The Tenth Gift: A Novel
The art of embroidery uncannily links two fascinating women of different eras and their equally passionate love storiesIn an expensive London restaurant, Julia Lovat receives a gift that will change her life. At first glance it is a book of exquisite seventeenth-century embroidery patterns belonging to a woman named Catherine Ann Tregenna. Yet in its margins are the faintest diary entries; they reveal that "Cat" and others were stolen from their Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves. Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat's mesmerizing story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia will discover buried secrets. And in Morocco--just as Cat did before her--she will lose her heart.Set almost 400 years apart, the stories of these two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner that will make readers wonder--is history fated to repeat itself? A literary mystery, historical adventure, and dual love story, The Tenth Gift literally crosses genres with narrative ease and prose that is as captivating as the characters who people this unforgettable tale.From the Hardcover edition.
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Community Reviews
This book was all right. Not my favorite piece of literature, but I still found myself engrossed in it (the historical portion at least) and had to stay up into the wee hours of the morning to see how it all turned out.
First of all, I was thrilled that this was not a bodice-wripping story. I was afraid on several points that the author was going to take us there, but she didn't. She kept it relatively clean with one exception...I was annoyed by the main character's selfish involvement with her best friend's husband, and that kinda got the main character and I off to a rough start. Her lover breaks things off with her at the beginning and attempts to reconcile with his wife, but the main character (Julia) is devastated and hurt by her loss, and I just couldn't sympathize with her at all or feel anything but contempt.
Sadly, I don't really feel that Julia truly grows from her mistakes. Sure, she chooses to get involved with a single unattached man the next time, which is much smarter, but Julia didn't really develop or blossom into someone less shallow.
Honestly, this book follows that all-too-familiar plot line (or rather lack of plot) where the main character is seemingly irresistible to every male she meets. Call me petty but that rather irks me. I recognize that I read sometimes to escape reality, but seriously why is it that some author's write about such perfectly beautiful people ALL THE TIME who feel it is their right to always get what they want?
Perhaps I am jealous, perhaps my cynical side is showing. I just don't identify with that all-too-predictable story line. I don't know what it is like to be desired like that, but quite frankly, I don't need to be desired by every man in a room. HA! I don't want that. I would settle for one man in a thousand rooms...
First of all, I was thrilled that this was not a bodice-wripping story. I was afraid on several points that the author was going to take us there, but she didn't. She kept it relatively clean with one exception...I was annoyed by the main character's selfish involvement with her best friend's husband, and that kinda got the main character and I off to a rough start. Her lover breaks things off with her at the beginning and attempts to reconcile with his wife, but the main character (Julia) is devastated and hurt by her loss, and I just couldn't sympathize with her at all or feel anything but contempt.
Sadly, I don't really feel that Julia truly grows from her mistakes. Sure, she chooses to get involved with a single unattached man the next time, which is much smarter, but Julia didn't really develop or blossom into someone less shallow.
Honestly, this book follows that all-too-familiar plot line (or rather lack of plot) where the main character is seemingly irresistible to every male she meets. Call me petty but that rather irks me. I recognize that I read sometimes to escape reality, but seriously why is it that some author's write about such perfectly beautiful people ALL THE TIME who feel it is their right to always get what they want?
Perhaps I am jealous, perhaps my cynical side is showing. I just don't identify with that all-too-predictable story line. I don't know what it is like to be desired like that, but quite frankly, I don't need to be desired by every man in a room. HA! I don't want that. I would settle for one man in a thousand rooms...
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