He was a notorious womaniser, consorted with countless prostitutes and was yet to write a word of Madame Bovary. She would become the Lady of the Lamp, the heroic saviour of wounded Crimean War soldiers. Both at painful crossroads in their lives, burning with unfulfilled ambition, Gustave Flaubert and Florence Nightingale made simultaneous voyages on the Nile. In reality they never met, but in the imaginative leap taken by award-winning author Enid Shomer, the two ignite a passionate friendship that will alter both their destinies. Together, and with a cast of unforgettable characters, real and imagined, these unlikely soul mates share their darkest torments and most fervent hopes. Brimming with adventure and the sparkling sensibilities of the two travellers, this mesmerising novel offers gorgeous prose and wild imagination, coloured by the rich tapestry of nineteenth century Egypt, and brings to vivid life two of history's most captivating personalities. Author photo Enid Shomer won the Iowa Fiction Prize for her first collection of stories Imaginary Men, and the Florida Gold Medal for her second, Tourist Season. She is also the author of four books of poetry. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Paris Review, and many other publications. She lives in Tampa, Florida. The Twelve Rooms of the Nile is her first novel.