Three kisses of the cobra : a novel / Z. T. Balian.

Set sail on an epic adventure packed with travel to exotic locations, pirates, unfailing love, ships, the trade of spice and precious stones, attempted murder, and tragic death. When the warden of the Armenian church in Singapore sends an e-mail to Nayri, a Lebanese-Armenian banker, offering fascinating details from her family’s roots and to connect her with a relative she’s never met, she jumps at the opportunity to learn more about her history. Set in the early nineteenth century, Three Kisses of the Cobra is the fictional account of the life of one of the first settlers in Singapore. A well-traveled Armenian trader from Isfahan, Persia, Vartan’s life is the stuff of legend. And, although overall, his journey is a happy one, it is, nonetheless, overshadowed by grief over his lost homeland—a pain shared by his present-day descendants, members of the Armenian diaspora. A vivid cast of characters, both fictional and historical, contribute to a narrative of survival, hardship, and triumph—a testament to the strength and resilience of spirit it takes to leave everything you know to pursue a new life far from home.