About the Book
About the Book
Fatima's Good Fortune
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Fatima Monsour, a Tunisian spinster, is entering a new phase in her life. While mending a broken heart after her husband Mahmoud divorced her, Fatima receives the tragic news that her sister Rachida has been killed in a freak accident. The Countess Poulais du Roc, who employed Rachida as her maid, summons Fatima to Paris in order to replace her deceased sister.
At first Fatima feels like a fish out of water in Paris, away from her lovely native island of Djerba. Even the most mundane tasks --- such as walking the Countess's dog, buying groceries, taking the metro, and reading to the Countess --- prove to be challenging. The Countess has her own doubts about Fatima and her ability to succeed in the City of Lights.
However, Fatima soon meets a number of charming and good-hearted people who help her adjust to this strange new life. They include Victorine, a boisterous and affable Sengalese housemaid; Hadley Hadley III, an aspiring young writer who assumes the role of Fatima's personal reading tutor; and Hippolyte Suget, a shy ballet dancer turned burglar. Fatima gradually begins to feel that she has found a new home, especially when she earns the affection and trust of the Countess, who has issues of her own to deal with, namely the loss of her husband and the estrangement of her rebel daughter.
Husband and wife team Joanne and Gerry Dryansky has written a heartwarming first novel. This endearing and witty story of love, loneliness and determination to survive emphasizes the qualities shared by people of different backgrounds and the enduring power of kindness in an unpredictable world.
Fatima's Good Fortune
- Publication Date: October 1, 2003
- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Miramax
- ISBN-10: 1401351999
- ISBN-13: 9781401351991