Love this author

I started with Sacred Hunger because I look for Booker prize winners of finalists. Loved that one. This one is such an interesting time in history or people kind of getting along in a multicultural space and in the 12th century! Why can we still not get along? Anyway, a great read. He's a really good writer and that makes all the difference. Highly recommend Mr. Unsworth's books.

Unsworth draws me in like no other writer in his genre. His narrator isn't himself unreliable, but his ego wreaks havoc on everyone, not least himself. And you can count on Unsworth to make you feel just how heartbreaking betrayal is.

Jde o dobu prvních křížových výprav, což mě zajímalo, a o Sicilském království jsem toho také moc nevěděl.
Příběh vypráví mladý sekretář královského vezíra. Je to syn šlechtice, který veškerý svůj majetek odevzdal klášteru. Vlastně tak připravil svého syna o příjmy, pozemky i rytířskou budoucnost.
A mladý Thurstan chce být rytířem víc, než cokoliv jiného. Je to trochu až naivní donquijotovská postava, která touží po lásce krásných panen, boji proti nevěřícím atd. Sicilský král je pro něj bohem na zemi, čest své vyvolené je připravený bránit proti celému světu atd.
Jeho touhy a naivitu ale využijí spiklenci k tomu, aby jednak zásadně omezili vliv muslimských rádců sicilského krále Rogera, jednak zavraždili samotného krále.
Kniha je to docela zajímavá, na takového Cornwella a podobně ale nemá, místy je vyprávění zdlouhavé, o historickém pozadí se také až tak moc nedozvíte.

Set in 11th century Sicily, the main character is Thurston, the Purveyor of Pleasures (basically entertainment director) and purse bearer to King Roger. The setting is shortly after the failure of the Crusades, and the King seeks to keep 'balance' between his Muslim subjects and his Christian subjects. There are intrigues and conspiracies surrounding the palace, and Thurston finds himself in the thick of things. He alternately pines for Alicia, who was a childhood friend but now an object of affection, and Nesrin, a gypsy belly dancer he is drawn to. Lots of politics, lots of characters coming in and out of the plot, but still I was able to keep most of it straight and enjoy the book. It did spark an interest in learning more about the Crusades, however.

I have just discovered Barry Unsworth recently and I am so glad I did. His books are beautifully written stories that capture a particular historical moment: Morality Play in medieval England; The Ruby in her Navel in 12th century Sicily; Sacred Hunger, about the slave trade in 17th century England (in my "to read" list). The Ruby in her Navel tells the story of Thurstan, a naive Norman young man who wanted to be a knight, but has his ambitions thwarted by his father's surprising (to him) decision to join a monastery. The book has enough intrigue, deception, love story to keep you entertained from page 1 to the very last word.

An unusual story, in that it's hero is rather naive, vain and doesn't see what's really in front of him, but only what he wants to see.

Thurstan wanted to be a knight but his hopes were dashed, so now he's a civil servant trying to do his best for a King he glorifies without reason. A King whom others are working against, and whom Thurstan's blundering could easily undermine. Thurstan finds his childhood love, only to have the promise of her taken away again by religious scheming and intriguing.

The first chapters could easily have had me leaving the book unfinished, as they were packed with too much detail, and Thurstan isn't initially a very empathetic character, as he is rather naive and blinded by his own desires, but the intrigue grows on you, and in the end it was an enjoyable novel, even if the foreshadowing is easy at times to see through as it isn't too subtle to begin a book with what will be it's ending.

I really enjoyed this -- set in 1120 (or thereabouts, I forget the date), Ruby in Her Navel was full of court intrigue, historical background, and gorgeous writing. Also, plenty of foppish clothing details from our narrator, Thurstan, who works in the court of the Sicilian King. Thurstan, while bright enough and full of high ideals, is also terribly vain, naive, and short-tempered. We can see from the outset that these characteristics are going to cause big trouble for him -- and indeed they do. The scheming and plotting are fun, but what I really enjoyed about the book was Unsworth's beautiful, evocative writing, which brought the time and place vividly to life for me. I'll remember the castle with the giant revolving bronze mirrors, the poor trapped herons Thurstan procurs(bought to be killed by the king's falcons), and of course the lady of the title -- even if I had trouble keeping straight who was trying to trick whom into doing what.

A rare Could-Not-Finish. The characters and the plot were promising, but the writing was just so boring.

One boring star.

Political intrigue is in the forefront of this novel that traverses the strange court of King Roger of Sicily. The city of Palermo is diverse in the 12th century, with Jews, Christians, and Muslims all living side by side; yet not all is well in the city.

Thurstan is an ambitious Norman Christian who strives to become a knight even as he works in the financial offices of King Roger. Yusuf, an Arab Muslim, is his employer who sets him off on a series of tasks that involve the management of blackmail and bribes. In the hunt to find new entertainment for the court as well, Thurstan comes across a group of dancers who move their bodies in such a way that has never before been seen in the Palermo court. Hoping the group of dancers will bring him favor and one step closer to his desires of knighthood, Thurstan brings them to Palermo and so begins a series of twists and turns greater than those of the dancer's feet. While the representation of different religious groups was very interesting, especially in a location such as Sicily during this time, the historical elements of this novel were about the only intriguing element. I found Thurstan to be both boring and stupid, his actions self-serving and destructive even when he knew full well they would be. While I found the dancer Nesrin to be a fire within the dullness of this novel, her plot was meant only the be attached to Thurstan and was subsequent to his failure with another noblewoman. It was just all too simple and too predictable as to the troupe this novel took. The intrigue of court life in Palermo was not that intriguing in the end and the characters failed to come to life.

While this novel wrapped up nicely in a cute little bow, it was precisely for this reason that I found it less than desirable. The predictability and lackluster twists did not carry the story and left for two dimensional characters.

The story of a twelfth February noble man and his relationship with a court dancer. The story is set in various locations around Europe and contains a wealth of information historical, geographical and religious. It is the level of detailed research that gained it a 3 star review from me as I really didn't think much of the story.

This book was tedious. It was technically well written but , in my veiw, boring. The relationship between the main characters felt flat and passionless. There was possibly to much focus on detail of history and too little character development for my liking.

“A Novel of Love and Intrigue”…The intrigue was boring and the love was laughable. I picked this up because I loved Morality Play, but this book pales in comparison.

I read Unsworth’s ‘The Songs of the Kings’ earlier this year and loved it, so had high hopes for this book. What was most fascinating about it was the vivid depiction of life in twelfth century Sicily, under King Roger - the political intrigue, the glittering churches and palaces, the clothes and way of life of the elite, the meeting of many languages and cultures in one small island. I wish I had known about ‘The Ruby in her Navel’ when I visited Sicily a few years ago - that would have been the perfect place to read it. As a story I found it lacking - I found it difficult to engage with Thurstan, the first person narrator, and was not drawn in by the plot until very near the end of the book. And then a lot happened quickly and somewhat melodramatically, with a predictable (and uninspiring) ending.