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The Twelve Rooms of the Nile

3.17 of 5 stars 3.17 · rating details · 216 ratings · 72 reviews

A captivating debut that imagines a passionate friendship between Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, when they were young and exploring the Nile in 1850.

Before she became the nineteenth-century’s heroine, before he had written a word of Madame Bovary, Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert traveled up the Nile at the same time. In reality, they never met. But in...more

Hardcover, 464 pages

Published August 21st 2012 by Simon & Schuster (first published August 1st 2012)

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Aug 19, 2012 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romantic-historical-fiction

3.5 stars

Gustave Flaubert, a French author is known particularly for his 1857 novel, Madame Bovary. Florence Nightingale, The Lady with the Lamp, an English nurse is known primarily for her leading work in nursing during the Crimean War.

In The Twelve Rooms of the Nile, Enid Shomer writes a story, a re-imagining of a friendship and a blossoming romance between these two famous nineteenth century figures after meeting in Egypt on their separate tours. Although both Flaubert and Nightingale did bot...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Incredible! Who could have imagined that Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert would be so good together? Apparently, Enid Shomer did just that, and her debut novel is thoroughly engaging, witty, philosophical, sensual and intellectual. From the bare coincidence that both Nightingale and Flaubert spent a summer sailing up and down the Nile in 1850—but on separate boats, with no indication that they ever met at any point—Shomer has written an epic but personal tale of the meeting of two exqui...more

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Aug 28, 2012 Linda Banche rated it 4 of 5 stars

The TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE by Enid Shomer is a sweeping novel of nineteenth century Victorian Egypt as we follow the fictional meeting of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, a meeting that will set both on the course of their life’s work, as they travel up the Nile and back. Vivid characterizations, loads of historical detail and pictures painted with words give a strikingly accurate depiction of nineteenth century Egypt as well the two-faced morality of theVictorian world.

Florence Nigh...more The TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE by Enid Shomer is a sweeping novel of nineteenth century Victorian Egypt as we follow the fictional meeting of Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, a meeting that will set both on the course of their life’s work, as they travel up the Nile and back. Vivid characterizations, loads of historical detail and pictures painted with words give a strikingly accurate depiction of nineteenth century Egypt as well the two-faced morality of theVictorian world.

Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert never met in real life, although they both traveled the Nile at around the same time. Florence is rich, privileged, highly intelligent, well-educated yet naive, strong-willed and determined to do good in the world, yet thwarted under the stultifying Victorian mores that cast women solely as wives and mothers. Gustave, childish, supremely selfish, disgustingly dissolute, cruel to women and suffering from epilepsy he conceals, is a fledgling writer, but has yet to make his mark.

The contrast between these two dissimilar characters couldn’t be more extreme, and yet a friendship of sorts springs up between them, a friendship which will change both their lives.

Ms. Shomer paints pictures with words as she describes Egypt’s blistering heat, the ever-present sand and the extreme poverty of the cowed people who must survive in a country where bribery, and hence the rich, rule.

Her characterizations are masterful. I suffered along with the downtrodden Florence, destroying herself as she fights to stifle her natural exuberance and desire for a life different from those of her class. I despise the self-serving Gustave, who cares for no one but himself, and most especially, his penis. I found him such a completely unsympathetic character, that he deserves all the suffering his epilepsy and other torments can inflict. While I like descriptions, I would have preferred the author not dwell so much on Gustave’s offensive exploits.

I found the second section of the book, where Florence and Gustave take a side trip to the Red Sea, to be the best part. The mystery of Florence’s maidservant and the accord Florence and Gustave reach while stranded in the desert with little water are engrossing.

The title comes from an Egyptian myth in which the sun god, Ra, must travel through the twelve rooms of the underworld each night before he can emerge to grant the world another day.

Those who enjoy historical fiction set in exotic climes may enjoy this book.

ARC provided by Simon & Schuster(less)

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Feb 04, 2013 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

Admittedly I’ve never read one, but Twelve Rooms of the Nile by Enid Shomer reminded me of fan fiction. She takes two people, Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, and creates a fictionalized account of their encounter in Egypt. There is a lot of thinking and a lot of talking and there are some moments of action, but overall, not much happens. I’m rating it a three out of five stars because while I enjoyed the story, I’m not sure there is any depth or anything special to make it a stand-out...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is not an easy book to review. There is a lot of talking and thinking within it. A flow of words, excellent writing and just a look into the souls of two famous individuals.

Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert did travel the Nile at the same time, but no they did not meet. This is a what if book, what if they had met. Become friends and what else.

Two intelligent people who crave more meet, become friends and confidantes. Flaubert wants to write a novel, but is having problems with it....more

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Sep 08, 2012 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

I got about halfway through, to the point where they began enjoying the Red Sea before I had to return it to the library in order to go away. It wasn't interesting enough to take it with me. On the other hand, the language in it about Egypt evokes the way one feels when sailing the Nile and stopping to see the various temples. The characters were well defined- women of past generations if at all educated, did feel the pull to achieve and not be insipid people who had to agree and faun on men and...more

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Sep 09, 2012 Sophia rated it 3 of 5 stars

It is a little known fact that, long before either of them became famous, Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale each toured Egypt at exactly the same time, following a nearly identical itinerary. History does not record them ever having met, but Enid Shomer's novel imagines what might have happened if they had.

Florence is a frustrated young woman, fiercely independent by nature but fettered by society's expectations and her mother's narrow views of what is suitable. She has avoided marriage,...more It is a little known fact that, long before either of them became famous, Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale each toured Egypt at exactly the same time, following a nearly identical itinerary. History does not record them ever having met, but Enid Shomer's novel imagines what might have happened if they had.

Florence is a frustrated young woman, fiercely independent by nature but fettered by society's expectations and her mother's narrow views of what is suitable. She has avoided marriage, having rejected the only suitor who ever came close to winning her heart, and vows never to become the property of any man. A trip to Egypt with a respectable friend and her husband may be the only chance she gets to experience the world, a last hurrah before she pursues her wish to enter a protestant convent where she can practise nursing.

Gustave suffers from epilepsy which, along with the tragic death of his beloved sister, has cast a black cloud over his life. He seeks solace in sex, and we first meet him in Egypt where he is travelling with his friend Max, copying hieroglyphics at ancient temples by day and spending his nights in seedy brothels.

Shomer's Flaubert is a horrible character; obsessed by sex, selfish, crude and altogether unworthy of a classy lady like Florence Nightingale. Can the real Flaubert really have been so odious? I felt quite protective of poor Florence as she and Flaubert met and she slowly succumbed to his oily charms, falling perhaps not quite in love, but certainly in sympathy with this brutish Frenchman. We do eventually start to see a nicer side to Gustave, and it's certainly true that Florence brings out the best in him, but I could never really warm to him and enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on Florence much more than the Gustave sections.

The character I found most intriguing was Florence's maid, Miss Trout. She's a sullen and lumpish woman, who is an unwilling chaperone and would much rather be back in England scrubbing floors than suffering the strange language, culture and climate of Egypt. Through her occasional mutinous mumblings and a couple of little plot twists, we get tantelising glimpses of Trout's secret self, far removed from the doughty workhorse she appears to be.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure the relationship between Flaubert and Florence quite worked. Perhaps it was just because I found him so hateful and couldn't learn to see him as Florence did. Though the author did a good job of describing how they thought and felt, this didn't come across so well in their dialogue, and the two never seemed at ease in each other's company. The story is also quite slow moving, and I think over long. It didn't always hold my interest and in the end took me five days to complete (quite a lot for me) because I kept putting it down.

On the plus side, Shomer's writing was really excellent, particularly the descriptive passages, which conjured up a fine mental picture of 19th century Egypt. There is a section in which Gustave and Florence take a camel trip across the Sahara that was really outstanding; I could almost feel the merciless sun beating down and the sand scratching my skin.

It might be worth picking this up if you have a particular interest in Flaubert or Florence Nightingale as, although this is fiction, Shomer does use their letters and diaries to help construct her characters. I'd also recommend this for anyone who'd enjoy some beautifully crafted descriptions of Egypt. It may not be a new favourite, but I enjoyed the book. (less)

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Sep 30, 2012 Elena rated it 3 of 5 stars

Enid Shomer's debut novel The Twelve Rooms of the Nile imagines what would have happened if Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert had encountered each other while traveling in Egypt in 1850. While the future nurse and the future author of Madame Bovary never actually met, they did have similar itineraries and were indeed in Egypt at the same time. Well-researched with flawless prose, the book is steeped in detailed descriptions of everything from the pyramids to the details of a lady's toile...more Enid Shomer's debut novel The Twelve Rooms of the Nile imagines what would have happened if Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert had encountered each other while traveling in Egypt in 1850. While the future nurse and the future author of Madame Bovary never actually met, they did have similar itineraries and were indeed in Egypt at the same time. Well-researched with flawless prose, the book is steeped in detailed descriptions of everything from the pyramids to the details of a lady's toilette. One can smell the smells and breathe the air and watch the sunsets, so rich in atmosphere is the novel.

However, the chapters which are from the point of view of Flaubert are like wading through sewage. The mind of the great French author is completely taken up with thoughts of prostitutes and pornography to the point of morbidity. I understand that Flaubert's sex addiction was how he dealt with the loss of his beloved sister as well as the onset of epilepsy, but there are some minds that it is better not to delve into too deeply. I now better appreciate why Madame Bovary is such a dark story with no hint of redemption, if Flaubert was truly a man without hope as he is depicted in Twelve Rooms. The colorful descriptions of various body parts gave me more information than I needed for my enjoyment of the book.

I wish that the novel had left out Flaubert completely and concentrated solely on Florence. The chapters about her are a joy to read, as she sees her voyage to Egypt as an opportunity for spiritual transformation; it is an interior journey as well as an exterior one. Florence is a phenomenal lady who takes every opportunity to enrich her mind and soul as she comes closer to discovering her vocation in life. The book explores her troubled relationship with her mother and her difficulties with feelings of inadequacy. The struggles of the solitary nature of the single Christian life are faced. It is fascinating to watch those struggles give way to happiness and contentment as Florence discovers at last what she is meant to do.

My only criticism with the portrayal of Florence is that at times it falls into the stereotype many people have of virginal women. She is too often shown as being silly, hysterical and overly naive. Nurses, virginal or not, usually have nerves of steel. I am thinking particularly of the nursing sisters such as the Daughters of Charity. Those were some tough women, who cared for the sick in the slums of Paris. Florence had to have similar qualities in order to face the horrors of the Crimean War. Also, she had studied medical books and she spent a good deal of her childhood and youth in the country where she nursed peasants and farm animals. I wonder if she would really have been so prudish about the human body at age 29 as she is in the novel. At any rate, the book is a brave and imaginative attempt to shed light on the psyche of the great pioneer of modern nursing.(less)

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Oct 20, 2012 Rachael McDiarmid rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting idea - Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert meeting while travelling around Egypt. It was a time when Egyptian locals did not care for their monuments, many were still surrounded by sand, and tourism to the country had yet to take off. I found all the descriptions of Egypt during this period rather fascinating, the culture, the food, the lifestyle. What I found even more interesting was how a well-to-do lady like Florence or Flo as she's often referred to as, travell...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Anne rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

THE TWELVE ROOMS OF THE NILE refers to the Egyptian sun god Ra's passage through the twelve hours between sunset and dawn. Why did the author choose this title? Would you suggest abetter one?

I found this to be a good story about the fictional developing friendship between Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale as they both traveled the Nile to experience the antiquities in 1850.

The plot was made interesting by the conflicts between FN and her maid Trout and those stemming from the natural el...more

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Jan 21, 2013 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: worth-reading

This was an enjoyable novel especially for the setting - a sort of 'great tour' of a trip on the nile before the sites were relocated and the advent of major tourism. The imagined encounter between a young Florence Nightingale and pre-famous Gustave Flaubert is interesting - it illustrates some of the restrictions of victorian life on a young woman of status - but the arc of the story turned towards the physical rather than the possibility of both of their lives expanding into the possibility of...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Stacia rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

3.5 stars. Filled with lovely prose & luscious descriptions, "The Twelve Rooms of the Nile" is an intricately-researched historical fiction novel. I thoroughly enjoyed Shomer's detailed depictions of both Florence Nightingale & Gustave Flaubert, as well as her gorgeous descriptions of Egypt itself. Seemingly, quite a few people have enjoyed the sections about Nightingale more than the ones about Flaubert; I have the opposite opinion -- I enjoyed the parts about Flaubert & sometimes f...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Cynthia Robertson rated it 5 of 5 stars

He crawled across the space between them and rested his head against her shoulder. Philae held them in its silted-up silence. Barely touching her for fear she’d collapse under the weight of an embrace or move away again, he encircled her with his arms. “I am waiting for the muse to visit me,” he managed to whisper, “just as you are waiting for God to speak to you again.” Were they not both self-made pariahs? He felt himself in complete sympathy with her, as if they had mingled their blood in the...more
He crawled across the space between them and rested his head against her shoulder. Philae held them in its silted-up silence. Barely touching her for fear she’d collapse under the weight of an embrace or move away again, he encircled her with his arms. “I am waiting for the muse to visit me,” he managed to whisper, “just as you are waiting for God to speak to you again.” Were they not both self-made pariahs? He felt himself in complete sympathy with her, as if they had mingled their blood in the purity and innocence of childhood.

Part love story, part historical adventure, Enid Shomer’s The Twelve Rooms of the Nile is a fun jaunt back into the Egypt of the mid 1800’s, only just beginning to be appreciated and explored by adventurous Europeans. The tale follows Florence Nightingale, during her pre-Crimean War years, and French writer Gustave Flaubert, as they separately travel the Nile by boat. Both actually did take such trips during their lifetimes—and indeed, even at the same time—though they never actually met, as far as history records. But Ms. Shomer has imagined an alternate, enthralling world—where they do.

The Florence she imagines for us is one who hungers to do some great humanitarian work and leave her mark on the world, but is hampered by the conventions of her Victorian culture, a culture whose foremost watchdog is Florence’s own mother. Prim and proper, but longing to be free, Florence strains against the stays of her society, and briefly escapes the constrictures of her family with two doting friends who agree to chaperone the Egyptian excursion. Gustave, tormented by his companions’ dismissal of his first novel (and not yet the writer who will one day write Madame Bovary), is in Egypt to gather impressions, both in the literal sense, as he makes ‘squeezes’ of hieroglyphs, and in the artistic sense, as he records with his highly attuned, hedonistic perceptions, the pleasures and realities life in Egypt offers.

Shomer, a poet with several published collections, writes with unerring skill, capturing with vivid prose both the characters inner lives, and the exotic world they travel through. And unlike some poets who attempt fiction, she at no time wanders astray into self-indulgent passages that have no bearing on the story being told; while the language is evocative and at times transportive, it at all times serves the tale, making this novel a delight.

This writer’s strengths: Language, obviously, being a poet, but she also possesses a good imagination, and doesn’t back off from an almost brutal honesty when depicting her characters inner lives. There are some graphic sexual scenes in this novel—it is about Flaubert, after all, and he did die of (probably) complications of syphilis; or ‘the pox’ (which was something of a scourge among Europeans of the time). But they are written with such apparent honesty, that even the luridness of the brothel visits feels necessary.

Who will enjoy this book: The novel was clearly deeply researched, so history buffs of the time, or anyone curious about either of the main characters lives (and if you’re not, you will be, after reading this book), those who enjoy tales of Egypt, especially during the 1800s. Readers who enjoy deeply investigated flawed and believable characters. Readers who enjoy literary writing and a well-turned phrase combined with an adventurous tale.

The Twelve Rooms of the Nile is 445 pages. I did not note any editing errors. It was published in 2012 by Simon & Schustler.

I highly recommend it.
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May 10, 2013 Susan Ferguson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, fiction, nook-owned

A novel about Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert based on the fact that both explored Egypt and the Nile with identical agendas at the same time.
This novel takes these two historical figures and has them meet in Egypt on the Nile sightseeing. Conversations are created from study of the diaries/journals of both. A most fascinating encounter that never happened. The story seems to stay true to the individuals and their characters - I guess because of the use of the journals and reference ma...more

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May 09, 2013 Leonardo Etcheto rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really liked the story, the setting, the language, the overall feel of the book. I truly enjoy fiction set in a historical setting and this book delivers. I know the broad strokes of both Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale, but not many specifics so to me the characterization of them was very real and true. After reading this, I want to float down the Nile and do a caravan through the dessert, I doubt it is anywhere near as picturesque now however. The rich knew how to spend their money t...more

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Mar 17, 2013 Tracy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: hf-challenge-2013, rhfl-challenge-2013

Uneven, yet somehow I liked it. The writing meandered like the boats sailing up and down the Nile. What I enjoyed most were the author's characterizations, especially of Florence Nightingale:

Most frustrating, it was impossible to impress Mrs. Lewis, as she wasn't interested in anything she didn't already know...Marian Lewis's greatest offense was that she was sickeningly content, immune to what people like Flo thought of her. Also, she had accomplished something Flo had not: she had found her pl...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Kate added it

What a piece of crap. I can't believe this made NPR's list of best historical fiction of 2012. I was bored stiff for the whole first half of the book. It finally picked up but not enough to make up for it. I'd give 2/5 stars simply because the author does have potential and, as the book unfolds, the relationship between Flo and Gustave becomes touching quite unexpectedly.

The author is way too verbose and detail obsessed for me. I din't really give a crap about all the description of Egypt and wh...more

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Oct 28, 2012 Diane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Picked this up from the library shelf- very intriguing book. Literary book. Gustave Flaubert meets Florence Nightingale while traveling on the Nile. Their relationshp and just relationship of others, and the places they visit, etc. I love the way this author writes - this is her first book. Not a quick read, but very much enjoyed it, most likely because it's different. reading about Egypt back in that time period was interesting as well. All the places I visited were obviously there then, but no...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Diane S. rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 I finished this a couple of days ago but I really=y needed to think before I wrote a review. I loved her writing, elegant and lush, especially when talking about the scenery, which was beautiful. Loved the history behind this, she actually used letters and journals from both of these well known people. Both are at loose ends and feel like they are not getting on with their lives the way they have envisioned them, Flaubert has written his first novel but his friends tell him it terrible and w...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Josilyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

A rather lackluster ending, but a really solid effort at exploring the nature of friendship between a man and a woman- and quite the man and woman at that. Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, while being two different people, forge a bond that the reader will wish had actually happened in real life. Florence Nightingale is really relatable as a character, but Flaubert is a little harder to grasp. The prose is eloquent, and the setting enthralling. It's not quite the conventional ending I...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Val Sanford rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, travel, victorian-mystery, women-in-history

Gusatve Flaubert and Florence Nightengale collide in Luxor in 1848 bringing forth a friendship and re-imagined selves. Having visited the same sites: Abu Symbal, Dendere, Luxor, Cairo, Thebes, the wonderful Temple of Phille, this book was vividly real to me.

The self-discovery Nightengale experiences is, in part, the purpose of travel. We read their own words, journals, letters and published works, in this made-up encounter and both people are portrayed as the complex and confused revolutionarie...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Nicole Bonia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shomer provides fascinating insight in the Nightingale and Flaubert, and is no less dazzling in her descriptions of the culture, food, clothing and traditions of the different people and guides the parties encounter on their sojourn on the Nile. Each of her sentences is imbued with intellectualism, history, philosophy snappy repartee and fascinating historical tidbits. Shomer’s thorough research is stunning, and sometimes daunting even as she creates a plausible connection between Nightingale an...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Linda Bridges rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-books

I am slogging through this book and dread picking it up. If I weren't reading it for a specific purpose, I'd stop. The characters seem wooden and stilted, and I sincerely hope Florence Nightengale wasn't this tedious in real life. What a bore of a story! It is repetitious and has little action. And the author must have written the book with one hand and held a thesaurus in the other because if a complicated word is good, she seems to think one even more complicated in even better. It makes for s...more

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Jan 20, 2013 Jenni Chadick rated it 3 of 5 stars

I love a good historical fiction, and had some high hopes for this one. Other reviewers summed it up - Gustave is self-possessed and a pain to read through, Florence is a flighty woman who is stereotypically hysterical for women of her time. I read it quickly, and I think there was potential for a better plot here. The writing was engaging and I really enjoyed descriptions of the lanscape and the trimmings that make up a 19th century trip down the Nile. Enid's style of writing is very engaging a...more

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May 07, 2013 Mia rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was engrossed for the first 2/3 of the book. I loved the characterization of Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale. I liked the scandalous tone of their connection. Traveling with the two groups around Egypt was an absolute thrill! The last 1/3 of the book slowed down to a snail's pace. By the time the book ended I was gone. I was back to the beginning, where the couple first meets imagining a more rapturous love affair.

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Jan 19, 2013 Noelle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Loved this book. Well written, good story line, endearingly flawed characters. Educational glimpse into Egypt.

Excerpt: "What an elegant spinster she would make, clad in dark dresses befitting one no longer prowling for a mate, but set off to one side, like a beautiful vase reduced to holding umbrellas. From time to time he allowed himself to remember her: faintly damp with fever, wearing a fawn silk gown and roses in her hair, she reclined upon a brocade settee or draped herself over an armchair...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Before they became famous, Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale toured Egypt at the same time, with a very similar itinerary. We don't know if they ever met, but Enid Shomer's novel is a story of what might have happened if they had.

The novel made me homesick for my time on the Nile and in Cairo. Flaubert's character was a bit much but it was a good foil for that of Flo. Interesting and enjoyable conjecture.

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Dec 24, 2012 Tanya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Love the depictions of Egypt, could have done without some of the sexuality, and probably would've been just as thrilled with no Flaubert at all. Why those two? Isn't Nightingale fascinating enough on her own? Also, the ending was too blasé and yet over the top; could've reigned in the poetic prose a little as it wasn't necessary and didn't add much.

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Jun 28, 2012 Jessica Wallen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic story about two young idealistic people, from very different worlds, who find courage in their friendship when they both need it most. Enid Shomer certainly did her research and the details of the time, place and people fall into place so eloquently and effortlessly! A dramatic, funny and very insightful story!

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Feb 22, 2013 Dee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Those who are interested in historical fiction and those who are just fascinated by Egypt, Florence Nightingale and Gustave Flaubert, this book is for you. Single ladies over thirty born in the bible belt this is for you (giggle). I have just finished and already want to go back and re read while underlining the beautiful passages pulled from their private journals and published literature and Enid Shomer's lush prose.

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