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2000s: A story of love and hope in Marrakech and France
2000s: A story of love and hope in Marrakech and France
Sky is devastated when she finds that her husband is in love with someone else, even more that it is her oldest friend Nick. She has lost the two most important men in her life and can’t ever trust either of them again. To escape, she goes alone on a dream trip to Marrakesh and meets Gail, on a mission to meet the father of her child, a man she loved but thought did not want her. In Marrakesh, Sky and Gail both find unexpected joys – and surprises. For Sky these lead to France, to a beautiful chateau and a family whose relationships seem as complicated as her own.
Marrakesh, a former imperial city in western Morocco, is a stunningly beautiful city and home to mosques, palaces and gardens. The medina – the old town – is the walled medieval city dating to the Berber Empire, with mazelike alleys where it’s easy to get lost as the characters find out. Thriving souks (marketplaces) sell traditional textiles, pottery and jewelry. The author first visited the city when she was fourteen and always promised herself one day that she would return. She and her husband actually stayed in the very same Riad which features in the novel.
From the symbol of the novel to the symbol of the city – that would be the Moorish minaret of 12th-century Koutoubia Mosque.
The author explains:
“ I am co-owner of Chez Castillon in South West France. It is a large eighteenth century town house where we offer courses and retreats in writing /painting and photography. It is fully inclusive so I am mostly in charge of cooking for the week, whilst my husband deals with the wine and the BBQ.”
The atmosphere in the book mirrors her real life experience of this area:
“There is the sturdy young man who drives the lorry for the fruit and veg delivery, he wears shorts every day of the year and has a voice like a clap of thunder; I know the exact time when the mouth watering aroma of fresh baguettes from the patisserie over the road will hit me; I listen out for the clunky green van with the early morning flower delivery; the whistling street cleaner and as for the Monday morning market, it’s like Piccadilly Circus.”
Destination : Marrakech, Castilion la Bataille Author/Guide: Janie Millman Departure Time: 2000s
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