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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In an entertaining if uneven debut novel from a U.K. publishing executive, dual story lines feature spirited English heroines—a 17th-century country girl and a modern-day craft shop owner—both with a gift for embroidery. As a farewell gift from her married lover, Julia Lovat receives a book published in 1625 and filled with a variety of sewing patterns. Inside the manual, Julia discovers the words, scribbled in pencil over the pages, of Cat Ann Tregenna, a 19-year-old British servant kidnapped by Muslim raiders and taken to Morocco to be sold into slavery. En route, the pirate leader, Al-Andalusi, is wounded in a battle, and Cat and her needlepoint skills are called on to stitch up the man's wounds, an encounter that leads to a tangled interfaith rivalry. As Julia struggles to shake off the dregs of her affair, she finds inspiration in Cat's makeshift diary and travels to Morocco to track down proof that Cat really existed; in the process, she discovers a new life of her own. Johnson imbues her historical story line with a captivating energy and momentum, but the humdrum contemporary quasi-romance doesn't pull its share of the weight. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
"A remarkable view of Barbary pirates and their times, and an engrossing romance of clashing cultures and wonderful characters."
—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"This is such a lush book! It transported me to another time and other places, enticing me into an exotic, turbulent world in which past and present are seamlessly woven into a mesmerizing story."
—India Edghill, author of Wisdom’s Daughter
"What a tangled web Jane Johnson weaves with the opening of a book of old embroidery patterns! Two heroines cross paths across centuries. Unworthy lovers, treachery, ghosts, and pirates march through the streets and seas of modern day England, 17th century Cornwall, and Morocco as each woman tries to find what is most important to her. Discovering one’s authenticity is a story in which time doesn’t matter, and Johnson stitches the threads of both stories into a lovely, enticing whole."
—Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Angels
"I was totally enthralled from the first page to the last by this dramatic, exotic, and passionate tale that slips seamlessly through time. Jane Johnson’s wonderfully researched book leaves the fragrance of spices and the rustle of beautiful silks lingering in the mind with images of two exceptional women and the men in their lives."
—Rosalind Laker, author of The Golden Tulip
“An unashamedly escapist page-turner that will be enjoyed by fans of Kate Mosse and Philippa Gregory.”
—Daily Mail (UK)
“Wildly yet convincingly romantic . . . Johnson weaves together the two women’s lives, exploring issues — love, desire, ambition, and guilt — that transcend time. Beautifully narrated . . . and a delectable adventure of the heart.”
—USA Today
“Exciting, intriguing, fascinating and also illuminating.”
—Rosalind Miles, bestselling author of I, Elizabeth
“This is beautifully written, first class escapism.”
—Mail on Sunday (UK)
From the Hardcover edition.
—Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"This is such a lush book! It transported me to another time and other places, enticing me into an exotic, turbulent world in which past and present are seamlessly woven into a mesmerizing story."
—India Edghill, author of Wisdom’s Daughter
"What a tangled web Jane Johnson weaves with the opening of a book of old embroidery patterns! Two heroines cross paths across centuries. Unworthy lovers, treachery, ghosts, and pirates march through the streets and seas of modern day England, 17th century Cornwall, and Morocco as each woman tries to find what is most important to her. Discovering one’s authenticity is a story in which time doesn’t matter, and Johnson stitches the threads of both stories into a lovely, enticing whole."
—Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Angels
"I was totally enthralled from the first page to the last by this dramatic, exotic, and passionate tale that slips seamlessly through time. Jane Johnson’s wonderfully researched book leaves the fragrance of spices and the rustle of beautiful silks lingering in the mind with images of two exceptional women and the men in their lives."
—Rosalind Laker, author of The Golden Tulip
“An unashamedly escapist page-turner that will be enjoyed by fans of Kate Mosse and Philippa Gregory.”
—Daily Mail (UK)
“Wildly yet convincingly romantic . . . Johnson weaves together the two women’s lives, exploring issues — love, desire, ambition, and guilt — that transcend time. Beautifully narrated . . . and a delectable adventure of the heart.”
—USA Today
“Exciting, intriguing, fascinating and also illuminating.”
—Rosalind Miles, bestselling author of I, Elizabeth
“This is beautifully written, first class escapism.”
—Mail on Sunday (UK)
From the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful use of language - a good read,
This review is from: The Tenth Gift (Paperback)
I cannot even recall how this book landed in my lap - perhaps something I picked up at Costco or Indigo - but it was such a nice surprise to see how good it was.The author's use of language is superlative: Not only does she use English well in general, but she also uses it in such a way to bring you into the era and surrounds in which the story(ies) take place. I lived in Istanbul for nine years, and love the exotic nature of Turkey and its ever-present history, so the descriptions of the Moroccan souks and side streets - and the hospitality to strangers that Moroccans and Turks share - reminded me of one of the many things I respect about the people in the region. The intertwining of the parallel stories is well done, and knowing that the author herself put much of her own experience into this books adds to making it what I consider a gem.
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual Premise,
By
This review is from: The Tenth Gift (Hardcover)
"The Tenth Gift" has a unique premise: when Julia Lovett's married lover breaks off their affair, he gives her an antique book of 17th century embroidery patterns as a parting gift.She is deep in her own grief when she learns that her cousin, one of her best friends, has lost her husband who hanged himself in their Cornwall home.Julia rushes to be with her and the two women make an amazing discovery about the ancient book. They discover faint diary entries in the margin of the book written by the original owner, young Catherine Anne Treganna who lived in Cornwall 400 years earlier. Soon the lives of these two women, centuries apart, converge in a very strange, almost eerie manner. (WARNING: Some spoilers here.) After a slightly slow beginning, I found this story fascinating and a definite page turner. The historical sections are well researched and the narration flows nicely. It is well paced and I enjoyed the correlation between the two centuries. I especially loved how the romance between Catherine and her captor progressed. I also loved the way both these stories ended but could well have done without the "hokus pokus" at the end where Julia exorcises some sort of "ghost" in the attic of the Cornwall house. To me that was totally unnecessary. Otherwise this book is a good read and deserves 4 stars in my opinion.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING...,
By
This review is from: The Tenth Gift (Paperback)
This is an excellent, well-written debut novel. It is about two stories that eventually intertwine and come together as one. One story is that of a young seventeenth century Cornish woman, while the other is that of a present day young woman, a craft shop owner. The thing that binds them together is their love of beautiful embroidery.When Julia Lovat is given a kiss off gift by her married lover, Michael, a man with whom she has had a seven year love affair and just happens to be her best friend's husband, her life will never be the same. The book is an early seventeenth century book of embroidery patterns, but scribbled along the margins of this book is a story that grips her imagination. Written by Cat Ann Treganna in 1625, it is the story of her life and of her capture by Barbary pirates, who take her to Morocco to be sold into slavery. Enthralled by Cat's story, Julia Lovat decides to discover what eventually happened to Cat, a decision that will change her life. The stronger part of the book is Cat's story, as she is a more likable character and her story is the more intriguing one. Unfortunately, Julia Lovat is a thoroughly unlikable character, as is her married lover, Michael, and it detracts from the story. I am not sure why the author chose to make Julia so morally reprehensible, since it is Julia that anchors the story in the present. Still, the book is an entertaining one and well-researched. The details about seventeenth century life ring true, and Cat's story certainly will capture the reader's imagination.
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