The Glittering Strand

Surpassing her most recent effort, The Italian Garden , Lennox here offers a captivating, multifaceted saga, set in the 16th century and sparked by a strong, ``modern'' heroine. Through the machinations of an illegitimate cousin, pampered nine-year-old Serafina Capriani is taken from her father, a Marseilles merchant, and sold into slavery on the Barbary Coast. Saved from death by a loving master, Serafina grows to womanhood vowing to regain her rightful place and to destroy her cousin Angelo at his own game. Dashing pilot Thomas Marlowe, cast unwillingly into Serafina's life, grows to love her and supports her ambitions, hoping that she will return his affections. Lennox employs fewer period details than usual, engaging her readers with the engrossing personalities of her players and a spare, elegant prose style that enhances dramatic tension. Compelling secondary characters add dimension while strengthening the intricate, carefully constructed plot. This novel is certain to gratify readers of historical romance--and is worthy of a wider audience as well. (Apr.)