Caravan

by Dorothy Gilman

Book Overview

"A lushly romantic adventure story set in the North African desert in 1914, told by the impeccable Lady Treal as she reminisces in her London town house about her decidedly peccable past...Well-written, expertly plotted, perfectly paced." NEWSDAY With her anthropologist husband murdered and their caravan stolen by fierce Tuareg tribesmen, Caressa's choices are death or a life of slavery. Concealing her dangerous beauty beneath the faded robes of an...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385423616
• ISBN13: 9780385423618
• Release Date: May 1992
• Publisher: Doubleday Books
• Length: 263 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.0" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Take this trip; it's a stunner!

Dorothy Gilman's Mrs. Pollifax mysteries have delighted me. I am late in coming to them. They have been out for years. But I love the pattern of suspense and the new cultural treats that are in store for her readers. I always learn in a Gilman book. And her sense of respect for other ways of living, of relating to God and one another, enrich the tales she gives us. I recently gleaned the shelves of Half-Price Books and found a few of her titles I had not read, among them was Caravan. And it is a true jewel of a tale.One feels a bit like this character, a carny child sent to finishing school, is historical, a veritable Unsinkable Molly Brown, and yet the story, as told in retrospect by Lady Teal, encompasses only a small part of a very rich life. And what a vibrant small part that is!Caressa's survival in the stark desert life of the early 1900's is impressive, and Gilman's finesse in presenting a foreign world and its pecularities make for suspenseful reading beyond the norm. One thing that Gilman never does is shy away from the brutal and the violent realities of her character's situations. In the primitive 1914 imprisonment that Caressa faces among the conquering Tuareg tribesmen, there are an amazing set of obstacles that just shouldn't have been lived through. No Indiana Jones character could out do Caressa's challenges.Most beautiful of all are the endearing friendships that she makes with the unusual likes of a fellow slave, a black boy, Bakuli, and earlier with Mohammed, her Arab host in Tripoli. Delightful endings wrap up Gilman's books with happily ever after as their due. But one is not disappointed with Lady Teal's surprise to readers. In fact, one should have guessed such an ending would be in store.Typical Gilman in some ways, but very nice escapist reading overall. Brava!

A fabulous ride

If you like being captivated and lured away to exotic locales for breath-taking escapades, this book is for you. Most of the novel is set in the years just prior to World War I, and a lot of the plot takes place in Northern Africa--a strange and wonderful and sometimes terrible place, as author Dorothy Gilman paints it. The American heroine is strongly etched and unique and her character development fascinating as she manages to overcome a series of hair-raising adventures that would have felled a woman of frailer spirit. In sheer power of storytelling, this novel makes one think of the novels of Rider Haggard (She, King Solomon's Mines). It's adventure on a grand scale.

A great adventure!

I LOVE this book. If I could rate it with more than 5 stars, I would! It is a wonderfully engrossing tale of a girl who has the adventures of a lifetime in the African dessert. You can read plot summaries in the other reviews, but I must say that Dorothy Gilman's characterizations and scenery descriptions are written with amazing clarity. There are so many "fluffy" and insipid novels out there in the "cozy" mystery/suspense genre, but this isn't one of them. Ms. Gilman is an excellent writer and her characters are intelligent and sympathetic. If you've read this book and liked it, I would also recommend "The Eight" by Katherine Neville. It's much more involved than "Caravan", but it's also a great adventure with a noteworthy heroine.

Good enough to be read again and again!

This book is a departure from Dorothy Gilman's typical Mrs. Polifax stories, but if you've enoyed those, you're sure to love this novel. I believe that this book is one of Gilman's finest. She writes on a higher level than in most of the Polifax mysteries: this tale is more in-depth, and builds the main character to such detail that we can hear what she hears, know what she thinks, and feel what she feels. Here Gilman reveals to us the character, rather than just telling us a story. This extraordinary character plunges into her life memories and takes us with her, and her recollections, which come alive again, are intriguing and touching.

Dorothy Gilman's best

I have read all of the Mrs. Pollifax books at least twice, but Caravan remains my very favorite of all Mrs. Gilman's books, even though it is not one of the series. If you haven't read it, and you enjoy the Mrs. Pollifax series and the exotic locations, I'm sure you will really like this one.