Haroun, the cat, likes nothing better than to spend his days sleeping in the sunlit courtyards of Damascus. But one thing always ruins his sleep: jasmine! Haroun can't stand the sweet-scented flowers. Their pollen sends him into fits of sneezes! So one day, Haroun hatches a plan to fix the problem. But little does he know that in doing so he deeply angers the Jasmine Spirit who plans her revenge in her own crafty and hilarious way.
Explores the connection between sense of smell and the appetites that move people and give them pleasure, focusing on cinnamon, mint, frankincense, ambergris, and jasmine. Includes recipes for fragrances.
In sixteenth-century Florence, in what would become Italy, Antonio and Donatella flee the wrath of Duke Cosimo de Medici from whom Antonio has stolen a sprig of jasmine, and they use that rare plant to make a fresh start. Includes facts about the duke and Italian history.
