I liked this book. It was entertaining and a quick read. The book follows two women’s stories, one set in London in the present day and one set in Cornwall in 1625. I liked the idea of the two parallel stories, but I found Julia and the present day story more of an interruption and would have preferred to have just read a historical fiction novel about Catharine. Julia’s character bugged me with her childish reactions and un-steamy waste of a love affair with Michael. Also, there is hardly any bad language in this book except for an f word on page five. It came across as a cheap attempt to give Julia some worldly toughness and just seemed out of place. More information and depth on the Barbary Coast and Muslim pirates would have been great, as well as more information on the influences of embroidery in Moroccan culture. I loved the descriptions of Morocco and felt the author did a great job making the places come alive.

I read in the author’s notes that she based the good parts of Qasim’s character on her husband (oh! how sweet, ha ha). I noticed this book was first published in the UK under the name Crossed Bones. I don’t know why the name was changed (copyright problems in the US maybe?) but I think The Tenth Gift sounds better. While this is a story which features a young girl captured by pirates, it is definitely not a bodice ripper and almost qualifies for the clean romance category. I would recommend it for anyone who likes historical fiction with a little bit of romance.

The Tenth Gift

jane Johnson. Doubleday Canada 2008, Hardcover, 400 pages, $49.67