Fatima's Good Fortune

The sun shone intensely on the island of Djerba in Tunisia. The beige earth refracted heat with the dry odour of ripe fennel and thyme.' Rachida has been lucky all her life- a beautiful Tunisian from the island of Djerba, she escapes to Paris to make a new life. Her sister Fatima has been unlucky all her life- 'There was no way to ignore that she was on first sight quite plain, had just turned forty and had neither children nor a husband. So there was no question that Fatima was the unluckiest woman in her village of Batouine.' freak accident in Paris means that Fatima is summoned to take her sister's place working for an elderly, difficult French woman, the Countess Poulais du Roc. The countess believes that Fatima's arrival will ensure the smooth running of her household. As soon as Fatima arrives, things immediately begin to go not quite according to plan and the little community in the countess' apartment block are drawn into Fatima's life.