The Tenth Gift, By Jane Johnson

Friday 24 April 2009 00:00 BST

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Jane Johnson – better known as the genre writer Jude Fisher – takes a break from warriorprincesses and wizards to explore a fantastical story plucked from the pages of real life. In 1625, a group of

Barbary corsairs landed in Cornwall, taking captive 60 locals. Re-imagining this historical event, Johnson follows the fate of Cat Tregenna, a spirited lady's maid who surrenders herself to her new

destiny, and into the arms of the infidel. Back in the present day, Julia Lovat, fresh from an affair with a married man, comes across Cat's diary entries in a needlework book. Written with charm and gusto Johnson revivifies the guilty pleasures of historical romance.

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