The mistress of nothing : a novel

Format:

Audio disc

Title:

The mistress of nothing : a novel

Author:

Pullinger, Kate.

ISBN:

9781441771575

9781441771551

9781441771568

Publication Information:

[Ashland, Or.] : Blackstone Audio, [2011]

Physical Description:

7 audio discs (approximately 8 hr.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

General Note:

Title from web page.

Unabridged.

Compact disc.

Duration: ca. 8:00:00.

Summary:

When she is stricken with tuberculosis, Lady Duff Gordon is forced to vacate the social empire she built in Victorian London and start anew in Egypt. Accompanied by her loyal maid, Sally, Lady Duff Gordon continues to live in luxury. However, Sally quickly realizes that living a life of seemingly permanent holiday is unnerving.

Personal Subject:

Duff Gordon, Lucie, Lady, 1821-1869-Fiction.

Duff Gordon, Lucie, Lady, 1821-1869. (OCoLC)fst00124056

Subject(s):

Aristocracy (Social class) -- Fiction.

English fiction -- Egypt.

Lady's maids -- Fiction.

Tuberculosis -- Patients -- Fiction.

Egypt -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Egypt -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction.

Genre:

Added Author:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... McMinnville Public Library	Pullinger, K.	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Winner of Canada's prestigious Governor General's Award, this richly rendered American debut captures the life of a lady's maid on her journey from the confines of Victorian England to the uncharted reaches of Egypt's Nile Valley, awakening first love, testing loyalties, and discovering freedom has a price.

When Lady Duff Gordon, toast of Victorian London society, departs for the hot, dry climate of Egypt to seek relief from the debilitating effects of her tuberculosis, Sally doesn't think twice about remaining by her mistress' side. Sally and Lady Duff Gordon throw themselves into their exotic surroundings, adopting native dress, learning Arabic, and visiting the tombs of ancient pharaohs. Along the way, Sally comes to experience freedoms she, as a servant, has never known before, as well as her first taste of romance.

But freedom is a luxury that a maid can ill afford, and when Sally grasps for more than status entitles her to, she is brutally reminded that she is mistress of nothing. Ultimately, she must choose her master and a way back--or a way to the unknown.

Based on the real lives of Lady Duff Gordon and her maid, The Mistress of Nothing is a lush, sometimes dark portrait of forbidden love, tested loyalties, and finding an unexpected new definition of "home"--a compelling story that will take listeners on a journey they will not soon forget.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Canadian novelist Pullinger (www.-katepullinger.com) makes her American debut with this historical novel based on the real-life Egyptian adventures of an ill Lady Lucie Duff Gordon and her devoted maid, Sally Naldrett. Set in the 1860s, it has all the elements of a Victorian romance-an exotic locale, a titled European woman, the reviving of a first love-and the descriptions of the political milieu add to its appeal, but it lacks the fleshing out of scenery and characters typical of this genre. British actress/voice artist Rosalyn Lander conveys an overall sense of intrigue with her smooth, well-paced narration. Of interest to Pullinger's fans. [The Touchstone: S. & S. hc won Canada's Governor General's Award and was recommended for "those interested in Egypt or the real-life Lucie Duff Gordon," LJ 10/15/10; the Touchstone pb will be released in September.-Ed.]-Denise Garofalo, Mount Saint Mary Coll. Lib., Newburgh, NY (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.