Mistress Of Nothing

Kate Pullinger was born in Canada, and moved to London in 1982 where she still lives. She is the author of Tiny Lies, a collection of short stories, and the novels When the Monster Dies, Weird Sister and A Little Stranger (published by Serpent's Tail). She collaborated with Jane Campion on the novel of the film The Piano, and has written for film, television and radio. She teaches Creative Writing and New Media at De Montfort University.

Absorbing, intimate, Pullinger's story of a loyal English maidservant's awakening during a journey to an 1860s Egypt in turmoil is also a subtle observation of the play of power and love -- Lisa Appignanesi The Mistress of Nothing serves up spicy passion and romance and biting social comment in one delicious dish. Kate Pullinger's fascinating novel brings 1860s Cairo and Luxor to life, not as an Orientalist fantasy, but as they might actually have been -- Anthony Sattin, travel writer and journalist The fascination of her deft narrative lies partly in the contrast made between then and now, and partly in the satisfaction of participating in one woman's determination to survive -- Elizabeth Buchan Sunday Times