Changes

It's 1492 and Mura, an exotic-looking child of Moorish, Spanish and Viking origin enjoys an idyllic childhood living with her widowed father, a Toledo bookseller. However she soon learns that the world is a cruel place when he's snatched by the Spanish Inquisition and she's hidden in a brothel for safe keeping. Adara, the lady of the night entrusted with Mura, betrays that trust and the child's adventurous journeys begin. From nurtured daughter to child prostitute to Medici slave, Mura discovers the power within, nourished by her childhood tales from the Moors and 'North Men' and her gift of 'the sight'. Mura also bears a secret but it seems that she'll be the last to discover it.

Lisa Hilton writes in a way that engages us and pulls us in. We empathise with little Mura (the story starts when she's about 4 and finishes when she's a young woman of 16), feeling her fear and exhilaration while experiencing outrage on her behalf as she's shifted from pillar to post. However it's not just the feelings that stream from the page; the colour and flavour of Spain and Italy also take on three dimensions. The markets, the monumental beauty of places like Florence (where the author studied) and the Moorish influences in Toledo are communicated with a contagious passion.