Sixty years after Alice George lived in the Sahara desert with the nomadic Tuarig tribe, she received a telegram telling her that Abu was dead. "Who is Abu?" her husband asks. "My lover," she replies. This is the set up for Blue Desert, the new novel by Celia Jeffries. The story braids the two narratives of Alice's time spent in the Sahara during the years of World War I and 1970s London, during the week she tells her secrets to her husband for the first time. If you like historical fiction with a feminist bent, Blue Desert is the book for you. ( )

The novel, Blue Desert, by Celia Jeffries, tells the tale of Alice, an independent-minded, carefree young lady whose family has been uprooted from English soil and transplanted in Moroccan sand. While her sister and mother spurn their new surroundings, Alice finds the scent of spices, the sear of the sun, and the locals’ customs and culture scintillating.

For the complete review, go to https://kindredconnection.wordpress.com/2021/06/06/blue-desert/. ( )

I have received so many wonderful books from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program and this is one of them. Such an interesting and engaging story of the British teen, Alice, who is taken captive by the Tuareg tribe after a car accident in Northern Africa before WWI. Her life in the desert and with the tribe is so vividly described, you can envision the sand and the caravan, the camels and the men. It's an unusual story in that she seems to be a chameleon who gets along within the caravan and the tribe and adapts so well, only to feel the need to escape after 5 years.

The story moves back and forth 50 years from her time in the Sahara to 1970's London, with her British family finding out her secrets and Alice realizing what her family experienced during her absence. Somewhat surprising that it took 50 years to discuss. Alice experiences some betrayal and violence in the desert, but not at the hand of her lover, Abu.

For me this was just a most engrossing story, elevated by the ending. I was sorry to see the story end. ( )

I received this book from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review. This is a book that is easy to fall into, and hard to put down. It moves back and forth between 1910-1917 and 1970, as the main character, Alice, looks back to her teens when she spent 5 years living in the Sahara desert with the Tuareg, who claimed her as a captive after a car accident. There are some problematic aspects of the story, such as whether the teenaged Alice was really in a position to choose to take the Tuareg leader as her lover. That said, Jeffries does a great job of weaving multiple perspectives into the novel, with all the characters very well drawn, leaving the reader with perhaps a more complete picture of the whole story, as Alice is a somewhat unreliable narrator. This is a beautifully written story, with a complex narrative that introduces questions and layers into the story so well that even the disturbing aspects were unable to make me dislike it. I recommend picking this book up when you have a free day to read; you may not want to put it down. ( )

Blue Desert tells the story of Alice George, a young woman who is abducted after a car accident and becomes a prisoner of some Tuareg tribesmen. She is safe and protected and falls into the rhythms of the desert and into love with Abu, the leader of the Tuareg tribesmen.

The story has two narratives. There is the past when young Alice lives among the Tuareg during World War I. In the present, she is an elderly woman, married to an important government minister, and an artist. When she receives a telegram telling her that Abu has died and her progeny will be arriving, she has a week to recall her past and tell her husband.

She’s not much of a communicator.

Blue Desert is well-written and has a beautiful and powerful sense of place. You can feel the heat, the scorching sun, and the harsh winds. In England, you can feel the cool, damp, moist air. There is also the contrast between how free Alice feels in the desert and how constrained she feels at home and in London. Because it is well-written, I perhaps rate it higher than it deserves since this is really just a more literary, highly-polished tired tropes including “Abduction Is Love” and “Victim Falls for Rapist.” These are not spoilers, we learn Abu was her lover in the first chapter.

My issue is that this is presented as a romantic relationship, that he is in love with her and waits for her to turn to him. However, she is also his only safety, protecting her from other men and the decidedly sketchy Englishmen they encounter. When she does not ask for their help, Abu interprets that as her choice to stay with him. Nah, he was safety and yes, she falls in love with him, but isn’t that what happens when you have no choice? She was still a child. It was rape and this book romanticized it. When I wonder why women are always defending sexual predators, I think of how common it is that rape is presented as romance in romance and literature rather than violent acts of asserting power. It made me feel angry with myself for liking the writing.

Blue Desert will be released on April 20th. I received an ARC of Blue Desert from the publisher through LibraryThing.

Blue Desert at Rootstock
Celia Jeffries author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2021/04/12/blue-desert-by-celia-jeff... ( )