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The Mistress Of Nothing

The Mistress Of Nothing

by KatePullinger (Author)

  • Used

    Paperback 2009

    $3.36
Synopsis

Lady Duff Gordon is the toast of Victorian London. But when her debilitating tuberculosis means exile, she and her devoted lady's maid, Sally, set sail for Egypt. It is Sally who describes, with a mixture of wonder and trepidation, the odd menage marshalled by the resourceful Omar, which travels down the Nile to a new life in Luxor. When Lady Duff Gordon undoes her stays and takes to native dress, throwing herself into weekly salons; language lessons; excursions to the tombs; Sally too adapts to a new world, affording her heady and heartfelt freedoms never known before. But freedom is a luxury that a maid can ill-afford, and when Sally grasps more than her status entitles her to, she is brutally reminded that she is mistress of nothing.

$3.36

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More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 272
 Edition: Main
 Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Published: 09 Jul 2009
ISBN 10: 1846687098
ISBN 13: 9781846687099
Book Overview: Lushly evocative novel set in 1860s Luxor, Egypt

Media Reviews
Absorbing, intimate, Pullinger's story of a loyal English maidservant's awakening during a journey to an 1860s Egypt in turmoil is also a subtle observation of the play of power and love * Lisa Appignanesi *
A lush and compelling tale of two very different women discovering a whole new world * The Gloss *
Scorchingly powerful * Good Housekeeping *
This is a fascinating, intelligent novel, exploring the snobbery upon which the sun never sets -- Kate Saunders * The Times *
Beautifully told and moving -- Antony Beevor * Guardian *
Unerring at coveying the subtle cruelties of power relationships and the incremental dawnings of love and affection. Coupled with this is an almost painterly ability to depict and Egypt alternately parched and sumptuous - both literally and metaphorically * Metro *
Pullinger's involving novel seamlessly blends fact and fiction, combining the heady romance of Egypt with a cold splash of realism * Daily Mail *
A fascinating story... there is much to admire in this unusual love story -- Lesley McDowell * Independent on Sunday *
Intriguing... unusual and very absorbing * Saga *
A subtle debunking of a literary mistress through the eyes of the maidservant... Deft and unfussily written -- Elizabeth Buchan * Sunday Times *
Pullinger's narrative flows as smoothly as the Nile whose density and odour she so seductively evokes. This is an absorbing and gripping tale -- Nicholas Murray * Independent *
The Mistress of Nothing sent me between torrents of emotion much like those conflicting forces the Nile has provoked since ancient times; tranquillity, excitement, even shock -- Hanan Al-Shaykh
Author Bio
Kate Pullinger was born in Canada, and moved to London in 1982 where she still lives. She is the author of Tiny Lies, a collection of short stories, and the novels When the Monster Dies, Weird Sister and A Little Stranger (published by Serpent's Tail). She collaborated with Jane Campion on the novel of the film The Piano, and has written for film, television and radio. She teaches Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University.