Synopsis
"A lushly romantic adventure story set in the North African desert in 1914, told by the impeccable Lady Treal as she reminisces in her London town house about her decidedly peccable past...Well-written, expertly plotted, perfectly paced."
NEWSDAY With her anthropologist husband murdered and their caravan stolen by fierce Tuareg tribesmen, Caressa's choices are death or a life of slavery. Concealing her dangerous beauty beneath the faded robes of an Arab boy, she embarks on the adventrue of her life, harassed by vicious nomads, slave traders and the envious witch doctor, Isa. Only a handful of carnival magic tricks stand between her and oblivion. Then she discovers an inner magic so mysteriously compelling that the desert people call her a sorceress. With it she will secure her freedom and discover the love of her life.... (from bn.com)
5 comments:
This one is definitely an adventure, and, in my opinion, a believable one at that. A good read that I learned much from, although, I do wish there was a map included in this book so I could see where they traveled as I was reading.
Favorite Quotes:
"He has written 'how ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything that happens in life!" pg. 46
"Watching him I began to learn a little patience, seeing how little his tirades accomplished." pg. 55
"Wealth was strictly relative: I would remember this." pg. 144
I wasn't too impressed when I first saw this book, but I really enjoyed it, especially the ending. It was a very entertaining read. No fairies though. How did that happen Celia? Although there were spirits.
SPOILER ALERT:
Okay, seriously, am I the only one who at the end was going, "Do it! Do it!" You know you were. (Well, maybe not Annell. And I mean that as a compliment. Not that the rest of you are TOO naughty, of course, just sorta.) Still, as things turned out, I'm glad she didn't after all, because the ending was perfect.
Favorite quote, the moral from Damau's story:
"Whatever you do, make little of it, for whether you excel in strength, or in power, or in riches, it is all the same--someone is better than you" (158).
So I struggled a bit through this book. It took me a while to get into it. Although, once she met Jared the story picked-up and I really enjoyed the ending.
I too wish there had been a map.
Favorite Quotes:
"'I wonder who it belonged to. I wonder how different from us they were.' Jared smiled, 'Not very different, I'm sure. They loved and hated and fought wars and planted seeds and bore children and, who know, maybe they found relics here, too, from an even more distant past.'" pg. 229
"It's when we're given choice that we sit with the gods and design ourselves: this was the moment to learn who I was and what I'd become." pg. 254
This was a good book for a long road trip to Fresno. I am not sure I would of liked it as much if I was at home. I think it was a bit too unbelievable, yet I kept reading to see what would happen next.
The hand puppets had to be the weirdest part of the book.
I have to agree a map would have been nice since some of the places probably have different names now.
Favorite Quotes:
..."everyone's life is a story full of chapters and some chapters are for telling and some are for concealing" page 262
"It's like a caravan then, isn't it, a long line of people on the march, one group passing out of sight and another coming along...Until a century's passed - another and another." page 229
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