Unsworth is a fine writer, so I enjoyed reading this story of both romantic love and court intrigue set in the multiethnic and multireligious Norman Kingdom of Sicily in the 12th century. It was "Byzantine" in plot (intrigues, corruption, secrecy, spying) and in feel, too; I enjoyed the descriptions of gardens, architecture and, most of all, the mosaics being installed in the Cappella Reale. I was interested to read about the tensions between Muslims and Christians at such a pivotal point in the history of Sicily. I think that Unsworth does a really good job of using language that feels "of the past", but at the same time is really quite beautifully descriptive.

I posted my review of this book on my blog: https://strivetoengage.wordpress.com/...

Although this is one of my favourite genres - the historical novel with a bit of intrigue thrown in - I just didn't really get on with this book. I don't know if it's because I didn't much warm to the narrator, a young, ambitious civil servant in the court of King Roger of Sicily, who was just a bit too whiney and self-pitying - or whether it was because of an uncomfortable sensation right from the beginning that things were going to go pear-shaped. Which they did. And because of his part in this, I wasn't particularly happy with the way things ended, I didn't feel that enough remorse was felt. I think i would have liked it better if somebody had booted him up the backside. Oh well.

I couldn't finish this book it. It was too slow moving for me and like one of the other reviewers I'm sick of the male narrator. I hate to leave a book unfinished but this is going to have to be one of those books.

Tensiunile politice din secolul al XII-la, din Regatul Siciliei, le descoperim in aceasta carte prin povestea lui Thurstan Beauchamp, ce lucreaza intr-un minister dedicat finantelor si spionajului in guvernul regelui Roger al II-lea.
Pe mine nu m-a prins si nu pot spune ca este printre preferatele mele, dar nu pot sa o ignor total si cred ca merita o sansa. Cu siguranta or sa fie persoane care o sa o aprecieze mai mult decat mine.

The prose is very good, and I like the setting, but it tends to drag a bit and the narrator is kind of an idiot. It's hard to watch him make all the mistakes he does.

I liked this book, but I didn't love it. The descriptions of Sicily in the 1100s were fun, but I found the characters sort of boring and didn't really sympathize with the continual innocence of the narrator. Overall, the portions of the book that should have entranced me with political and court intrigue never quite worked -- I kept losing track of the characters and couldn't remember which one was motivated by what forces. In part, I think that related to the choice to tell the story through the eyes of a naive bureaucrat rather than from a more omniscient narrator.

A very enjoyable historical drama with an atmospheric but never stifling evocation of 12th century Sicily, such an interesting time and place, and an engaging lead character in Thurstan. The scenes with the exotic dancer Nesrin were especially captivating, and I liked how the novel swung between their relationship and the broader machinations. It never quite takes off, but it remains consistently pleasant reading all the way through.

The Ruby in Her Navel is a beautifully written, rich and descriptive historical novel which transports the reader to Palermo, during the Middle Ages. A place where Latin, Greek, Arab and Jewish live in a sort of precarious harmony, a real melting pot of race and religion ruled by King Roger II.

The story is narrated by Thurstan Beauchamp - a Christian, a would-be Knight (whose aspirations have been frustrated by his Father who, gave up his own Knighthood and riches to join the Monastery) who is employed by Yusuf in the financial office of the Palace as "Purveyor of Pleasures". Young, brave, clever but sometimes naive and quick tempered it is his journey that is the backbone of the story.

The writing offers much detail about this historical period - the religious and political beliefs, the hierachy and lifestyle, even down to the clothing and fashion of the people. However, there is also adventure, intrigue, conspiracy, betrayal and romance, suffice to say there is alot going on within the pages of this book!

Whilst the historical setting was fascinating, well-researched and described in a way that compliments rather than overwhelms the story, I simply didn't find this book a 'page-turner'. I think this is largely because Thurstan, the lead character and narrator, simply annoyed me. He is negative, whiny and pretty shallow. I just couldn't bring myself to care enough about him to worry about his fate - particularly as most of his misfortune is self-created and others suffer more for his poor decisions, and yet he continues to wallow in self-pity. That said, Unsworth does a great job of allowing the reader to explore the similarities, with regards to racial/faith tension, between 12th Century and 21st Century Europe - without insulting the intelligence or rubbing it in the reader's face. Definitely worth a read, although I enjoyed 'Morality Play' more and will be searching out 'Sacred Hunger' in the near future to see how it compares.

He's certainly... capable as a novelist. Wait, why did his other book win the Booker Prize, again? Historical novel about a gullible employee (a couple of times removed from the court) in 12th-century Sicily. Lots of Norman Catholic - Muslim religious conflict. Very exciting. But it just wasn't good enough. There's no other way for me to put it.

I had not been drawn to Lazar from the start and these present words of his recalled the reason: it was as though his long habit of subterfuge had ended by making him seem to cast doubt on his own sentiments even as they fell from his lips. Also, at our last meeting, in Tirana, he had told me that he wrote poetry and this had not struck me as a good sign in one who wanted to lead a rebellion.

I read this for the setting -- twelfth-century Sicily, a crossroads of Moslem, Norman, and Italian cultures. Unsworth delivers on that, offering a richly-imagined, complex world of cultural mistrust and misreading. For me, though, the problem was the slow speed at which the plot unravels. It's a fairly long treatment (400 pp.) and I got seriously impatient, but then the ending felt rushed. Not his best work.