First published 2012
Voltaire faces arrest once again and escapes to the castle of Marquise Émilie du Châtelet. She is a mathematician, physicist, and Newton translator who surrounds herself with over twenty-one thousand books. In this sanctuary, the Enlightenment philosopher and the brilliant marquise pursue their love affair while stimulating each other's minds. Their relationship grows complicated as Émilie builds a reputation for seducing other lovers and gambling compulsively. Voltaire charms his way into an affair with his niece, Madame Denis, yet refuses to abandon the marquise. Around them, the aristocracy reacts with shock to their free thinking. Mitford dissects this erotic adventure between two remarkable intellects while painting the scandal of eighteenth-century high society. The story captures an age of powdered wigs when, as one observer noted, people disguised themselves less than in other eras.
Genres: biography, romance, historical-fiction, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forbidden-love
Setting: France
Period: 18th-Century
288 pages · Hardcover · Duomo Ediciones