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A Ruby in her Navel

A Ruby in her Navel

Author(s): Barry Unsworth

Location(s): Sicily

Genre(s): Fiction, Historical

Era(s): 12th Century

Location

Content

The Court of King Roger in Twelfth century Sicily simmers with the volatile passions of Christians, Muslims, Jews, Latins and Greeks. Among them, a young Norman called Thurstan Beauchamp finds employment under Yusuf, a Muslim who holds the Christian king’s purse strings.

But while Thurstan wishes to be made a Knight, he has little taste for courtly intrigues and instead divides his time between the divine – in the shape of childhood sweetheart Lady Alicia – and the delightful: the sensuous and exotic dancer Nesrin.

However, in his pursuit of love and knighthood, Thurstan has yet to appreciate that he may also be a pawn in a far more deadly game …

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Book Reviews

Lead Review

The author evokes the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the twelfth-century Mediterranean in remarkable detail..the Gardens of Favara, the Court Society, the pilgrims in Bari – he really captures the heady mix...

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