![]() ![]() “Sprawling, soaring, bawdy, and plotted like a fine embroidery. “Sprawling, soaring, bawdy, and plotted like a fine embroidery.”- NPR But she happens to be more concerned about her ill-fitting dress than the crowd, and with good reason. ![]() With epic sweep, gorgeous language, and haunting details, Alexander Chee shares Lilliet’s cunning transformation from circus rider to courtesan to legendary soprano, retracing the path that led to the role that could secure her reputation-or destroy her with the secrets it reveals. The Queen of the Night fittingly opens with opera singer Lilliet Berne at the height of her storied career, cheered by the masses as she enters an extravagant ball at Luxembourg Palace. When one is offered to her, she finds the libretto is based on her deepest secret, something only four people have ever known. She became a sensation of the Paris Opera, with every accolade but an original role-her chance at immortality. The Queen of the Night tells the captivating story of Lilliet Berne, an orphan who left the American frontier for Europe and was swept into the glamour and terror of Second Empire France. The mesmerizing story of one woman's rise from circus rider to courtesan to world-renowned diva-"a brilliant performance" ( Washington Post). ![]() NATIONAL BESTSELLER, New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, and a Best Book of the Year from NPR, Boston Globe, BuzzFeed, and others. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |