Play Book Tag discussion

Mistress of Nothing - Pullinger
Audio performance by Rosalyn Landor
3.5 stars

Lady Duff Gordon was well known in Victorian England for her published translations and her literary social life. When tuberculosis forced her retreat to Egypt for the health benefits of hot dry air, she was celebrated for her published letters. Her lady’s maid, Sally, was also a real person. This book is Sally’s fictional story.

Sally has a lot to say about the role of a confidential lady’s maid, beginning with the book’s opening sentence, “The truth is, that to her, I was not fully human.” She gives a detailed, heart rending, account of her evolution from intimate, trusted servant, to rejected pariah. I enjoyed the historical details of this story. Lady Duff Gordon was a vibrant personality who was very willing to reject society’s restrictions when they interfered with her comfort. She was unwilling to allow Sally the similar freedoms. The story drags quite a bit as Sally grapples with the consequences of her choices, but I felt that the final outcome was realistic; hopeful, if not a resounding happily ever after.

This sounds interesting. I think I would enjoy this.

I love the title.

It made me want to read more about Egypt in this era. It was just as the world was falling in love with Egyptian excavations, but before the Tut discoveries.