The Winter palace: a novel of Catherine the Great

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NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Wall Street Journal • The Washington Post

From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, the early life of one of history’s boldest women. The Winter Palace tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.

Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.

What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.

With dazzling details and intense drama, Eva Stachniak depicts Varvara’s secret alliance with Catherine as the princess grows into a legend—through an enforced marriage, illicit seductions, and, at last, the shocking coup to assume the throne of all of Russia.

Impeccably researched and magnificently written, The Winter Palace is an irresistible peek through the keyhole of one of history’s grandest tales.

Praise for The Winter Palace

“A majestic and splendidly written tale of pride, passion, intrigue, and deceit that is brought alive from the first page to the last.”—Rosalind Laker

“At the same time baroque and intimate, worldly and domestic, wildly strange and soulfully familiar, The Winter Palace offers a flickering glimpse of history through the gauze of deft entertainment.”—The Washington Post

“A thrilling point of view . . . Readers are treated to a firsthand account of the young princess’s slow ascent to the throne, a path deliciously strewn with discarded lovers and sanguine court intrigues.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“[A] brilliant, bold historical novel . . . This superb biographical epic proves the Tudors don’t have a monopoly on marital scandal, royal intrigue, or feminine triumph.”—Booklist (starred review)
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ISBN:
9780553386899
9780553908046
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Grouping Information

Grouped Work ID135abaf8-936d-241e-b6cc-a35f2e7a6bdf
Grouping Titlewinter palace
Grouping Authoreva stachniak
Grouping Categorybook
Grouping LanguageEnglish (eng)
Last Grouping Update2023-09-29 03:51:41AM
Last Indexed2023-09-29 04:14:12AM

Solr Fields

accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Stachniak, Eva, 1952-
author_display
Stachniak, Eva
available_at_addison
Addison Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
collection_addison
Adults
detailed_location_addison
2nd Floor- Adult Books
Online OverDrive Collection
display_description
Tells the epic story of Catherine the Great's improbable rise to power--as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne. Her name is Barbara--in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she's allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world's most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen--and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie's destiny at court is to marry the Empress's nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears. What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie's confidante--and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.
format_addison
Book
eBook
format_category_addison
Books
eBook
id
135abaf8-936d-241e-b6cc-a35f2e7a6bdf
isbn
9780553386899
9780553908046
itype_addison
Fiction
last_indexed
2023-09-29T09:14:12.609Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Fiction
literary_form_full
Fiction
local_callnumber_addison
FIC STACHNIAK E.
Online OverDrive
owning_library_addison
Addison Public Library
Addison Public Library Online
owning_location_addison
Addison Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
primary_isbn
9780553386899
publishDate
2012
publisher
Bantam Books
Random House Publishing Group
recordtype
grouped_work
series
Catherine
series_with_volume
Catherine|
subject_facet
Biographical fiction
Catherine -- II, -- Empress of Russia, -- 1729-1796 -- Fiction
Courts and courtiers -- Fiction
Empresses -- Russia -- Fiction
Historical fiction
Intrigue -- Fiction
Russia -- History -- Catherine II, 1762-1796 -- Fiction
Spy fiction
title_display
The Winter palace : a novel of Catherine the Great
title_full
The Winter Palace A Novel of Catherine the Great
The Winter palace : a novel of Catherine the Great / Eva Stachniak
title_short
The Winter palace
title_sub
a novel of Catherine the Great
topic_facet
Catherine
Courts and courtiers
Empresses
Fiction
Historical Fiction
History
Intrigue
Literature

Solr Details Tables

item_details

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overdrive:60088699-8ccc-4309-a11a-12eb4ba9a2881Online OverDrive CollectionOnline OverDriveeBookeBook0falsetrueOverDriveAvailable Online

record_details

Bib IdFormatFormat CategoryEditionLanguagePublisherPublication DatePhysical DescriptionAbridged
ils:.b22619641BookBooksEnglishBantam Books[2012]461 pages ; 21 cm.
overdrive:60088699-8ccc-4309-a11a-12eb4ba9a288eBookeBookEnglishRandom House Publishing Group2012

scoping_details_addison

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