The Glittering Strand
A triumphant story of a young woman's fight for independence
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
A desperate fight for her birthright and freedom...
Spiced with the colour and sensuous splendour of the sixteenth-century silk trade, Judith Lennox's The Glittering Strand is the triumphant story of a young woman's fight for independence. Perfect for fans of Rachel Hore and Kate Morton.
Serafina Guardi and her father, a wealthy silk merchant from Marseilles, are sailing to Italy to celebrate her betrothal when their ship is captured by Barbary corsairs. Serafina finds herself plunged into the unknown, brutal world of the North African slave states. From there, she begins the long struggle to free herself from servitude.
Serafina's wit and beauty are tempered by her ruthlessness - a ruthlessness which eventually threatens to lose her both her lover and her child. Embattled by the prejudices of the age and by the ambitions of her treacherous cousin Angelo, Serafina fights against poverty, loneliness and despair, vowing to regain her lost inheritance - the Guardi silk house - at whatever cost.
What readers are saying about Judith Lennox:
'Ideal escapism'
'[Judith Lennox] is the ultimate storyteller... her stories are compelling and beautifully descriptive of both characters and feelings'
'[Judith Lennox's] characters are marvellously drawn, and their lives draw the reader totally into the story'
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Surpassing her most recent effort, The Italian Garden , Lennox here offers a captivating, multifaceted saga, set in the 16th century and sparked by a strong, ``modern'' heroine. Through the machinations of an illegitimate cousin, pampered nine-year-old Serafina Capriani is taken from her father, a Marseilles merchant, and sold into slavery on the Barbary Coast. Saved from death by a loving master, Serafina grows to womanhood vowing to regain her rightful place and to destroy her cousin Angelo at his own game. Dashing pilot Thomas Marlowe, cast unwillingly into Serafina's life, grows to love her and supports her ambitions, hoping that she will return his affections. Lennox employs fewer period details than usual, engaging her readers with the engrossing personalities of her players and a spare, elegant prose style that enhances dramatic tension. Compelling secondary characters add dimension while strengthening the intricate, carefully constructed plot. This novel is certain to gratify readers of historical romance--and is worthy of a wider audience as well.
