Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Mariner Books (2016), Edition: Reprint, 576 pages
DDC/MDS
| 813.6 |
Description
Lilliet Berne is a sensation of the Paris Opera, a legendary soprano with every accolade except an original role, every singers' chance at immortality. When one is finally offered to her, she realizes with alarm that the libretto is based on a hidden piece of her past. Only four could have betrayed her: one is dead, one loves her, one wants to own her. And one, she hopes, never thinks of her at all. As she mines her memories for clues, she recalls her life as an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept up into the glitzy, gritty world of Second Empire Paris. In order to survive, she transformed herself from hippodrome rider to courtesan, from empress's maid to debut singer, all the while weaving a complicated web of romance, obligation, and political intrigue.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Cariola
This is yet another book that suffers from a serious lack of editing. I was eager to read the story of Lilliet Berne, who was orphaned in the American frontier in the latter half of the 19th century, joined a circus as a rough rider known as the Settler's Daughter, became a registered prostitute in
While this sounded like a great story (and it was, at times), I got bogged down in the pages and pages and pages of repetition and description. Yes, the author does effectively recreate the atmosphere of the French imperial court, but it could have been done with a lot less frivolous detail. Halfway through, I started skimming and skipping pages, looking for something to happen or a character to show some development--and I am not an impatient reader who focuses solely on plot. The writing was fine enough, so I will pass the blame for this meandering disaster on to the book's editor. Ultimately, this is another sad case of lost potential, I'm afraid.
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Paris, was a member of the Empress Eugenie's household, and rose to become a celebrated operatic soprano. The story begins when Lilliet, known as La Generale, is given a novel that appears to be based on the secrets of her own life. The giver hopes to have it turned into an opera, withe the principal role designed especially for her. Lilliet is determined to learn which person from her past has revealed her secrets. As she approaches each with a gift of the novel, she reveals to the readers her own story.While this sounded like a great story (and it was, at times), I got bogged down in the pages and pages and pages of repetition and description. Yes, the author does effectively recreate the atmosphere of the French imperial court, but it could have been done with a lot less frivolous detail. Halfway through, I started skimming and skipping pages, looking for something to happen or a character to show some development--and I am not an impatient reader who focuses solely on plot. The writing was fine enough, so I will pass the blame for this meandering disaster on to the book's editor. Ultimately, this is another sad case of lost potential, I'm afraid.
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LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
The narrator of this novel cannot get a break. Born on the American frontier, she is hopeless at the tasks normally assigned to girls. Her singing voice is sublime, though- and her mother won’t let her use it, saying she has the sin of pride, even going to far as to tie her mouth shut. When her
The story actually begins when Lilliet, now an acclaimed opera star, receives a novel, which clearly tells the story of her life, exposing all her secrets. There are only three people in the world who know this story, and she must discover which one of them it is. It shouldn’t be hard; one is dead, one loves her, and one wants to own her. But finding who it is leads to a still greater web of secrets. She may end up dead or enslaved again.
Lilliet is the narrator of her story; she speaks clearly and does not spare herself. She describes things vividly, whether it’s about things royal and beautiful or poor and dreadful; how things look, feel, sound, smell. The prose is lush, and envelopes the reader in the story.
I loved this book. I did not want to put it down, and did not want it to end. Lilliet is an ingenious survivor, a strong woman who does what it takes to make a decent life for herself, even when she seems totally trapped.
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whole family dies of fever, the issue is moot; she leaves for the coast to find a way to get to Lucerne, where her mother’s people are. To get there, she joins a circus, doing trick riding, shooting, and singing. On the way she steals a name from a gravestone, Lilliet Berne. Her adventures include being a maid to the Empress, an unknowing spy, a courtesan, and an opera singer. She changes identities with ease. But every time she thinks she’s got things under her control, the floor gets pulled out from under her. In her life, she only loves one man… and can never seem to get free to spend her life with him. The story actually begins when Lilliet, now an acclaimed opera star, receives a novel, which clearly tells the story of her life, exposing all her secrets. There are only three people in the world who know this story, and she must discover which one of them it is. It shouldn’t be hard; one is dead, one loves her, and one wants to own her. But finding who it is leads to a still greater web of secrets. She may end up dead or enslaved again.
Lilliet is the narrator of her story; she speaks clearly and does not spare herself. She describes things vividly, whether it’s about things royal and beautiful or poor and dreadful; how things look, feel, sound, smell. The prose is lush, and envelopes the reader in the story.
I loved this book. I did not want to put it down, and did not want it to end. Lilliet is an ingenious survivor, a strong woman who does what it takes to make a decent life for herself, even when she seems totally trapped.
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LibraryThing member melaniehope
I just finished this book today and loved it. It is a historical drama that is over 500 pages long and I wish it could have continued. When I first started reading, it was a little bit cumbersome for me to read a book that did not use quotation marks for the dialogue. Then I quickly got used to
The book takes place in 19th century Paris. The main character Lilliet, overcomes great adversity and many harrowing situations. One minute, she's in a circus performing as a singer and equestrian rider, later she is a prostitute, a prisoner, a servant for the Empress, and then becomes a world famous opera singer. All the while the book takes the reader on a spectacular journey. It was atmospheric, lyrical, and spell bounding. I was completely caught up in the amazing life of Lilliet and of the opera scene in Paris during this era. I don't have any interest in opera, and you don't need to. What pleasure to read this story and I can't recommend it highly enough!
I received a complimentary e-book via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
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that, and it was never an issue for me again.The book takes place in 19th century Paris. The main character Lilliet, overcomes great adversity and many harrowing situations. One minute, she's in a circus performing as a singer and equestrian rider, later she is a prostitute, a prisoner, a servant for the Empress, and then becomes a world famous opera singer. All the while the book takes the reader on a spectacular journey. It was atmospheric, lyrical, and spell bounding. I was completely caught up in the amazing life of Lilliet and of the opera scene in Paris during this era. I don't have any interest in opera, and you don't need to. What pleasure to read this story and I can't recommend it highly enough!
I received a complimentary e-book via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member cathgilmore
Alexander Chee’s new novel, The Queen of the Night works well for cold winter reading because you will need to settle in to really enjoy this massive piece of entertainment. This is not a book to skim through, like any grand diva, attention must be paid. And this Chee does by creating a world
Of all the accolades heaped at my feet, the one I lacked for was the honor of originating a role, a part written precisely for my voice…For a singer, this was your only immortality. All the rest would pass. P.17
It is troubling then, that when she reads this story it is not just written for her voice, but is the actual truth about her life, something only four people in Paris know. So launches her journey back into her past to find out who might be trying to blackmail her with knowledge that would not serve her well in her most recent incarnation.
There is no detail too small for Chee and his knowledge of opera and the world of Paris in the late 1800s is immense. That he can funnel all this detail into a book that dips and soars with Lilliet’s life is astonishing. Within a year she goes from being an American orphan to an acrobatic horseback rider to a courtesan to living in a convent to being a seamstress for the Empress of France. The one constant in her life is the gift of her voice and after these trials she begins to use it and to get training in how to perfect and protect it. But even then there is a price to be paid and her greatest protectors are a man who owns her and a woman who uses her for her own ends. Even as the years pass and she gains success as a singer there is always the reminder that her life is not quite her own.
Not surprisingly Chee gives The Queen of the Night an operatic structure. Lilliet’s life follows the path of all true opera heroines in her humble beginnings, misspent youth, lost love, grand exploits, betrayals and intrigue. The cast is a varied and grand one and the extent to which Chee fills every detail of their being makes for reading that is almost visual. The gowns of Empress Eugenie, the training even a gifted singer must endure, life in a prison or in the halls of the Tuileries Palace—all told with an intimacy that reads like a movie. With so many moving parts there are points when the scenery upstages the play and it can be too much. But even with these wobbles in the plot The Queen of the Night will hit its notes for lovers of drama and opera.
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overflowing with the sumptuous and the over-the-top for Lilliet Berne, one of the Paris Opera’s best known sopranos. The novel opens in the 1880s when Lilliet is at the height of her fame. A composer offers her a libretto written specifically for her, something she has yet to achieve in her career.Of all the accolades heaped at my feet, the one I lacked for was the honor of originating a role, a part written precisely for my voice…For a singer, this was your only immortality. All the rest would pass. P.17
It is troubling then, that when she reads this story it is not just written for her voice, but is the actual truth about her life, something only four people in Paris know. So launches her journey back into her past to find out who might be trying to blackmail her with knowledge that would not serve her well in her most recent incarnation.
There is no detail too small for Chee and his knowledge of opera and the world of Paris in the late 1800s is immense. That he can funnel all this detail into a book that dips and soars with Lilliet’s life is astonishing. Within a year she goes from being an American orphan to an acrobatic horseback rider to a courtesan to living in a convent to being a seamstress for the Empress of France. The one constant in her life is the gift of her voice and after these trials she begins to use it and to get training in how to perfect and protect it. But even then there is a price to be paid and her greatest protectors are a man who owns her and a woman who uses her for her own ends. Even as the years pass and she gains success as a singer there is always the reminder that her life is not quite her own.
Not surprisingly Chee gives The Queen of the Night an operatic structure. Lilliet’s life follows the path of all true opera heroines in her humble beginnings, misspent youth, lost love, grand exploits, betrayals and intrigue. The cast is a varied and grand one and the extent to which Chee fills every detail of their being makes for reading that is almost visual. The gowns of Empress Eugenie, the training even a gifted singer must endure, life in a prison or in the halls of the Tuileries Palace—all told with an intimacy that reads like a movie. With so many moving parts there are points when the scenery upstages the play and it can be too much. But even with these wobbles in the plot The Queen of the Night will hit its notes for lovers of drama and opera.
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LibraryThing member nevans1972
This was such a great book. I just loved it from beginning to end. Thank you, Book Browse for the book.
LibraryThing member KLmesoftly
Highly highly highly highly recommend - seriously, this book is an artwork, so thoughtful and deliberately crafted. I've been trying to decide how I would describe the genre of this book - literary historical suspense?
It's about a renowned opera singer offered a role in a new opera that turns out
I also have to call out the structure of the book itself: it's deliberately stylized and formatted like an opera, so expect a fairy tale full of dramatic highs and lows (or as a character describes tragic opera, "victory, defeat, victory, defeat, victory, defeat") it's one of those books where you know all along (more or less) where things are heading, because the author tells you, either directly or through implication (Chekhov's Broken Voice + "only four people know my story and one of them is dead so I can eliminate him immediately from suspicion" OH COME ON NO THOUGHT-TO-BE-DEAD LOVER STAYS DEAD), but that only adds to the suspense/anticipation and the pleasure of reading and watching things unfold.
I MAINLINED this whole beast of a book on my 8hr flight home from Europe and almost wish I hadn't, because there's so much to it both thematically and aesthetically that I feel like it would really reward a slow read. I can't wait till I have an excuse to reread it in a year or two!
It's about a renowned opera singer offered a role in a new opera that turns out
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to have been based on her own secrets; she sets out to determine who of the four people who know her past is behind it and determined to ruin her life, and in the process walks back through her life story for the reader. It's SO rich with historical details - Chee ends the book with a historical note/list of citations but even without seeing his research list (this book took over 15 years to write, yo) it's apparent just from reading it how much detail and verisimilitude he infused this story with...and yet it still feels really effortless and vivid, never like "hey, look at me and all of this, aren't you impressed? Here, let me shove some more in your face so you can REALLY APPRECIATE" - it's all very subtle and natural, to the point that I actually didn't even realize that a couple of the historical figures were real people rather than inventions!I also have to call out the structure of the book itself: it's deliberately stylized and formatted like an opera, so expect a fairy tale full of dramatic highs and lows (or as a character describes tragic opera, "victory, defeat, victory, defeat, victory, defeat") it's one of those books where you know all along (more or less) where things are heading, because the author tells you, either directly or through implication (Chekhov's Broken Voice + "only four people know my story and one of them is dead so I can eliminate him immediately from suspicion" OH COME ON NO THOUGHT-TO-BE-DEAD LOVER STAYS DEAD), but that only adds to the suspense/anticipation and the pleasure of reading and watching things unfold.
I MAINLINED this whole beast of a book on my 8hr flight home from Europe and almost wish I hadn't, because there's so much to it both thematically and aesthetically that I feel like it would really reward a slow read. I can't wait till I have an excuse to reread it in a year or two!
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LibraryThing member booklove2
Follow on this luxurious, intricately detailed journey of Lilliet Berne through America, Paris, London, Russia, and near the Black Forest in the mid-19th century. The book begins with Lilliet as a soprano opera singer who made her way to the top. Lilliet is approached at a ball by a man who has
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written a novel and an opera that closely resembles her life, details that she has kept hidden from almost everyone. It takes a lot to go from an orphan to a celebrity, so she prefers to forget much of the past. Most of the plot revolves around her need to find out who knows her secrets and a love triangle -- competing attention from both a tenor and a composer. This book is one of those adaptable orphan stories that I happen to gravitate towards. A character on their own must keep reinventing themselves to survive (ie: 'The Orphan Master's Son' by Adam Johnson, 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte, 'Someone Knows My Name' by Lawrence Hill, 'Tess of the D'Urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy, as well as 80% of children's books.) I just realized these four are some of my favorite books, so I really must love those scrappy adaptable orphans that tend to fight their way through the world without much support. The reasons why Lilliet leaves America and the way that particular section is set is heartbreaking as well as breathtaking. Thawing the frozen ground with fire to dig a grave "sometimes cooking and reading there through the night, the three graves a short fence against the wind" (pg 35). I was reminded of the differences between Hardy's Tess and Hardy's Bathsheba from 'Far From the Madding Crowd'. My heart breaks for the tragic Tess but was distant from Bathsheba. You see the struggles that Tess had to go through from the beginning, but Bathsheba has a history alluded to but not seen and then is planted in a love triangle with three men. I have so much sympathy for Tess but with Bathsheba, I thought she could manage well enough on her own (and hey, Tess was even in a love triangle of her own.) So I'm glad that Chee made the decision to show Lilliet's difficult history instead of just planting her in her luxurious opera life. When Lilliet makes it to the top, the plot is almost drowning in ornateness and richness, so I was also happy to find the sentences more straight forward and simpler than the subjects the sentences discuss. The book itself is a stage for the tableau vivant that Chee mentions the characters partaking in. Paragraphs and chapters as a set for all these dramatic people, places, things. Plenty of historical people appear in the book. I could appreciate that the story uses many of the plots of famous operas mentioned in the book to mirror its own plot. I certainly didn't need to know much about opera to step inside this world. Overall, I think the book might have taken a little too long to write, the plot a little too long to get where it is going, a little too ambling for me to make complete sense of. But a journey that is worth the read and the time, nonetheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member wagner.sarah35
I was really excited to read this book - it's got everything I love including an epic love story, a rags to riches plot, historical figures making cameos, and the drama of the opera - so if I was a little disappointed in this book, it's likely because I had such high expectations that few books
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could reach. Still, an excellent read and one I expect to find on "Best books of 2016" in the coming months. Show Less
LibraryThing member amydross
Such a glorious concept and setting, but I'm afraid I found the execution leaden and uninspired.
LibraryThing member pierthinker
In opera, too much is never enough. This is a medium of heightened emotions, sometimes to levels of absurdity that would not be countenanced in other forms of art.
This is the story of a girl we know as Lilliet Berne, an opera diva hailed across Europe, but especially in Paris, who believes her past
Through all the convolutions of her experience, Lilliet never seems to be in control. She is always being done to, rather than doing, even when she appears to be in action (running away from the Empress of France, for example). This makes for an ambivalent conclusion. As Lilliet resolves her problem (in a scene as weakly described as it is shocking to our understanding of her) some will see her fate as a fall from the glittering heights, but I think she gains some happiness and comfort in doing something she is very good at for people who want to see her.
This is the story of a girl we know as Lilliet Berne, an opera diva hailed across Europe, but especially in Paris, who believes her past
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is about to be exposed. As she searches for her enemy and a motive she reviews her life. This is full of disaster, drama, chance, little/poor/weak girl makes good, prostitution and a smattering of encounters with real-life characters from the second half of the 19th century.Through all the convolutions of her experience, Lilliet never seems to be in control. She is always being done to, rather than doing, even when she appears to be in action (running away from the Empress of France, for example). This makes for an ambivalent conclusion. As Lilliet resolves her problem (in a scene as weakly described as it is shocking to our understanding of her) some will see her fate as a fall from the glittering heights, but I think she gains some happiness and comfort in doing something she is very good at for people who want to see her.
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LibraryThing member tapestry100
I'm not really sure what to say about Alexander Chee's novel The Queen of the Night other than it is magnificent. A sprawling, epic tale that put me in mind of Arthur Golden's Memoirs of a Geisha, we follow Paris Opera sensation Lilliet Berne as she recounts her life from her humble beginnings as
Chee seems to have thoroughly researched his setting for Lillet's journey, and his writing is strong and precise. Lilliet's life is quite an adventure, but it never seems to be dull, and I never felt like I was wishing that her tale would hurry along. I listened to the audio version, and Lisa Flanagan's narration is spot on; she truly became the voice of Lilliet for me. The only thing that I added to my own listening of the book that I think could possibly benefit other readers is that I listened to selections of the operas and other musical pieces that are mentioned in the book, to add that next level of enjoyment to the story.
Chee is an extraordinary storyteller and I'll definitely be reading more by him in the future.
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an orphaned American child, who tried to make her way to Europe to the only family she new of after the death of her family and ended up being swept up by one circumstance after another into the spectacle that was the Second French Empire. We follow her life from her time with a traveling circus, to becoming a prostitute in one of Paris' more prestigious whorehouses, to her time as a dresser for Empress Eugénie de Montijo at the Tuileries, until she finally makes her debut at the French Opera. Through this tale, she is trying to discover who might know of her secrets, as each time she took on a new role, she also cast off her old life and name and reinvented herself at each turn, trying to finally free herself from her own past and come into the life that she wants for herself.Chee seems to have thoroughly researched his setting for Lillet's journey, and his writing is strong and precise. Lilliet's life is quite an adventure, but it never seems to be dull, and I never felt like I was wishing that her tale would hurry along. I listened to the audio version, and Lisa Flanagan's narration is spot on; she truly became the voice of Lilliet for me. The only thing that I added to my own listening of the book that I think could possibly benefit other readers is that I listened to selections of the operas and other musical pieces that are mentioned in the book, to add that next level of enjoyment to the story.
Chee is an extraordinary storyteller and I'll definitely be reading more by him in the future.
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LibraryThing member lisapeet
Zola-esque, and baggy in the extreme, but a lot of fun. I think it could have used a little trimming, but it was definitely of its period and was definitely not predictable (except for the "mystery" that started it off, but I don't know how tricky that was really supposed to be). This is definitely
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different from anything I've read in a long time—operatic, as fits its theme (the world of Paris opera c. 1860s) but with a strange and spiky heroine. All caveats considered, I liked it. Show Less
LibraryThing member miyurose
The Queen of the Night is the story of Lilliet Berne, a woman who went from being an orphan in the American Midwest to one of the most famous opera singers in France during the Second Empire (mid- to late-1800s). Very few know her whole story, and when someone threatens her with revealing her
The story bounces back and forth between the Lilliet of the present and the Lilliet of the past. Along the way she lives many lives — of a traveling circus performer, a courtesan, a kept woman, an Empress’s maid, a famous opera singer. She is pulled into not only the intrigue of the opera, but the political intrigue surrounding the fall of Napoleon III. We learn about her life as she searches her past and tries to figure out who is threatening her with exposure.
I enjoyed this book, though I found it hard to follow at times. It often wasn’t clear which time period you were in until you got some context clues. Also, I completely lost track of how old she was at the different times of her life… I ended up thinking she should have been much older than she is supposed to be. It often wasn’t clear how much time had passed between one event and the next.
Also, Lilliet is a bit difficult to connect to. Though many tragic things happen to her, she often just picks up her skirts and moves on with nary an emotional response. Many people are left in her wake, and she just moves on with what appears to be little thought of how they may feel being left behind.
One thing I did appreciate is that the novel is structured much like a tragic opera, with emotional ups and downs. It’s a bit of a time investment, but I recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction and a time period/area of interest that is a bit out of the ordinary.
“Victory, defeat, victory, defeat, victory, defeat. Such is tragedy.”
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secrets, she does all she can to find who they are.The story bounces back and forth between the Lilliet of the present and the Lilliet of the past. Along the way she lives many lives — of a traveling circus performer, a courtesan, a kept woman, an Empress’s maid, a famous opera singer. She is pulled into not only the intrigue of the opera, but the political intrigue surrounding the fall of Napoleon III. We learn about her life as she searches her past and tries to figure out who is threatening her with exposure.
I enjoyed this book, though I found it hard to follow at times. It often wasn’t clear which time period you were in until you got some context clues. Also, I completely lost track of how old she was at the different times of her life… I ended up thinking she should have been much older than she is supposed to be. It often wasn’t clear how much time had passed between one event and the next.
Also, Lilliet is a bit difficult to connect to. Though many tragic things happen to her, she often just picks up her skirts and moves on with nary an emotional response. Many people are left in her wake, and she just moves on with what appears to be little thought of how they may feel being left behind.
One thing I did appreciate is that the novel is structured much like a tragic opera, with emotional ups and downs. It’s a bit of a time investment, but I recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction and a time period/area of interest that is a bit out of the ordinary.
“Victory, defeat, victory, defeat, victory, defeat. Such is tragedy.”
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LibraryThing member AR_bookbird
I LOVED this book and I have Book Riot to thank! When I heard a review on All the Books I went out and picked it up from the library! I loved the detailed writing that accompanied the story. Chee has a way with words that I have not found in many books.
“Sorrow seemed to me to be more like a road
“Sorrow seemed to me to be more like a road
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wound through life”-The Queen of the Night Show Less
LibraryThing member asxz
It's a big glorious novel, but I never felt as fully engaged with the heroine as I might have hoped.
Perhaps the opera themes are what kept me out. But I couldn't help feeling that a bunch of the stories about Victorian prostitutes had been told before. The Crimson Petal and the White did this so
The book that kept returning to me was Memoirs of a Geisha. Another 3-star classic for me that always felt distant and "written".
Despite the hifalutin milieu this was just another middle-brow disappointment.
Perhaps the opera themes are what kept me out. But I couldn't help feeling that a bunch of the stories about Victorian prostitutes had been told before. The Crimson Petal and the White did this so
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thoroughly that I felt I was reading rehashed tropes here. The book that kept returning to me was Memoirs of a Geisha. Another 3-star classic for me that always felt distant and "written".
Despite the hifalutin milieu this was just another middle-brow disappointment.
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LibraryThing member brangwinn
This 500+ page book, will take a long time to read. Sometimes I wished an editor had done more editing. In the end it was worth my time. Reading about Paris in the mid to late 1800’s. Lilliet Berne, is a chameleon, managing to reinvent herself over and over to survive. Her family is killed by
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fever at their Minnesota farm and she makes her way to New York City, where she joins a show similar to Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show. They travel to Europe and she leaves the show, becoming a prostitute who gains a German admirer who takes her as his mistress. He is impressed with her singing and pays for her to learn opera. From there, it’s a glamorous life as an opera singer. But then she’s forced to flee Paris for London and from London she winds up back in the US. Interesting story. Show Less
LibraryThing member NeedMoreShelves
Honestly, March was a crap reading month for me. The pandemic panic found my work hours doing, and me more than a little exhausted.
I did, however, manage to read this bit of fantasticness. It is, certainly, on the problematic side for me. Lilliet has nearly no agency, no ability to to anything but
And yet. This novel about the opera was, truly, an opera itself. Full of all the drama - OH THE DRAMA - and betrayal and infidelity and magic. Can you think in your mind what it would be like if The Phantom of the Opera had a part two, staring the magnificent, malevolent Carlotta? This is not that....but it's pretty darn close. Even as it frustrated me, it delighted me.
It felt like just the right sort of book to be reading in the surreal days that were the last month of my life. Would I recommend it? Maybe not. Would I read it again? Absolutely.
I did, however, manage to read this bit of fantasticness. It is, certainly, on the problematic side for me. Lilliet has nearly no agency, no ability to to anything but
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careen from one disaster to the next. Her "great love" is....suspicious at best. Her "friendships" are clearly only of convenience.And yet. This novel about the opera was, truly, an opera itself. Full of all the drama - OH THE DRAMA - and betrayal and infidelity and magic. Can you think in your mind what it would be like if The Phantom of the Opera had a part two, staring the magnificent, malevolent Carlotta? This is not that....but it's pretty darn close. Even as it frustrated me, it delighted me.
It felt like just the right sort of book to be reading in the surreal days that were the last month of my life. Would I recommend it? Maybe not. Would I read it again? Absolutely.
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LibraryThing member PaulaGalvan
This book is beautifully written and fantastically entertaining. I've only seen light-opera productions, but I feel like I've actually been living inside an epic opera during these 500 + pages. The protagonist, Lilliet Berne, leads a tragic yet magical life. Her struggle to find true love is
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thwarted only by her own efforts to escape her present circumstances. She is always running from one thing to another, seeking love, yet terrified of being controlled. Her final effort to end the man she belongs to (literally) by murdering the Tenor was a shock, but even this horrible act doesn't get her what she truly wants. I believe the end was perfect, as it brings Lilliet full circle and back to her roots. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to be taken on a journey through Europe on the wings of a Falcon opera singer. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader1009
historical fiction (1880s-1910s? Paris; opera singer/prostitute). This took a few chapters to get into, but I enjoyed the lush setting and storytelling. Lots of drama, victories and defeats over many many years of more drama, victories and defeats.
LibraryThing member Lauranthalas
DNF. There are no quotations which makes it difficult to distinguish when people are speaking. This type of writing (no quotation marks) is very difficult for me but I've heard good things if that type of writing style doesn't bother you.
LibraryThing member lissabeth21
Intensely detailed and lavish storytelling. I'm only sorry that given so much intensity to tell her full story, the end came before her end. I would have been happy to follow her to the very end of her life.
LibraryThing member z-bunch
I struggled to get through this book. I liked it enough to want to finish but not enough to want to read it. I gave up on it a few times, only to come back and grind through for a while longer. The writing is at times beautiful, at times so determined to be profound that it's meaningless. The
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setting was the best thing by far, an interesting time and place to spend some reading time, though sometimes bogged down in detailed description that detracted even from this one strength. The main character was entirely unsympathetic for me. Aside from the early scenes when she lost her family, I never felt anything for her. The tone of the whole novel is very emotionally remote, which is appropriate for this first person story about an emotionally remote woman, but it makes it difficult to enjoy reading a dense, long, convoluted book. The story itself is implausible and ridiculous at times, again appropriately for the intended parallels with opera but again making it difficult for me to enjoy. I was relieved to have finished. I'm unlikely to read anything else by this author. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2016
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
0544925475 / 9780544925472