Garden of Venus by Eva Stachniak

Garden of Venus by Eva Stachniak

An alluring, exotic novel set in the early nineteenth century, based on the life of the famous and much-painted courtesan, La Belle Phanariote. Sophie, the Countess Potocki, is travelling with her entourage from St Petersburg to Paris, to consult with French doctors, when she stops at the Berlin palace of her friend, the Graf von Haefen. There, her whole extraordinary life during one of the most turbulent periods of European history comes back to haunt her - the many strands of her life, the many roles in which she has presented herself, the many biographies she has made up, the many lovers and protectors she has cherished and deceived. And still she continues to attempt to manipulate the lives of those around her. But two of them, her Polish lady-in-waiting and the French doctor summoned to her, have been brought up in a different, more modern era. Her lady-in-waiting survived the terrible wars that tore her family apart, and the doctor is a child of the revolutionary spirit that burnt through Europe from Paris. Both have very different ideas than Countess Potocki on how to lives their lives, and how to survive the turmoil in the beginning of this new century. Brilliantly written, cleverly constructed with a strong cast of characters, both real and fictional, and vivid scenes, Garden of Venus is an alluring, sensuous and exotic saga which will delight readers of Tracy Chevalier, Philippa Gregory and Isabelle Allende.

Eva Stachniak was born in Poland and now lives in Canada. She has been a teacher and librarian. This is her first novel.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780007180448
ISBN 10	0007180446
Title	Garden of Venus
Author	Eva Stachniak
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	HarperCollins Publishers
Year published	2005-03-07
Number of pages	464
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.