The Tenth Gift - by Jane Johnson (Paperback)

About the Book

Though separated by almost 400 years, the stories of two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner, in this work that is both a sensitive portrayal of Muslim culture and a delectable adventure of the heart ("USA Today").

Book Synopsis

An enthralling story of secrets and discovering love where you least expect it, in The Tenth Gift the art of embroidery uncannily links two fascinating women of different eras and their equally passionate love stories

In an expensive London restaurant, Julia Lovat receives a gift that changes her life. At first glance it is a book of exquisite seventeenth-century embroidery patterns belonging to a woman named Catherine Ann Tregenna. Yet in its margins are the faintest diary entries; they reveal that "Cat" and others were stolen from their Cornish church in 1625 by Muslim pirates and taken on a brutal voyage to Morocco to be auctioned off as slaves. Captivated by this dramatic discovery, Julia sets off to North Africa to determine the authenticity of the book and to uncover more of Cat's mesmerizing story. There, in the company of a charismatic Moroccan guide, amid the sultry heat, the spice markets, and exotic ruins, Julia will discover secrets long buried. And in Morocco--just as Cat did before her--she will lose her heart.

Though they live almost 400 years apart, the stories of these two women converge in an extraordinary and haunting manner that begs the question, is history fated to repeat itself?

"The Tenth Gift is wildly yet convincingly romantic--a rare combo . . . both a sensitive portrayal of Muslim culture and a delectable adventure of the heart."--USA Today

Review Quotes

"A remarkable view of Barbary pirates and their times, and an engrossing romance of clashing cultures and wonderful characters."
--Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"This is such a lush book! It transported me to another time and other places, enticing me into an exotic, turbulent world in which past and present are seamlessly woven into a mesmerizing story."
--India Edghill, author of Wisdom's Daughter

"What a tangled web Jane Johnson weaves with the opening of a book of old embroidery patterns! Two heroines cross paths across centuries. Unworthy lovers, treachery, ghosts, and pirates march through the streets and seas of modern day England, 17th century Cornwall, and Morocco as each woman tries to find what is most important to her. Discovering one's authenticity is a story in which time doesn't matter, and Johnson stitches the threads of both stories into a lovely, enticing whole."
--Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Angels

"I was totally enthralled from the first page to the last by this dramatic, exotic, and passionate tale that slips seamlessly through time. Jane Johnson's wonderfully researched book leaves the fragrance of spices and the rustle of beautiful silks lingering in the mind with images of two exceptional women and the men in their lives."
--Rosalind Laker, author of The Golden Tulip

"A gripping historical mystery based on historical fact. A sensuous, richly-textured novel."
--Rebecca Stott, author of Ghostwalk

"Exciting, intriguing, fascinating and also illuminating."
--Rosalind Miles, bestselling author of I, Elizabeth

"Brings to life a forgotten part of England's past: the capture of inhabitants of the southern coast by Barbary corsairs in the early sixteen hundreds. Rich with detail, wonderfully researched, this is a novel that will surprise and delight."
--Gerri Brightwell, author of The Dark Lantern

About the Author

JANE JOHNSON is a British novelist, historian and publisher. She is the UK editor for Dean Koontz and George R.R. Martin, and as Jude Fisher has written the companions to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit movie trilogies. Visit her at www.janejohnsonbooks.com.