by Linda Colley
First published 2007
Elizabeth Marsh finds herself caught between worlds in the turbulent eighteenth century. Born into a naval family, she discovers that her mixed heritage marks her as different in every society she encounters. When Moroccan corsairs capture her ship, Elizabeth faces slavery in North Africa. Her release brings not safety but new challenges as she travels from London's drawing rooms to India's trading posts. She marries and bears children while crossing oceans that separate empires. Each journey forces Elizabeth to reinvent herself, whether as a captive bargaining for freedom, a genteel English wife, or a woman of commerce in colonial outposts. Her survival depends on reading the unspoken rules of each culture she enters. Elizabeth's story unfolds against the backdrop of global warfare and shifting alliances between European powers and their colonies. She witnesses the human cost of empire building while struggling to secure her own place in a world that offers few certainties for women like her.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, historical-romance, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, forced-proximity, survival
Setting: Africa, India, London, Morocco, North Africa
Period: 18th Century
Hardcover · HARPERPRESS
Content warnings: colonialism, slavery