Book Rec of the Day 5/3/2007

“An absorbing and unforgettable book.”—The Los Angeles Times

“A Dumas-style romp...dust, intrigue, devastating partings, and joyous reunions abound.”—The New Yorker

The Prix Goncourt is to France what the National Book Award is to America. The Abyssinian won that prize and others, and quickly became an international bestseller. Set in the 1600s, it’s the story of a French doctor working in Cairo who accompanies a political party on a dangerous mission to Abyssinia. But his loyalties start shifting as the political machinations unfold.

THE ABYSSINIAN, by Jean-Christophe Rufin (W.W. Norton & Company, 2000)