
The Paris Winter
Imogen Robertson(Author)
Headline Review (Publisher)
Published on 11. April 2013
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-0-7553-9011-3 (ISBN)
Description
Imogen Robertson's break-out novel - a deep, dark and opulent tale of Belle Epoque Paris, and the secrets and dangers hidden beneath its luxurious facade.
Maud Heighton came to Lafond's famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town. It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money. While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle Epoque, Maud slips into poverty. Quietly starving, and dreading another cold Paris winter, Maud takes a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel. But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium. As Maud is drawn into the Morels' world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers. Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will plunge her into the darkness that waits beneath this glittering city of light.
Maud Heighton came to Lafond's famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town. It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money. While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle Epoque, Maud slips into poverty. Quietly starving, and dreading another cold Paris winter, Maud takes a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel. But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium. As Maud is drawn into the Morels' world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers. Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will plunge her into the darkness that waits beneath this glittering city of light.
Reviews / Votes
A charming, fast-paced thriller * People magazine * Matchless storytelling, gripping and moving in equal measure. Addictive * Nicci French * Imogen Robertson has created a masterpiece of modern literature, establishing herself as one of the rising stars of a rising genre. Delicately woven, passionate and utterly engaging, this has to rank as one of the best novels of 2013 -- Manda Scott Imogen Robertson's fourth novel is a breakaway from her much-acclaimed Harriet Westerman books, and fully confirms her as a true force in historical fiction * Daily Mail * This book is beautifully constructed around the device of a series of paintings. The plot starts slowly and gently then gathers pace to become an exciting and tense tale which could twist and turn in any way... A great success and confirms Robertson as a shining writer of extraordinary potential * Crime Squad * The Paris Winter is another class altogether....The vivid description of life in the Belle Epoque...the plausible plot, and a sensitive understanding of art and artists make this a fascinating novel that I read in a sitting and admired greatly * Literary Review * A great new voice in historical fiction, Robertson's writing is wonderfully atmospheric * Red * An intriguing, emotive story of contrasts - light and darkness, wealth and poverty, loyalty and betrayal, innocence and awakening - but its greatest merit is to paint a city and its people with colour, depth and visual complexity through a palette of finely wrought words... Immaculately researched, and written with style and intelligence, The Paris Winter is a delight from start to finish * Lancashire Evening Post * Robertson's slick writing and ability to craft a good story will keep readers hooked until the final page. Opulent fun' * Northern Echo * A taut tale of intrigue and false identity... Using a dark palette of emotions, Robertson foreshadows Impressionism's greys yielding to the fresh art forms represented in the novel by a Picasso exhibition * We Love This Book * As a writer of historical thrillers, Imogen Robertson's reputation is beginning to outpace most of her rivals'...The period detail here is impeccable, with the reader transported into the exhilarating Paris of Manet and the Belle Epoque. But what is perhaps more developed is Robertson's subtle and nuanced grasp of character, notably of the vulnerable Maud: a heroine almost worthy of Thomas Hardy. It is this characterisation - as much as the narrative - that lifts The Paris Winter into a category of its own * Independent * Fascinating * My Weekly * Parisian life and the winter floods are brilliantly depicted in this engaging thriller by an author who knows how to tell a good story * Choice magazine * A wonderfully atmospheric picture of early 20th century Paris...[a] compelling story of secrecy, greed, deceit and revenge * Historical Novels Review * The depictions of Belle Epoque Paris - the fourth heroine of the novel - are vivid and well researched, and the story is fast-paced and engaging * Cumberland News * A well-researched, well-paced historical thriller that marries the worlds of art, early feminism and Paris... If everyone has their own Paris, then Robertson's is a rich tapestry that provides the scope to encompass mystery, wealth, poverty, music, art, joy and desperation * Toronto Star * Rich as a ripened red wine, The Paris Winter intoxicates and satisfies the reader's darkest desires to be mysteriously entranced. With dazzling Belle Epoque detail and nail-biting plot, Robertson stylishly paints a historical thriller of intrigue and treachery that will have you staying up late to the very last page drop. A compulsive read. I couldn't put it down -- Sarah McCoy, author of the international bestseller The Baker's Daughter I must have breathed while reading The Paris Winter, but I could not say when. Robertson's dark tale in the City of Light haunted me long after closing its pages -- Erika Robuck, New York Times bestselling author of Hemingway's GirlMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Headline Publishing Group
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
620 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7553-9011-3 (9780755390113)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Person
Imogen Robertson grew up in Darlington, studied Russian and German at Cambridge, and now lives in London. She directed for TV, film and radio before becoming a full-time author, and also writes and reviews poetry. Imogen won the Telegraph's 'First thousand words of a novel competition' in 2007 with the opening of Instruments of Darkness, her first novel.