SECRETS OF THE SANDS

It is 1833. William Wilberforce has brought about the abolition of slavery within the British Empire, but elsewhere others are less fortunate. Zena, a beautiful and headstrong young Abyssinian girl, is captured by slave traders and brought from her home village to Muscat, where she becomes the property of Lieutenant James Wellstead, an ambitious British naval officer, who is there surveying the Arabian Peninsula. When he embarks on a mission to rescue two fellow officers, Zena is in the party which travels with him into the desert. It is a journey that will change both their lives.Hearing that three letters, written by James Wellstead and held in the John Murray archive at the National Library of Scotland, inspired Sara Sheridan to write Secret of the Sands, piqued my interest in this book. I wanted to see how the author handled a novel which was centred around a real person and what she knew about him from his letters and journals but which was also a fictional imagining.After reading a few pages, it became clear that James Wellstead was in extremely capable hands. Sara Sheridan is a consummate storyteller, moving from Abyssinia to London to Bombay to Muscat and into the desert or along the Arabian coast with ease. She conjures each place with its accompanying sights, sounds and smells, so that you feel as if you are right there, and then peoples it with a diverse range of characters. I admired the central characters of Wellstead and Zena, who may come from totally different backgrounds but who both find the strength to adapt to their environment and devise ways of coping with whatever trials and hardships they have to face. I practically cheered every attempt of Wellstead's to understand and learn about the country, its people and customs, which was in stark contrast to the attitude shown by his fellow British officers. I smiled and urged Zena on in her subtle shows of defiance. I also grew fond of the captive Doctor Jessop, as well as the Arabian Mr Fix-It, Mickey and his wife, Farida.Secret of the Sands is wonderful storytelling and was such a captivating read that I felt as if someone were sitting beside me, whispering the story to me, while watching it unfold in front of us.

This book is engaging and an easy read yet provides an interesting insight into the nomadic life in Arabia during the period following the abolition of slavery in Britain and many other countries. A positive book which does not judge either the British attitudes towards Arabia or Arab lifestyle and values which is refreshing and left me reflecting on the different aspects of life people value and respect. The story of a naval officer who falls in love with a slave sounds a bit trite but it is far from that and provides a gentle love story running through the book in contrast to the harsh life of living in the desert.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. The characters were interesting and believable and the plot, though quite complex, was very entertaining. Descriptions of the desert it's seering heat and the vastness of it could be easily imagined. I will certainly be reading more novels by the author Sara Sheridan!

I was fascinated by this book. Not only did it raised issues of the brutality of slavery, the hardship of surviving a nomadic existance in the desert, but how brave explorers were mapping our seas and lands. Although only fiction it conjures up the desire for adventure and knowledge in a time before modern technology.

I brought this book because of the other reviews and I was disappointed. It took me almost a third of the book to get into the story, which was ok, but not stunning. Initially there were too many characters and the chapters jumped around too much for me to really follow the story. Once it got going I did manage to read it faster, but was glad when it was finished so I could start something new. Not really memorable and I would probably not read another book by this author.

Nicely written historical fiction. Easy and entertaining read, despite the evident clichés. I particularly liked the description of Muscat & the desert.

Really enjoyed this apart from the silly romance. I read it for the atmosphere as I used to live in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive passages etc. were very good, but the romance oh dear.

This is an excellent book. If you have read and enjoyed the Patrick O'Brien Series you will certainly appreciate this novel. The main character has tremendous potential for a whole series of these books on a topic which is as equally spellbinding as it is indicative of the time it happens in. Why you've even got the Doctor!! Come on Sarah!!