The Winter Palace
Author: Eva Stachniak
Source: A Chapters buy
Days to read: 10 days
I picked this book up at Chapters while I was shopping for a
birthday gift for a friend. I think I have mentioned this before but historical
novels are my FAVOURITE!!! More specifically, I love reading about women in history.
Cleopatra, Josephine Bonaparte, Anne Boleyn to name a few! After reading the inside
flap I knew it would be a goody!
This novel follows the life of Varvara, a young girl, in the
Russian court. Because of a promise made by the Empress to her late father, Varvara
is taken into the court and cared for. Her role is to be one of the many
“tongues” to the Empress, listening, watching and reporting back to her
majesty. She learns to be invisible, to read people and to know what the
Empress is thinking, feeling and wanting to hear.
But when young Sophie (destined to become Catherine the
Great) is brought to court to marry, Varvara finds in her, a friendship that
she has been longing for. Varvara begins to align herself with Catherine and slowly
forgets all that she has learned at the Russian Court. Power comes with a big
price.
The only thing lacking in this book was a love interest for
Varvara. She is the narrator of the story but I felt that she was too much on
the sidelines. I really began to care for Varvara so I wanted some good things
to happen to her and not just Catherine. But other than that I loved the book!
I ended up buying it for my friend Lauren; I wonder what she
will think of it! Next time I am in Chapters I will pick up some other books by Eva Stachniak.
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