The Mistress of Nothing Audiobook

Quotes

• “The Mistress of Nothing sent me between torrents of emotion much like those conflicting forces the Nile has provoked since ancient times: tranquillity, excitement, even shock. Have fun!”

  — Hanan Al-Shayhk, author of The Locust and the Bird

• “It’s Sally’s observations—of men sleeping on the deck of a ship, ‘rolled up like carpets in a souk,’ or the feel of the Arabic language in her mouth, ‘full of air and full of earth at the same time’—that bring this lost world to life.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “Romance and tragedy baked in the blistering oven of British morals and prejudice.”

  — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

• “Incorporating actual quotes from the real Lady Duff Gordon’s letters, and endowing Sally with tremendous character, Pullinger successfully imagines an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances.”

  — Publishers Weekly

• “The book’s commitment to a historical and pragmatic voice is its true gem. Even with its soft voice, The Mistress of Nothing is a tough story of the unavoidable tragedies and celebrations that three simple, yet extraordinary, lives may yield.”

  — BookPage

• “A highly sensual evocation of place and time, Kate Pullinger’s The Mistress of Nothing is a journey down the Nile that explores the subtle complexities of power, race, class, and love during the Victorian era. The book, narrated by the character of the maid, Sally Naldrett, has one of the most distinctive and memorable voices in recent literature.”

  — Governor General’s Jury Citation

• “The fascination of this deft and unfussily written narrative lies partly in the contrast made between then and now—the merciless progress of tuberculosis, the power of master over servant, the hypocrisies inherent in such a relationship; partly, it stems from the satisfaction in participating in one woman’s determination to survive.”

  — Sunday Times (UK)

• “Pullinger’s narrative flows as smoothly as the Nile…This is an absorbing and gripping tale.”

  — Independent (UK)

• “Pullinger is equally unerring at conveying the subtle cruelties of power relationships and the incremental dawnings of love and affection. Coupled with this is an almost painterly ability to depict an Egypt alternately parched and sumptuous—both literally and metaphorically.”

  — Metro (UK)

• “Pullinger has set herself a challenge that also pays rich dividends. The remarkable life of Lucie Duff Gordon deserves renewed attention, and Pullinger’s novel about this unconventional literary figure’s even more unconventional maid yields some moving narrative which, whether factual or not, rings utterly true.”

  — Globe and Mail (Canada)

• “British actress/voice artist Rosalyn Lander conveys an overall sense of intrigue with her smooth, well-paced narration.”

  — Library Journal audio review

• “Landor’s narration is solid, with good inflection, and she gives Sally an authentic voice while making other characters, both male and female, sound realistic…Landor is a good fit for the novel and for Sally’s character in particular.”

  — AudioFile

• “I couldn’t stop reading this wonderful book…Kate Pullinger’s skill is to make you feel like the confidante of her strong and unconventional heroine as she journeys down the Nile into the greatest adventure of her life. Highly recommended.”

  — Julia Gregson, author of East of the Sun