The velvet hours
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother's treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she'll ever return. An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her i...
| Main Author: | Richman, Alyson |
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| Format: | Books Print Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
New York :
Berkley Books,
2016.
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| Subjects: |
| Summary: |
As Paris teeters on the edge of the German occupation, a young French woman closes the door to her late grandmother's treasure-filled apartment, unsure if she'll ever return. An elusive courtesan, Marthe de Florian cultivated a life of art and beauty, casting out all recollections of her impoverished childhood in the dark alleys of Montmartre. With Europe on the brink of war, she shares her story with her granddaughter Solange Beaugiron, using her prized possessions to reveal her innermost secrets. Most striking of all are a beautiful string of pearls and a magnificent portrait of Marthe painted by the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini. As Marthe's tale unfolds, like velvet itself, stitched with its own shadow and light, it helps to guide Solange on her own path. Inspired by the true account of an abandoned Parisian apartment, Alyson Richman brings to life Solange, the young woman forced to leave her fabled grandmother's legacy behind to save all that she loved. |
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| Physical Description: |
384 pages |
| ISBN: |
9780425266267 0425266265 |
| Author Notes: |
Alysin Richman was born on May 19, 1972. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1994 and received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. She is best known for her novel The Lost Wife, which is a story about a husband and wife who are separated in a concentration camp during World War II and met up years later at their grandchildren's wedding. Her other title's include The Mask Carver's Son, The Ryhthm of Memory, The Last Van Gogh, and The Garden of Letters. (Bowker Author Biography) |