First published 2000
Marie crafts fans that scandalize French society with their erotic imagery and sensual designs. Her provocative art has made her famous across the country, but it has also drawn dangerous attention. Now she stands before a court of rigid judges, accused of working alongside the notorious Marquis de Sade. The prosecution demands she answer for her controversial friendships and defend her sexually explicit creations. The courtroom represents everything she opposes: prudish morality and narrow-minded propriety. As the trial proceeds, Marie must find words to justify her artistic vision and personal choices. The stakes could not be higher. In this unforgiving legal arena, failure to convince the court means death. Marie faces the ultimate test of whether art can triumph over censorship, whether individual freedom can survive institutional judgment, and whether she can save her life by defending her right to create without compromise.
Genres: art, romance, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, trial
Setting: France
Period: 19th-century
240 pages · Paperback · Ballantine Books
Content warnings: explicit-sexual-content