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Title details for In the Palace of Flowers by Victoria Princewill - Available

In the Palace of Flowers

by Victoria Princewill
Etta Fusi
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Sex and friendship, ambition and political intrigue, secrets and betrayal will set the fate of two slaves—Jamila and Abimelech—in this ground-breaking debut novel.
Inspired by the only existing first-person narrative of an Abyssinian slave in Iran, Jamila Habashi, In the Palace of Flowers recreates the opulent Persian royal court of the Qajars at the end of the nineteenth century. This is a precarious time of growing public dissent, foreign interference from the Russians and British, and the problem of an aging ruler and his unsuitable heir.
Torn away from their families, Jamila, a concubine, and Abimelech, a eunuch, now serve at the whims of the royal family, only too aware of their own insignificance in the eyes of their masters. Abimelech and Jamila's quest to take control over their lives and find meaning leads to them navigating the dangerous politics of the royal court, and to the radicals that lie beyond its walls.
Richly textured and elegantly written, at its heart In the Palace of Flowers is a novel about the fear of being forgotten.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 23, 2021

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781980074793
      • File size: 311780 KB
      • Duration: 10:49:32

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Narrator Etta Fusi draws listeners into the thoughts and feelings of those behind palace walls in late 1800s Iran. Fusi brings a contemplative voice to Jamila, a slave, and conveys the limited choices and life of servitude ahead for her and her friend, Abimelech, who is a slave and a eunuch. The novelty of this world to contemporary listeners is much of this audiobook's charm. Jamila's questions about the morality of slavery will resonate with listeners; they also serve to illustrate the high value placed on freedom even by those living in gilded surroundings. Fusi is a capable narrator who takes us confidently through Jamila and Abimelech's awakening to life outside the palace. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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