Sandrine Verlaine
flees her New York home after her father's death leaving behind the
husband whose corrupt business dealings were responsible for her
father's suicide. In Paris, Sandrine is surprised to find that her
grandmother, a famous courtesan, has left her lovely stone house and
gone to live in a hotel. Sandrine's grandmother warns her against
going to the house, but Sandrine is drawn to it. There she finds love
and discovers a talent for painting, but the house is also filled
with the spirit of La Lune, a famous courtesan, whose spirit begins
to take over the girl.
The setting in Belle
Epoque Paris is historically accurate and well described. I enjoyed
the detail and learning about the occult underground that flourished
in that period. I was not as enchanted with the characters and the
plot. I loved Rose's previous novels centered on Jac L'Etoile and the
perfume business. For me, Sandrine hasn't the appeal and the
paranormal seems a bit heavy handed.
The grandmother is
an interesting character, but I thought her development
hard to reconcile with the self-contained business woman at the
beginning of the novel.
If you're a fan of
Rose's books, you may enjoy this novel. However, I can't recommend it
as highly as her previous books.
I reviewed this book
for Net Galley.
No comments:
Post a Comment