The Mistress of Nothing, By Kate Pullinger

It took 10 years for Kate Pullinger to research and write this book about Sally Naldrett, the real-life maidservant to Lady Lucie Duff Gordon – one of many aristocrats who travelled to warmer climes for health reasons in the 19th century. Duff Gordon suffered from tuberculosis, published a volume of letters about her seven-year stay in Luxor, Egypt, and was close to her maidservant – until the latter had the temerity to have an affair with another servant, Omar Abu Halaweh, and get pregnant. Sally was cast off by her employer, though Omar was excused his "indiscretion".

It's a fascinating story, and Pullinger's portrayal of Duff Gordon is convincing. But I'm not sure the author gets to the bottom of her heroine's psychological make-up: she gives Naldrett a life-long fascination with Egypt and a natural attraction to Omar, but something is missing and there is a reticence in the prose. That said, there is much to admire in this unusual love story, from the sights and smells of Alexandria to the horribly real description of "cupping".