The Mistress of Nothing (2009)

Lady Duff Gordon, dying of TB in Egypt, loves her devoted maid -- until her maid falls in love with someone else. ( )

I haven't read this book in a two years and I still think about the story and plot--I need to read more of this author or genre. ( )

I enjoyed the first Part of this book (Life) but cared less about Parts 2 and 3 (Death and Afterlife).

I liked that the story jumps right into the heart of the story -- travelling to Egypt -- and summarizes the back stories of the characters quickly. The book could have started with Sally's childhood, the loss of her parents and living with an aunt only to be put into service at the Duff Gordon household, and followed her career there, including the year on a ship to South Africa and back. That in itself could have been a book, and I like that this book seems like the sequel to a story so that you don't have to read all that background. Life travelling through Egypt, learning its customs, is interesting.

Then Sally has a baby and everything changes. Lady Duff Gordon's reaction, in my opinion, does not fit at all with the character built in the first half. I know the author frames it as the reaction to being dupped for so long, but her complete rejection of the situation is too extreme.

I also felt, in Parts 2 and 3, that I did not know Omar at all. In Part 1 I started to get to know him, but then a curtain is pulled up and he's a stock character in some respects. None of his actions seemed to fit any particular sketch I could come up with. How could he be so loyal and loving to two different women (Lady DG and Sally) at the same time? The presence of his Egyptian wife and his treatment of her seemed logical, given the culture, but not the rest.

Part 3 was very short and did not craft the scenes and characters as Part 1 did and I was happy for it to end.

Yes, I liked reading the historical and cultural information. I recognize that the writing was well crafted in some parts. But as a whole, I was not impressed with the book. Not as an award winning (Governor General) book.

A vacation read, perhaps, or for a high school ISU, but not as great literature. ( )

Enh. It's just not grabbing me.

I enjoyed this book. I especially liked the author's writing style... I felt like I was reading something from a close friend. Pullinger's descriptions of Egypt were quite captivating as well. ( )