We had a great time discussing The Lace Reader last month, and what a special surprise! Author Brunonia Barry called up our club and answered our questions, tantalized us with hints of what is yet to come from her pen, and shared that she knows how to knit! It was a great surprise and our very first author call. Brunonia, if you are reading this, you are a delight and we enjoyed talking to you!
December's book is The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson. Here's a synopsis from the author's website:
On a Sunday morning in July 1625, Barbary pirates sail into a quiet Cornish bay and storm the church. Their loot: sixty men, women and children, kidnapped and bound for northern Morocco, where they are to be sold in the thronging slave market of the Souq el Ghezel.
Amongst them is Catherine Anne Tregenna, a talented young embroiderer. But as her diary reveals, Cat is anything but the subservient and compliant slave that her captors were expecting - and as the coast of England fades from sight, adventure beckons in the East ...
In an exclusive London restaurant, a gift is given that will change Julia Lovat's life. The antique book of Jacobean embroidery delights her, but when she settles down to read it more closely, she unexpectedly discovers within its foxed and faded pages the extraordinary diary of a young Cornish girl, calling to her from across the centuries...
The stories of these two women are destined to converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner.
One of our club members did a little digging and provided us with the following links that can add to your enjoyment of the book!
First of all, Random House has made a Reader's Guide available here. It's got some good points for our discussion.
Want to know what inspired Jane Johnson to write this story? Check this page out, it's all about her inspirations for writing the novel.
If you'd like to learn more about the author, there's an interview here that may interest you.
