Posts by Vicki J Kondelik

Désirée is a historical novel, in the form of a fictional diary, that tells the story of Désirée Clary, the daughter of a silk merchant from Marseille, who became Napoleon's first love, and later, through a set of extraordinary circumstances, Queen of Sweden. The major events of Napoleon's reign are told through her eyes. The book was made into a film starring Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando.

The Guardian of Lies is a Cold War thriller set in the South of France. A young woman, Eloïse, goes to Paris, hoping to follow in her brother's footsteps as a CIA agent. After a car chase, where her brother is severely injured, she goes home to her family's farm in the South of France, only to find that the area has become a hotbed of violence and political intrigue after her father sells part of his land to the U.S. Air Force for an airbase. And she begins to suspect her brother isn't telling her the truth about his activities. Can Eloïse find her way out of the web of lies and deceit surrounding her?

Liberty by Lucy Moore tells the story of six remarkable women who lived during the French Revolution. They came from a variety of social backgrounds, from aristocratic to working-class women. During these difficult times, it is fascinating to read about these women who lived during another difficult time.

Rodin's Lover is a biographical novel about Camille Claudel, an amazingly talented female sculptor in late 19th century Paris. She becomes the lover of Auguste Rodin and inspires his work, but her frustration at his inability to commit to her leads her to break off the relationship. After their breakup, she creates some of her most innovative work.

Tracy Chevalier, author of Girl with A Pearl Earring, tells the story of two children in 1790s London, country boy Jem, who has recently moved to London when his father finds work with Astley's Circus, and streetwise city girl Maggie, and their friendship with poet and engraver William Blake. The children become the inspiration for Blake's most famous books of poetry. Chevalier paints a vivid portrait of life in London at the time of the French Revolution.

The Stranger Diaries is a contemporary gothic novel of suspense set at a high school in rural England. Clare Cassidy is an English teacher researching a Victorian novelist who used to live in one of the school buildings. There is a legend that he murdered his wife and that her ghost haunts the school. When two members of the English department are murdered and their bodies found with a line from a story by the Victorian novelist, and Clare finds that a stranger has written in her diary, she realizes the murderer must be someone she knows. Will she be the next victim? Or is the murderer trying to protect her by killing off her enemies?

The Blue is a historical thriller of industrial espionage in the world of 18th century porcelain manufacture. The heroine is a talented artist who wishes to become a serious painter, but, as a woman, that path is blocked to her in England. In Venice it would be a different story, but she doesn't have the money to go there. An unscrupulous nobleman offers to finance her journey to Venice if she accepts a job at a porcelain factory and steals the formula for a stunning new shade of blue. But the stakes are higher than she ever expected.

In this detailed biography of Napoleon, Polish historian Adam Zamoyski gives us a balanced view of his character: not a hero, but not a villain, either. Zamoyski focuses on Napoleon's formative years and personal life, not so much on the battles, although that is covered as well.

Classicist Mary Beard writes, in two brief essays, about how the voices of powerful women in Western civilization have been suppressed though the years, from ancient times to the present day. She gives examples throughout history, from the ancient Greeks to the present.

Birth of the Chess Queen tells the story of the chess queen's evolution from the origins of the game to the present day. The queen was not always part of the game, and when she was first introduced, she was not the powerful piece she is today. Historian Marilyn Yalom discusses how the queen came to be the most powerful piece on the chessboard, and tells the stories of several strong real-life queens in the Middle Ages and Renaissance who influenced the evolution of the chess queen.