Books › Trade wind
Trade wind
First published 1964 · 1008 pages
A richly detailed historical romance where rigid ideals collide with cynical charm in teeming Zanzibar.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into the teeming, atmospheric world of mid-nineteenth-century Zanzibar, where the air is thick with the scent of cloves and moral tension. The narrative moves at a brisk, tightly plotted pace, immersing the reader in a richly detailed historical setting. At its heart, the story thrives on the electric friction between rigid, self-righteous idealism and cynical, wicked charm. The prose is crammed with vivid textures, building an irresistibly romantic mood that challenges the protagonist's black-and-white worldview. It is a perfect match for readers who devour sweeping historical fiction where strong-willed opposites clash, forcing a journey from stubborn certainty to complicated, undeniable attraction amidst a backdrop of profound historical darkness.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- teeming
- tense
- sweeping
- Tone
- romantic
- dramatic
- earnest
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- clash of ideals · moral ambiguity · forbidden attraction · historical immersion
- The writing
- Richly textured and crammed with historical detail, supporting a tightly plotted narrative.
- The arc
- Moves from self-righteous certainty to a complicated, irresistible romantic entanglement.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love sweeping, detailed historical romances featuring a clash of strong-willed opposites.
Content notes
- slave trade
- slavery
About the book
The scene is teeming Zanzibar just before the American Civil War, when the Isle of Cloves was a center of African slave trade. To it comes Hero Athena Hollis, a Boston bluestocking filled with self-righteousness and bent on good deeds. Then she meets Rory Frost, a cynical, wicked, shrewd and good-humored trader in slaves. What is Hero to make of him (and of her feelings for him)?
"Tightly plotted, crammed with detail and irresistibly romantic." (Cosmopolitan)
Note: M.M. Kaye is the author of The Far Pavilions, one of the great stories to emerge from British India.
Description from Open Library.
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