First published 1989
In the tumult of the Napoleonic Wars, the lives of two remarkable people collide. Henri, a simple French soldier, follows the emperor's march from glory to ruin. Villanelle, the web-footed daughter of a Venetian boatman, has had her heart gambled away. As their paths converge in the carnival of Venice, the pair must navigate a world of chance, fantasy, and darkness to forge an unlikely destiny. Winterson blends reality and imagination in a hypnotic tale of passion, peril, and the power of the human spirit to transcend even the most tumultuous times.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, adventure, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fate
Setting: France, Italy, Russia, Venice, Venice (Italy)
Period: 19th Century, Napoleonic War
160 pages · Paperback · Vintage Classisc