite Author)

3.57 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1846687098 (ISBN13: 9781846687099)

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

McArthur & Co

review 1: I could hardly put this book down and finished it in less than a week. It is based on a true story. Lady Duff Gordon was an English Victorian aristocrat who, suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis in the pre-drug era, was advised to live in a warm climate. By moving to Egypt, she gained seven years of life, but became isolated from her family. Her letters have been published. But this is the story of her maid, Sally Naldrett, for whom the move to Egypt was transformative. Sally begins as a dutiful lady's maid, but casts off her stays, learns Arabic, falls in love with the Egyptian factotum, has a baby, enters a polygamous marriage, is shunned by Lady Duff Gordon, and learns how to take care of herself and her child while battling financial and cultural challenges before eve... morentually achieving a degree of security. Lady Duff Gordon is imperious and rigid despite her dependence on her staff; Omar is passionate and caring, but afraid to disobey the employer on whom his family's income depends, and stand up for Sally, his second wife. Mabrouk, Omar's first wife, is a sheltered young Egyptian lady who manages to be very gracious and becomes a friend to Sally. It's a fascinating story, well told in the first person.
review 2: The Mistress of Nothing captivated me from beginning to end. I think the setting made it all more enjoyable to read & at the same time learning of the Egyptian places and costumes. I was taken aback by lady Duff Gordon's cold-heart & stubbornness..., and I appreciated Sally's growth from a naïve person to a smart & strong woman. This is a wonderful & enjoyable read..., I thought very well written, only I hoped the author would have elaborated a bit more towards the very end, but a story like no other with mix of cultures, love, deception & redemption. less

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