What do you think?
Rate this book
Jasmine Nights
At twenty-three, Saba Tarcan knows her only hope of escaping the clamor of Cardiff Bay, Wales, lies in her voice. While traveling Britain, singing for wounded soldiers, Saba meets handsome fighter pilot Dom Benson, recovering from burns after a crash. When Saba auditions to entertain troops in far-off lands, Dom follows her to London. Just as their relationship begins to take root, Saba is sent to sing in Africa, and Dom is assigned a new mission in the Middle East. As Saba explores Cairo’s bazaars, finding friendship among the troupe’s acrobats and dancers, Dom returns to the cockpit once again, both thrilled and terrified to be flying above the desert floor. In spite of great danger, the two resolve to reunite.
When Saba learns that her position makes her uniquely qualified for a secret mission of international importance, she agrees to help the British Secret Service, concealing her role from Dom. Her decision will jeopardize not only her safety but also the love of her life.
Based on true accounts of female entertainers used as spies during World War II, Jasmine Nights is a powerful story of danger, secrets, and love, filled with the colors and sounds of the Middle East’s most beautiful cities.
When Saba learns that her position makes her uniquely qualified for a secret mission of international importance, she agrees to help the British Secret Service, concealing her role from Dom. Her decision will jeopardize not only her safety but also the love of her life.
Based on true accounts of female entertainers used as spies during World War II, Jasmine Nights is a powerful story of danger, secrets, and love, filled with the colors and sounds of the Middle East’s most beautiful cities.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
83 people are currently reading
1885 people want to read
About the author
Julia Gregson
9 books190 followersMy father was in the Air Force, so after thirteen schools I left early longing to travel and have adventures. I worked as a jillaroo in the Australian outback, a girl groom, a shearer’s cook, a secretary, a hospital cleaner, and later, back in England, as a house model for Hardy Amies in London.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
In the seventies, and back in Australia again, love of horses led to riding out with Mick Jagger on the set of Ned Kelly and my first published article in The Sydney Morning Herald. Gave up paid employment, poverty and panic followed, but eventually got more work as a journalist. Secretly wrote short stories that were never published. I eventually started to write regularly for Australian magazines. In the seventies, I was sent to Vietnam and India to write stories, and later to New York as a foreign correspondent for a group of Australian magazines (Sungravure) where I also worked for Rolling Stone Magazine.
During this time, spent four days with Muhammad Ali in a boxer’s training camp in Pennsylvania, interviewed Buzz Aldrin in Houston; Ronnie Biggs in a Brazilian jail at midnight; president’s wives, film stars in Hollywood and several notorious criminals. All good grist to my story-writing mill.
I enjoy writing short stories and have published in places like The Literary Review, The Times, Good Housekeeping, and read on the B.B.C.
Orion published my first novel, THE WATER HORSE, in 2005. I rode a horse across Wales to do the research- a wonderful experience- and then went to Istanbul and Scutari where the rest of the novel is set.
Writing EAST OF THE SUN involved two research trips to India, A great highlight. For MONSOON SUMMER, I went to Kerala, and lived with an Indian family, and travelled in a rice boat up many of the back waters I describe.
I’m married, have one daughter and four stepchildren and live in Monmouthshire with two rescue ponies, two chickens and a collie.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
June 9, 2012
I don't know how I can be disappointed with Jasmine Nights when the book delivers exactly what the summary promises, but I am. There are a couple of good moments, great scenes, but it just feels like book's too long and missing things at the same time, even though when I reread the summary it is an accurate description of what Gregson has written. Maybe my expectations were just too high.
My biggest problem's the lack of magic. I don't know how else to describe it, but between the scenes and settings, the best historical fictions have an almost magical feel to them. I guess from words like exotic, Cairo's bazaars, colors and sounds of the Middle East's most beautiful cities, I had certain expectations, and while Gregson does throw around visits to Cairo's bazaars and scents of jasmine, the only scene I felt had even a spark of magic was the one where Saba's singing at a party in the shadow of the Pyramids. Otherwise, the elaborate descriptions, while well researched, kind of fell flat for me, ended up being pretty boring.
Characterwise, I liked the alternating narration between Dom's and Saba's point of view. Liked how both Dom and Saba are fairly complex characters, Dom dealing with being shot down and survivor's guilt over the death of his fighter buddy Jacko, maybe even PTSD, and Saba dealing with a controlling father who doesn't really approve of her singing. Even the supporting character, Arleta in particular, I thought added a nice bit of interesting flavor to the story. I did though pick up on a couple of contradictions, like Saba's mother telling Dom she receives dozens of letters from other soldiers, and I had a hard time figuring out why no one else made an impression on her or why she'd think so much about Dom in particular, but I guess that's required for the story to work. But I didn't like how the book leaves so many plots unresolved, Dom coming to terms with Jacko's death, a huge part of his character, and he really ended up holding that in. Or Saba's conflict with her father over her joining ENSA, the wartime entertainer's association, that resolution left me entirely unsatisfied.
And the plot really slows down in the second half. The spy story felt like it was almost just tacked on, there was so much slow buildup in the first half and then what Saba actually has to do, eventually goes through, it felt like almost nothing. And Dom being shot down again and supposedly dead, that was just too weird. Can someone even walk out of the desert, even during wartime, like that and get the reaction he got? I don't know, but my gut says no. And unfortunately, even though there was this huge sense of urgency about Rommel's imminent invasion of Egypt, Saba in Istanbul and Dom shot down in the desert basically meant the book skipped over all the fighting. At least Arleta did something crazy or it would’ve been a total wash.
I guess I still like this book, it was pretty good in parts, but it's really not consistent and there's just too many problems overall, particularly towards the end. Three stars.
My biggest problem's the lack of magic. I don't know how else to describe it, but between the scenes and settings, the best historical fictions have an almost magical feel to them. I guess from words like exotic, Cairo's bazaars, colors and sounds of the Middle East's most beautiful cities, I had certain expectations, and while Gregson does throw around visits to Cairo's bazaars and scents of jasmine, the only scene I felt had even a spark of magic was the one where Saba's singing at a party in the shadow of the Pyramids. Otherwise, the elaborate descriptions, while well researched, kind of fell flat for me, ended up being pretty boring.
Characterwise, I liked the alternating narration between Dom's and Saba's point of view. Liked how both Dom and Saba are fairly complex characters, Dom dealing with being shot down and survivor's guilt over the death of his fighter buddy Jacko, maybe even PTSD, and Saba dealing with a controlling father who doesn't really approve of her singing. Even the supporting character, Arleta in particular, I thought added a nice bit of interesting flavor to the story. I did though pick up on a couple of contradictions, like Saba's mother telling Dom she receives dozens of letters from other soldiers, and I had a hard time figuring out why no one else made an impression on her or why she'd think so much about Dom in particular, but I guess that's required for the story to work. But I didn't like how the book leaves so many plots unresolved, Dom coming to terms with Jacko's death, a huge part of his character, and he really ended up holding that in. Or Saba's conflict with her father over her joining ENSA, the wartime entertainer's association, that resolution left me entirely unsatisfied.
And the plot really slows down in the second half. The spy story felt like it was almost just tacked on, there was so much slow buildup in the first half and then what Saba actually has to do, eventually goes through, it felt like almost nothing. And Dom being shot down again and supposedly dead, that was just too weird. Can someone even walk out of the desert, even during wartime, like that and get the reaction he got? I don't know, but my gut says no. And unfortunately, even though there was this huge sense of urgency about Rommel's imminent invasion of Egypt, Saba in Istanbul and Dom shot down in the desert basically meant the book skipped over all the fighting. At least Arleta did something crazy or it would’ve been a total wash.
I guess I still like this book, it was pretty good in parts, but it's really not consistent and there's just too many problems overall, particularly towards the end. Three stars.
March 8, 2013
I picked up this book because it explores two things often overlooked about WWII: the war on the North African continent, and the role of British entertainers (especially in their roles as spies and special agents.)
Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment. Most of the book is way too fluffy and romancy feeling for a book set in World War II. Then all of the sudden the book takes a very dark turn, which is more appropriate to the gritty reality of WWII, but is a complete tone shift for this particular book. After that, the book seems to try to be both fluffy and dark, complete with a Hollywood-level grand romantic climax that seemed neither appropriate to the fluffy OR the dark tones, and at that point I stopped really trying to follow it because clearly the book had completely fallen apart. I forced my way through the last 30 or so pages just so I could be done with it and move on to the next.
Plus, this book has one of my biggest pet peeves: there's very little sense of time. I often didn't know if days, weeks, or months had passed, and that's always guaranteed to drive me a little crazy.
I have REALLY hit a run of bad luck with books lately...I haven't had a five-star read since September. Surely one is right around the corner!
Unfortunately, this book was a disappointment. Most of the book is way too fluffy and romancy feeling for a book set in World War II. Then all of the sudden the book takes a very dark turn, which is more appropriate to the gritty reality of WWII, but is a complete tone shift for this particular book. After that, the book seems to try to be both fluffy and dark, complete with a Hollywood-level grand romantic climax that seemed neither appropriate to the fluffy OR the dark tones, and at that point I stopped really trying to follow it because clearly the book had completely fallen apart. I forced my way through the last 30 or so pages just so I could be done with it and move on to the next.
Plus, this book has one of my biggest pet peeves: there's very little sense of time. I often didn't know if days, weeks, or months had passed, and that's always guaranteed to drive me a little crazy.
I have REALLY hit a run of bad luck with books lately...I haven't had a five-star read since September. Surely one is right around the corner!
September 27, 2019
Set in London, Cairo, and Alexandria, and Istanbul, a half Turkish girl who is thrown out of her family for her dream of singing, gets to sing for the the War Effort. Just before she goes, she meets a dashing young pilot, the hero of our story and love interest. She sings, he flies, they are both in danger. There are mixed, delayed, and lost communications that make each doubt the other's sincerity, despite that its obviously love at first sight and sound. She becomes a spy, despite that she is just a girl. The story unfolds as you would expect.
February 28, 2020
Kitap genel itibariyle güzeldi. Ama başından sonuna kadar hissettiğim bir duygu eksikliği vardı. Dom, Saba için ölüyordu onun aşkını okumak çok güzeldi. Saba'nın o dönem şartlarında bağımsız bir kadın olma çabası ve başarıları beni çok etkiledi. Çok özel şeyler yaşadılar. Aklımın bir köşesinde Dom ve Saba gece denizde yüzerken birbirleriyle şakalaşmaya devam edecek ve umarım Dom'un sürekli hayalini kurduğu ikizleri bir gün kucağında olur.
Olumsuz şeyler söylemek istemiyorum çok duygusalım bu kitap yüzünden biraz da duygusal bakıp işi şiirselleştirdim belki evet ama yazar beni çok kızdırdı. Son ana kadar ne yazmasına karar verememiş biri gibi geldi bana. O kadar güzel bir konu o kadar güzel bir akıl ancak bu kadar kötü kullanılabilirdi. Ve yine söylüyorum çevirmende de çok ciddi bir sorun olduğunu düşünüyorum. Tüm bunları görmezlikten gelip okumanızı halen tavsiye ediyorum ama.
Olumsuz şeyler söylemek istemiyorum çok duygusalım bu kitap yüzünden biraz da duygusal bakıp işi şiirselleştirdim belki evet ama yazar beni çok kızdırdı. Son ana kadar ne yazmasına karar verememiş biri gibi geldi bana. O kadar güzel bir konu o kadar güzel bir akıl ancak bu kadar kötü kullanılabilirdi. Ve yine söylüyorum çevirmende de çok ciddi bir sorun olduğunu düşünüyorum. Tüm bunları görmezlikten gelip okumanızı halen tavsiye ediyorum ama.
October 1, 2017
Το απόλαυσα γιατι δεν έμοιαζε με κανενα αλλο βιβλίο με θέμα το 2ο ππ.
May 23, 2012
Julia Gregson's "East of the Sun" was one of the most satisfying books I've ever read. That makes it all the more frustrating to read anything else by her; catching glimmers of the things that made "East of the Sun" so special while reading a decidedly mediocre work. That sums up "Jasmine Nights" for me in a nutshell. But you know I'm going to keep going anyway.
Gregson does female-female relationships well; I think they're her greatest strength in both her good book and her not-so-good books. The traveling relationship between Saba, Arleta and Janine was one of my favorite things about this one; Saba in context with her mother and grandmother made sense, and even her conversation with Ozan's wife was one of the better moments in the book. Female friendship drove "East of the Sun," and that may be a very good reason why it's her best.
But when it comes to female-male relationships...yikes.
If I had been one of Julia Gregson's readers before she published this (oh yes, I do have creative writing class experience, she says, buffing nails on shirt), I would have advised her very strongly to cut Dom's perspective out of the book. "Think about it," I would have urged. "What does the reader get out of his perspective?" Zilch, except to find him consistently unappealing (and REALLY whiny). During later scenes when they were both in peril, Dom's side of the story felt like filler. Cut the Dom POV scenes, throw in a few more revealing conversations with Saba, have him entirely from her perspective, and the love story might have been a trifle more interesting. As it was, I was hoping Dom would die and Saba would end up with Cleeve or Barney or something. She was only sort of interesting most of the time, and the more time she spent with Dom, the less interesting she got.
After reading the harrowing "Band of Angels," I found I had a pretty jaded attitude towards Gregson's brutality. OF COURSE Saba's father beats her. At this point it just feels like something she threw in because it was probably something that might have happened to someone in Saba's position. There's something very calculated about the brutality that just doesn't sit well with me. Do I think such scenes are possible to do WELL? Yes. They can at least feel less gratuitous than Gregson's.
Besides, I just couldn't help wishing the whole story was about Arleta instead.
Gregson does female-female relationships well; I think they're her greatest strength in both her good book and her not-so-good books. The traveling relationship between Saba, Arleta and Janine was one of my favorite things about this one; Saba in context with her mother and grandmother made sense, and even her conversation with Ozan's wife was one of the better moments in the book. Female friendship drove "East of the Sun," and that may be a very good reason why it's her best.
But when it comes to female-male relationships...yikes.
If I had been one of Julia Gregson's readers before she published this (oh yes, I do have creative writing class experience, she says, buffing nails on shirt), I would have advised her very strongly to cut Dom's perspective out of the book. "Think about it," I would have urged. "What does the reader get out of his perspective?" Zilch, except to find him consistently unappealing (and REALLY whiny). During later scenes when they were both in peril, Dom's side of the story felt like filler. Cut the Dom POV scenes, throw in a few more revealing conversations with Saba, have him entirely from her perspective, and the love story might have been a trifle more interesting. As it was, I was hoping Dom would die and Saba would end up with Cleeve or Barney or something. She was only sort of interesting most of the time, and the more time she spent with Dom, the less interesting she got.
After reading the harrowing "Band of Angels," I found I had a pretty jaded attitude towards Gregson's brutality. OF COURSE Saba's father beats her. At this point it just feels like something she threw in because it was probably something that might have happened to someone in Saba's position. There's something very calculated about the brutality that just doesn't sit well with me. Do I think such scenes are possible to do WELL? Yes. They can at least feel less gratuitous than Gregson's.
Besides, I just couldn't help wishing the whole story was about Arleta instead.
June 8, 2012
*I recieved this advanced readers copy through goodreads giveaway!
This is the first book I've read by Julia I'm really happy I had the oppurtunity to read this. The story is about a young singer asked to spy during the war efforts of World War II. The setting is very colorful and whimsical while trekking North Africa with Saba Tarcan. And Dom, the soldier she's smitten with is a real class act. It's easy to forget that the world was at war while reading.
There's really not much action in this book. I never really got the sense that Saba was in danger. It was not a very well developed story in the espionage sense. It really seemed like she only had one experience and that was the end of that. The romance part of the story was a little better developed or at least a little more interesting.
The author is very good at imagery and describing the countries they travel to during the war. It almost had a whimsical vibe to it. I wanted a little more from the romance than was given. It just seemed too fast but then again, people died everyday during the war efforts so that may be why it was so sudden. Overall this book was pretty good. It was a little slow and boring at parts but I could definitely visualize each scene set up. I can't wait to read other novels by this author. They have received really good reviews for East of The Sun.
The ending was pretty cheesy but it was still magical. One of those moments that make you feel gushy inside. Oh Yeah!
This is the first book I've read by Julia I'm really happy I had the oppurtunity to read this. The story is about a young singer asked to spy during the war efforts of World War II. The setting is very colorful and whimsical while trekking North Africa with Saba Tarcan. And Dom, the soldier she's smitten with is a real class act. It's easy to forget that the world was at war while reading.
There's really not much action in this book. I never really got the sense that Saba was in danger. It was not a very well developed story in the espionage sense. It really seemed like she only had one experience and that was the end of that. The romance part of the story was a little better developed or at least a little more interesting.
The author is very good at imagery and describing the countries they travel to during the war. It almost had a whimsical vibe to it. I wanted a little more from the romance than was given. It just seemed too fast but then again, people died everyday during the war efforts so that may be why it was so sudden. Overall this book was pretty good. It was a little slow and boring at parts but I could definitely visualize each scene set up. I can't wait to read other novels by this author. They have received really good reviews for East of The Sun.
The ending was pretty cheesy but it was still magical. One of those moments that make you feel gushy inside. Oh Yeah!
May 9, 2016
Este livro aborda a temática da II Guerra Mundial pelos olhos de uma jovem rapariga galesa, que começa a cantar para soldados em hospitais militares em Inglaterra e depressa tem o convite para partir para as frentes de combate para animar os soldados longe de casa. Essa missão leva-a para o Egipto, onde se reencontra com um soldado aviador que tinha conhecido no hospital onde cantou e onde ele estava a recuperar de ferimentos. A história de amor entre os dois começa a desenrolar-se em paralelo com a missão dela oficial e a missão que lhe é confiada pelos serviços secretos britânicos. O risco dessa missão coloca-a numa situação complicada com os alemães e ao mesmo tempo o seu namorado, o soldado aviador, sofre um acidente e é dado como morto por não se saber o paradeiro dele nem do avião onde seguia. Ele pensa que ela partiu em viagem para cantar noutras paragens e que já se esqueceu dele; ela pensa que ele morreu e vive o desencanto com a vida e com o canto.
O amor deles é marcado por esse desencontro quase até ao final da obra, quando se reencontram após o contacto dela nos serviços secretos lhe indicar onde ele está e que não morreu. O final é um pouco abrupto, tendo em conta o desenrolar dos acontecimentos ao longo da obra. De repente eles reencontra-se, perdoam-se pelos desencontros, vivem felizes e fazem planos para o futuro. Merecia um final mais adequado ao que se acompanhou ao longo do texto.
O amor deles é marcado por esse desencontro quase até ao final da obra, quando se reencontram após o contacto dela nos serviços secretos lhe indicar onde ele está e que não morreu. O final é um pouco abrupto, tendo em conta o desenrolar dos acontecimentos ao longo da obra. De repente eles reencontra-se, perdoam-se pelos desencontros, vivem felizes e fazem planos para o futuro. Merecia um final mais adequado ao que se acompanhou ao longo do texto.
May 12, 2012
This had a great start full of humor, drama, fear, guilt, and the introduction of some interesting characters.
Dom is a pilot who crashed and now has his buttock grafted onto his cheek. As morbid as it sounds, that's where the humor comes in, when she kisses him, and he makes a cute and funny comment about where that skin came from. I had high hopes for this book as I laughed with them.
Saba's house is full of drama. Her father is abusive and cruel and against her singing. So when she runs off to join a tour which goes to Africa, she battles internally with their parting.
The tour group includes some fascinating people, Janine and Arletta, and the story unfolds real well...but I confess I got bored after a while. The mission? The real fear and action doesn't start till after page 200. That's over half the book.
The romance with Dom... It started rough, hardly a romance at all, but then suddenly they meet again and want to tear each other part with passion? Huh? (No that's not a quote; that's just me.) Something didn't fit there.
A good read, but real slow with the secret mission stuff and the romance could have used some work. It was also interesting to see what was going on in North Africa during WWII. Can't say I've read many historical WWII novels with that setting.
Dom is a pilot who crashed and now has his buttock grafted onto his cheek. As morbid as it sounds, that's where the humor comes in, when she kisses him, and he makes a cute and funny comment about where that skin came from. I had high hopes for this book as I laughed with them.
Saba's house is full of drama. Her father is abusive and cruel and against her singing. So when she runs off to join a tour which goes to Africa, she battles internally with their parting.
The tour group includes some fascinating people, Janine and Arletta, and the story unfolds real well...but I confess I got bored after a while. The mission? The real fear and action doesn't start till after page 200. That's over half the book.
The romance with Dom... It started rough, hardly a romance at all, but then suddenly they meet again and want to tear each other part with passion? Huh? (No that's not a quote; that's just me.) Something didn't fit there.
A good read, but real slow with the secret mission stuff and the romance could have used some work. It was also interesting to see what was going on in North Africa during WWII. Can't say I've read many historical WWII novels with that setting.
June 14, 2014
I feel cheated by this novel! The premise sounded so entertaining: a spirited young Welsh woman escapes her prosaic and cloistered life in order to travel to North Africa during World War II, where she experiences danger, love, and espionage. And the story did begin rather well, but just like one of Dom Benson’s airplanes, it went into a tailspin around page 150 and ended up in a smoldering heap of irrelevance and mooning.
There was too much sap and not enough development. The attraction between Saba Tarcan and Dom Benson felt cheap and insincere. Quite frankly, I feel that Gregson mistook steamy nights under mosquito netting for real love. Also, let’s be honest, love stories about underdogs are a lot more interesting than ones about playboys and the beautiful women they desire.
I’m so glad I read East of the Sun first, because after reading this I never would have given Gregson’s books a second glance.
There was too much sap and not enough development. The attraction between Saba Tarcan and Dom Benson felt cheap and insincere. Quite frankly, I feel that Gregson mistook steamy nights under mosquito netting for real love. Also, let’s be honest, love stories about underdogs are a lot more interesting than ones about playboys and the beautiful women they desire.
I’m so glad I read East of the Sun first, because after reading this I never would have given Gregson’s books a second glance.
August 8, 2012
I really wanted to like this one, the premise sounded great - a young girl recruited to spy in Egypt with a love story thrown in! I thought I would be guaranteed to like it, but I didn't end up finishing it. It was one of the books that is put downable. The pacing was incredibly slow, I got to the halfway point and Saba was just starting to get into the spying and falling in love with the pilot, Dom (who goes to extreme lengths to track her down, I might add). I put the book down to read something else and I just didn't want to pick it up again to finish it. I did end up skimming to the end, and it looks like the book moved towards some more action but there also seems to be terrible things that happen to the characters as well. Overall, it was too much like a saga for me.
May 27, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this wartime story of a half turkish girl singer working to entertain the troops in Egypt whilst carrying out secret missions to help the war effort.Add a romance with a heroic fighter pilot and you have a perfect summer read..
September 17, 2018
I love Historical Fiction and was excited to read this book. The story is fine and the characters are ok, but something is missing. I wasn't drawn in or cared about anything very much. It also seemed the story sort of lost steam, ran off course and then just ended with all right resolution.
October 24, 2014
not normally a type of book I would read the story was okay
August 30, 2019
Interesting setting - wartime England and Egypt - and interesting characters. The spying aspect was a bit underdeveloped. The story kept my interest well enough.
(spelling correction, page 308: bail out, not bale out)
(spelling correction, page 308: bail out, not bale out)
August 29, 2023
Read this on holiday in 3 nights absolutely love a world war 2 book!! Great read and plots!! Women as secret agents set in North Africa!! Fab read!!
February 24, 2023
I found this to be slow and it failed to engage me. Skimmed a lot of the second half.
August 16, 2012
Sent to me to review by newbooks magazine!
Jasmine Nights is, at its heart a love story, set against the backdrop of the Second World War.
Saba Tarcan, half Turkish and raised in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay, goes against her strict father’s wishes and enlists with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) however, her role in the war effort is not as simple as entertaining the troops, as she is drafted as a spy.
Dom Benson, a pilot for the Desert Air Force meets Saba whilst recovering in hospital after being shot down, their meeting is what Hollywood would term a Meet-cute, as he encourages Saba to give him a kiss on his cheek, a pun considering his burns have been grafted with skin from his butt cheek! And so begins a classic love story.
I wasn’t sure in the beginning if Jasmine Nights would have anything new or different to teach me about WW2, but as Saba’s story unfolded I found I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’d never for a moment thought that the role of the entertainment contingent could have been anything more than what they appeared, least of all the female performers, so the idea of a spy within them was enlightening and intriguing to me.
It did take me a long time to get into Jasmine Nights, and with that a long time to like both the story and the characters, having said that though, my efforts were well-rewarded, as I found that along the way, I got completely drawn in, by Saba, Dom and secondary character Arleta, and had fallen in love with them and the story. I shouldn’t really have been surprised by this reaction, as I’d had a similar experience with East of the Sun by Julia Gregson too, it seems she has a knack for allowing her story and characters to unfold in their own time, allowing for an all round, rich and rewarding reading experience.
I’d recommend this book for both personal and group reading, on its surface, a classic love story, and an interesting war setting to provoke plenty of discussion.
Jasmine Nights is, at its heart a love story, set against the backdrop of the Second World War.
Saba Tarcan, half Turkish and raised in Cardiff’s Tiger Bay, goes against her strict father’s wishes and enlists with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) however, her role in the war effort is not as simple as entertaining the troops, as she is drafted as a spy.
Dom Benson, a pilot for the Desert Air Force meets Saba whilst recovering in hospital after being shot down, their meeting is what Hollywood would term a Meet-cute, as he encourages Saba to give him a kiss on his cheek, a pun considering his burns have been grafted with skin from his butt cheek! And so begins a classic love story.
I wasn’t sure in the beginning if Jasmine Nights would have anything new or different to teach me about WW2, but as Saba’s story unfolded I found I couldn’t have been more wrong. I’d never for a moment thought that the role of the entertainment contingent could have been anything more than what they appeared, least of all the female performers, so the idea of a spy within them was enlightening and intriguing to me.
It did take me a long time to get into Jasmine Nights, and with that a long time to like both the story and the characters, having said that though, my efforts were well-rewarded, as I found that along the way, I got completely drawn in, by Saba, Dom and secondary character Arleta, and had fallen in love with them and the story. I shouldn’t really have been surprised by this reaction, as I’d had a similar experience with East of the Sun by Julia Gregson too, it seems she has a knack for allowing her story and characters to unfold in their own time, allowing for an all round, rich and rewarding reading experience.
I’d recommend this book for both personal and group reading, on its surface, a classic love story, and an interesting war setting to provoke plenty of discussion.
December 31, 2012
Gregson narrates a tale focusing on two characters during the North Africa campaign of the Second World War. It is a well-written love story with some historical background on England during the period and especially Cairo and Alexandra during the desert push by Rommel. Not usually one who reads romance, the time and setting peeked my interest.
Saba, a beautiful but headstrong singer from Wales defies her Turkish father and Welsh mother to strike out on her own. Her father, very traditional, forbids her to sing in public especially when he realizes the affect she has on men in the audience. The mother, herself frustrated in her early marriage, nevertheless pleads with Saba to heed her father. Instead Saba defies them to pursue her dream of singing to the troops. She joins the organization given the task of entertaining the troops and is sent off to Cairo.
Dom, an RAF pilot badly burned in the crash of his Spitfire, is stunned by her poise and beauty when she sings for the injured in a rehabilitation hospital. His fiance had just left him, unable to cope with the disfigurement of his face. Dom is haunted by the terrible death of his best friend in a fiery crash, a friend who he had urged to join the RAF. He feels responsible. But the vision of Saba, leads him to seek her out. He follows her to North Africa where he is transferred in the squadron fighting Rommel.
Their love develops against the backdrop of war; the unpredictability of her assignments and the secretive nature of his.
Saba, a beautiful but headstrong singer from Wales defies her Turkish father and Welsh mother to strike out on her own. Her father, very traditional, forbids her to sing in public especially when he realizes the affect she has on men in the audience. The mother, herself frustrated in her early marriage, nevertheless pleads with Saba to heed her father. Instead Saba defies them to pursue her dream of singing to the troops. She joins the organization given the task of entertaining the troops and is sent off to Cairo.
Dom, an RAF pilot badly burned in the crash of his Spitfire, is stunned by her poise and beauty when she sings for the injured in a rehabilitation hospital. His fiance had just left him, unable to cope with the disfigurement of his face. Dom is haunted by the terrible death of his best friend in a fiery crash, a friend who he had urged to join the RAF. He feels responsible. But the vision of Saba, leads him to seek her out. He follows her to North Africa where he is transferred in the squadron fighting Rommel.
Their love develops against the backdrop of war; the unpredictability of her assignments and the secretive nature of his.
January 14, 2016
I was really disappointed in this book. Usually when I get into books, I can read them really quickly. This book took me forever! (Ok, two weeks.) I could only read 3-4 chapters at a time and had to take breaks from it.
The plot potential of this book was great and sounded really interesting. It took more than half the book for the main characters, Dom and Saba, to start their love affair in the middle east. They met in England once and then went their separate ways, but yet somehow found each other in Egypt. There were many characters and plot "twists" that were really confusing. The book tried to follow both Saba and Dom. It started with following Dom for 2 chapters and then followed Saba for maybe 10 chapters, and then switched to Dom, and I found this really hard to follow. Also, the chapters didn't say anything such as: "Chapter 25, 1942, Egypt, Dom", which I feel would have helped. Also, Dom and Saba get injured separately late in the book, but yet find each other near the end of the book. After they were injured, they seemed to magically move on with their lives and everything was fine and dandy. I was bothered by this because they both experienced traumatic events and it'd be really difficult to just magically move on from those experiences.
Ugh! All in all, I was really disappointed in this book. I'm glad I finished it because now I can move on to another book.
The plot potential of this book was great and sounded really interesting. It took more than half the book for the main characters, Dom and Saba, to start their love affair in the middle east. They met in England once and then went their separate ways, but yet somehow found each other in Egypt. There were many characters and plot "twists" that were really confusing. The book tried to follow both Saba and Dom. It started with following Dom for 2 chapters and then followed Saba for maybe 10 chapters, and then switched to Dom, and I found this really hard to follow. Also, the chapters didn't say anything such as: "Chapter 25, 1942, Egypt, Dom", which I feel would have helped. Also, Dom and Saba get injured separately late in the book, but yet find each other near the end of the book. After they were injured, they seemed to magically move on with their lives and everything was fine and dandy. I was bothered by this because they both experienced traumatic events and it'd be really difficult to just magically move on from those experiences.
Ugh! All in all, I was really disappointed in this book. I'm glad I finished it because now I can move on to another book.
May 6, 2012
If I am honest, after reading the first few chapters of this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it, but as the story evolved a bit more, I became absolutely hooked! Then as the suspense started to build I couldn’t put the book down! The story set in the war years is about a singer and a fighter pilot, although it is a tale of romance and love, it is also a story about living life to the full. The adventurous spirit of the characters is evident as knowing that they may not have many days left on this earth, they make the best of what they have and set out to live their dreams. The book tells of the many exciting adventures they have but also their sadness of missing home and loved ones.
If you enjoy a love story you’ll enjoy this book and even if a love story is not your thing there is enough ‘story’ here for you to enjoy too. A good read, I recommend.
If you enjoy a love story you’ll enjoy this book and even if a love story is not your thing there is enough ‘story’ here for you to enjoy too. A good read, I recommend.
January 18, 2015
I considered this book an average read. I was not impressed enough to ever read another book by this author. The romance was to coincidental; as the lovers kept meeting up in very convenient ways. Also, the spy storyline was very weak. I'm not really sure how well researched this historical novel was.
February 5, 2013
This is a three and a half star book for me but have rounded it up to a generous four as I thought it was a great story. The characters are wonderful, I really warmed to Saba and Arleta, and the writing is so evocative when describing Egypt and Istanbul. Looking forward to more from this author.
Please see my full review at http://bibliobeth.wordpress.com
Please see my full review at http://bibliobeth.wordpress.com
September 20, 2024
Disappointed. A "nice" story, giving exactly what the summary promised, but I didn't care enough about the characters to read about their turmoils. Or maybe its because I was at a busy time of life myself. Gave up anyway.
June 9, 2016
I loved "East of Eden" but Julia Gregson has failed to repeat the magic here in "Jasmine Nights." I liked this book for the first 100 pages or so but then I got bored. I wasn't compelled by the love story, especially since Saba and Dom spend most of the book apart. Overall, I was disappointed.
January 13, 2025
Really enjoyed this, a good read.
December 21, 2022
Yet another one I am finally dusting off! I'm trying to complete my TBR reading challenge. I have one left after this and I have beat the challenge! Huzzah!
Here we follow Saba Tarcan. The only way she can escape Wales is with her voice. While traveling Britain to sing and entertain injured soldiers from the war, she meets Dom. Dom is a fighter pilot who was injured in a crash. They hit it off right away and there seems to be a bond there. Just as their relationship seems to be taking off. Saba is sent to sing in Africa and Dom is sent to the Middle East for a mission. They promise that if they both survive they will find each other again. However, Saba's gig gets much more dangerous when she learns that she will be part of a secret mission of international importance...this may jeopardize her safety and possibly the love of her life.
Soooooooooooo I did struggle to get into this at first. I couldn't really connect with the characters or the story. I did kind of like Saba but I was unsure about Dom. Once we got going I grew to really adore Saba. Dom? He seemed okay, but there was something about him that made me feel MEH about him. I didn't like him until the very end.
Once I got through the first few chapters and Saba and Dom were separated to do their own thing (is that bad that I was excited to see Saba go off on her own?), I started enjoying the story more.
Ooooh! The author really does have a way of bringing the past to life. I loved the settings and the descriptions. I could feel the energy. I could hear the music and taste the food. I felt like I was standing right there! Fantastic.
The last quarter of the book seemed to deflate for me. The middle 50% was just so good. I couldn't put it down. The last 25% though. Mmm. I did love the last scene...it made my heart jump. However, the rest of the end felt like it was missing something. It just didn't pull together for me like I would hope. For example, the scene with the German, the table singing, and then Sabba's reaction just seemed forced. It was supposed to be a big moment and it felt awkward and missing something.
Overall, the author really does have a way with words. These different locations came to life. The music, the smells, the food, the feel, the war, the people....fantastic. The beginning and a good chunk of the ending fell a little flat for me. I wish I had liked Dom more too. I did end up warming up to him at the end, but it took too long. Loved Sabba though. Some good, some meh, but I did enjoy some of the ride. 2 stars.
Here we follow Saba Tarcan. The only way she can escape Wales is with her voice. While traveling Britain to sing and entertain injured soldiers from the war, she meets Dom. Dom is a fighter pilot who was injured in a crash. They hit it off right away and there seems to be a bond there. Just as their relationship seems to be taking off. Saba is sent to sing in Africa and Dom is sent to the Middle East for a mission. They promise that if they both survive they will find each other again. However, Saba's gig gets much more dangerous when she learns that she will be part of a secret mission of international importance...this may jeopardize her safety and possibly the love of her life.
Soooooooooooo I did struggle to get into this at first. I couldn't really connect with the characters or the story. I did kind of like Saba but I was unsure about Dom. Once we got going I grew to really adore Saba. Dom? He seemed okay, but there was something about him that made me feel MEH about him. I didn't like him until the very end.
Once I got through the first few chapters and Saba and Dom were separated to do their own thing (is that bad that I was excited to see Saba go off on her own?), I started enjoying the story more.
Ooooh! The author really does have a way of bringing the past to life. I loved the settings and the descriptions. I could feel the energy. I could hear the music and taste the food. I felt like I was standing right there! Fantastic.
The last quarter of the book seemed to deflate for me. The middle 50% was just so good. I couldn't put it down. The last 25% though. Mmm. I did love the last scene...it made my heart jump. However, the rest of the end felt like it was missing something. It just didn't pull together for me like I would hope. For example, the scene with the German, the table singing, and then Sabba's reaction just seemed forced. It was supposed to be a big moment and it felt awkward and missing something.
Overall, the author really does have a way with words. These different locations came to life. The music, the smells, the food, the feel, the war, the people....fantastic. The beginning and a good chunk of the ending fell a little flat for me. I wish I had liked Dom more too. I did end up warming up to him at the end, but it took too long. Loved Sabba though. Some good, some meh, but I did enjoy some of the ride. 2 stars.
November 11, 2022
3.5 - I don't normally read stories like this (soft feeling romances) because they're not my thing at all. I also don't usually read WWII stories either because war stories don't appeal to me. Plus the over saturation of the genre of WWII romances aimed at women is both overwhelming and off-putting.
So why did I pick this one up? Because it was written by Julia Gregson and I adored her novel East of the Sun. This book definitely didn't grab me the way EotS did, but the writing and pacing was still enjoyable and I did like the fact that it was set in Egypt rather than Europe. So I learnt a little there. Plus, the fact that Saba (one of the two protaganists) was a singer entertaining the troops, meant we were told all about the rehearsing, performing and the ins and outs of theatre touring life back then, which was probably the biggest draw of the story for me. I loved all that.
Overall, I did feel that it was about 50 pages too long, especially towards the end. However it was a good, solid read and when compared to a lot of the drivel that gets published in this genre, it's definitely one of the stand outs for the right reasons!
So why did I pick this one up? Because it was written by Julia Gregson and I adored her novel East of the Sun. This book definitely didn't grab me the way EotS did, but the writing and pacing was still enjoyable and I did like the fact that it was set in Egypt rather than Europe. So I learnt a little there. Plus, the fact that Saba (one of the two protaganists) was a singer entertaining the troops, meant we were told all about the rehearsing, performing and the ins and outs of theatre touring life back then, which was probably the biggest draw of the story for me. I loved all that.
Overall, I did feel that it was about 50 pages too long, especially towards the end. However it was a good, solid read and when compared to a lot of the drivel that gets published in this genre, it's definitely one of the stand outs for the right reasons!
August 16, 2020
I had high expectations going in, and Jasmine Nightswas well-assembled with good, realistic characters, and a fun, suspenseful writing style. I really enjoyed how Julia Gregson ended so many of her chapters with workable cliffhangers, and kept the Allies working together to push forward the WWII effort in a way I imagine it really happened. I've added a fourth star while writing this review to encourage others to read it, but some minor flaws irked me, particularly the references to fashion houses that didn't exist until after the War.
This book tells the tale of two head-strong and devoted British patriots who cross paths and fall in love in the European and North Africa theatres, a perspective to which I haven't paid much attention. The book is a solid romance, but with a few scenes that I just couldn't buy into.
This book tells the tale of two head-strong and devoted British patriots who cross paths and fall in love in the European and North Africa theatres, a perspective to which I haven't paid much attention. The book is a solid romance, but with a few scenes that I just couldn't buy into.
October 23, 2018
A truly fantastic story by an amazing author
Jasmine nights is a wonderfully written story about two lives (Saba and Dom) and how war both brings them together and separates them apart.
A keen flyer Dom is determined to spend his life flying spitfires and helping in the Great War effort, whilst Saba is involved in entertains the troops in Egypt and Africa, but when she is asked to do more than just sing and also help gather intelligence and information on very important people in an attempt to help the war effort, things become harder and more complicated
Meeting first at the hospital where Dom I’m recovering and Saba is drafted in to sing for the patients, Jasmine nights is a truly fantastic war based love story that follows both lives through the extreme hardships of war time and has truly left me wanting to read more and find out how the two lives and story finished
A brilliantly engrossing page turner by a highly talented author
Well done Julia
Jasmine nights is a wonderfully written story about two lives (Saba and Dom) and how war both brings them together and separates them apart.
A keen flyer Dom is determined to spend his life flying spitfires and helping in the Great War effort, whilst Saba is involved in entertains the troops in Egypt and Africa, but when she is asked to do more than just sing and also help gather intelligence and information on very important people in an attempt to help the war effort, things become harder and more complicated
Meeting first at the hospital where Dom I’m recovering and Saba is drafted in to sing for the patients, Jasmine nights is a truly fantastic war based love story that follows both lives through the extreme hardships of war time and has truly left me wanting to read more and find out how the two lives and story finished
A brilliantly engrossing page turner by a highly talented author
Well done Julia
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews