Items related to The Abyssinian : A Novel
Synopsis
Set in the time of King Louis XIV of France, this baroque, romantic novel follows talented apothecary and physician Jean-Baptist Poncet on a diplomatic mission to Abyssinia, where he falls in love with the French consul's daughter, struggles with the intrigue of his Jesuit traveling companions, and saves the Ethiopian kingdom from European domination.
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About the Author
Jean-Christophe Rufin, a doctor who has traveled widely in Africa, lives in France.
Reviews
French physician Rufin's extensively researched historical novel, winner of both the Prix Mediterran?e and the Prix Goncourt, is a sprawling romance set in the Ottoman east during the time of Louis XIV. Religious rivalries dictate politics in 17th-century Cairo, where the Europeans live in uneasy alliance with the Muslims under Turkish authority. On orders from the Sun King, Monsieur de Maillet, the French consul in Cairo and an exile of the minor nobility, must come up with a scheme to open an embassy in Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia), a richly endowed country penetrated by the Jesuits 50 years before, though now hostile to Christian powers. A doctor must be sent on the mission, to ingratiate himself with the ailing negus of Abyssinia, and an adventurous young Frenchman, Jean-Baptiste Poncet, is found for the job. Poncet is an opportunist: registered as an apothecary, he holds no diploma in that profession or in medicine, which he also practices illegally. With one glance at the blushing, beribboned daughter of the consul, Alix de Maillet, the talented though lowborn free spirit Poncet agrees to undertake the mission in order to return with a knighthood and win Alix's hand. Rufin's prose attains a lively clip when describing the mood and byzantine politics of the era, showcasing the author's mastery of period and place. While Rufin relies too much on standard character types, from the sour, conniving father to the brash young inamorato to the innocent maiden and trusty, gruff sidekick, he surmounts their conventionality with skillful plot twists and well-maintained suspense. Readers will undoubtedly enjoy the exoticism of the setting and the historical detail, all rendered in a proficient translation. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
In 18th-century Cairo, the French consul is ordered to make contact with far-off Abyssinia. The mission falls to a young French doctor who is in love with the consul's daughter. Gravely and gracefully written, with good characterization and a strong sense of time and place, this Prix Goncourt winner looks seriously at cultural differences and the way some people rise above them. But it's fun, too. (LJ 7/99)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Rufin's superb first novel, rife with political, religious, and romantic intrigue, has won the Prix Mediterranee and the Prix Goncourt in his native France. With historical fact as a springboard and his own knowledge of medicine and the African continent as resources and inspiration, Rufin introduces Jean-Baptiste Poncet, an apothecary/herbalist working in Cairo, Egypt, in 1699. By virtue of his low birth, Poncet only dreams of marrying fair Alix de Maillet, daughter of the French consul in Cairo. Alix, however, is equally smitten and pledges her love even though the two have not been formally introduced. Offered a chance to increase his social status by attending the ailing negus of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia), Poncet sets off on an adventure that places him squarely in the middle of the conflict between opposing political forces in Egypt and France, and between rival priestly orders, the Jesuits and the Capuchins. While it may take readers a few chapters to acclimate, Rufin soon evokes the same sense of history and wonder as Michelle Jaffe in The Stargazer. Melanie Duncan
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The Abyssinian
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: Good. A glittering historical romance in the tradition of Corelli's Mandolin, in which a young French physician braves the wilds of Abyssinia to cure its king, then returns to France on an equally perilous mission to the court at Versailles. The beginning of this story is a curious fact: In the year 1699, Louis XIV of France sent an embassy to the most mysterious and fabled of oriental sovereigns, the Negus of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia). Louis's hope was to lure that country, Christian for centuries, into the political and religious orbit of France. Jean-Baptiste Poncet, gifted apothecary/physician to the pashas of Cairo, is the hero of this baroque and poetic epic that leads through the deserts of Egypt and Sinai and the mountains of Abyssinia to the court of the Negus, thence to Versailles and back again. Along the way he falls madly in love with the French consul's daughter and deals with the intrigues of his fanatical Jesuit traveling companions. Friendship, humor, love, and discovery are the elements of this gorgeous adventure, but there is a more serious theme as well. Poncet discovers the splendors of a great empire and civilization, and, thanks to him, Ethiopia will escape foreign conquest and preserve its fierce pride and mystery into our own times. The Abyssinian has been translated into a dozen languages. Seller Inventory # 00106251843
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0393047164I4N00
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G0393047164I4N00
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
Published by
W W Norton & Co Inc (edition ), 1999
ISBN 10: 0393047164
ISBN 13: 9780393047165
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. With dust jacket. It's a well-cared-for item that has seen limited use. The item may show minor signs of wear. All the text is legible, with all pages included. It may have slight markings and/or highlighting. Seller Inventory # 0393047164-8-1-29
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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ISBN 10: 0393047164
ISBN 13: 9780393047165
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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The Abyssinian
Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardback. Condition: Good. A glittering historical romance in the tradition of Corelli's Mandolin, in which a young French physician braves the wilds of Abyssinia to cure its king, then returns to France on an equally perilous mission to the court at Versailles. The beginning of this story is a curious fact: In the year 1699, Louis XIV of France sent an embassy to the most mysterious and fabled of oriental sovereigns, the Negus of Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia). Louis's hope was to lure that country, Christian for centuries, into the political and religious orbit of France. Jean-Baptiste Poncet, gifted apothecary/physician to the pashas of Cairo, is the hero of this baroque and poetic epic that leads through the deserts of Egypt and Sinai and the mountains of Abyssinia to the court of the Negus, thence to Versailles and back again. Along the way he falls madly in love with the French consul's daughter and deals with the intrigues of his fanatical Jesuit traveling companions. Friendship, humor, love, and discovery are the elements of this gorgeous adventure, but there is a more serious theme as well. Poncet discovers the splendors of a great empire and civilization, and, thanks to him, Ethiopia will escape foreign conquest and preserve its fierce pride and mystery into our own times. The Abyssinian has been translated into a dozen languages. Seller Inventory # CIN0393047164G
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The Abyssinian
Published by
W. W. Norton, New York & London, 1999
ISBN 10: 0393047164
ISBN 13: 9780393047165
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Willis Monie-Books, ABAA, Cooperstown, NY, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Very Good+. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good-. First Printing. Small stain on front of dust jacket. Seller Inventory # 77114
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The Abyssinian : A Novel
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Hardcover. Condition: Like New. FIRST THUS. First Edition Thus, First Printing. Published by W W Norton & Co Inc, 1999. Octavo. Hardcover. Book is like new. Dust jacket is like new. Seller Inventory # 509905