I think I saw The Mistress of Nothing by Kate Pullinger on an IndieBound List. Either that or an NPR book list. Those are my two main sources of finding new books to read outside my norm. I was drawn to it by the title.
I didn't know till I finished it, but apparently this novel is based on the true story of a English ladies' maid who devotedly follows her lady to Egypt. Lady Duff Gordon lived the last seven year of her life in Egypt, where the hot, dry air kept her living longer than the cold, wet air of England would have allowed her to. The story is told by her maid, Sally Naldrett.
Sally is completely loyal and dedicated to her lady, but her life changes the longer she lives in Egypt. And she discovers how far her lady's own loyalty and gratitude will--or will not--go when Sally tries to live her own life and make her own decisions.
I think I would have liked this book better if I had realized from the beginning that it was based on a true story, because it is such a strange story for the time and the people who lived in it. It was almost too far fetched when I thought it was simply fiction. But it's fascinating when you realize that the basics of the story are true (though the author had to fill in gaps where we don't have any documentation).
So, overall it was an interesting historical fiction. And it was very short and a quick read, especially for a historical fiction.
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