Stachniak, Eva

Listeners who enjoy descriptive, immersive historical fiction will be drawn into Veronique and Marie-Louise’s world.

Enjoying best-selling success with her novels about Catherine the Great (The Winter Palace; Empress of the Night), Stachniak could well see a similar success with this deep dive into ballet culture. Drawing on her thorough research into Bronia's archives, the author has teased out revealing insights into the art of the dance, and she writes skillfully about the emotional truths that arose from Bronia's ambitions, family relations, and deep anxieties. Dance fans will welcome this graceful and entrancing foray into the recent past.

Stachniak's insight into the opulent lives of Russia's rulers continues in this reflective second novel. Though the story wanders through time and memory, historical fiction fans will appreciate this personal account of a formidable and, indeed, infamous ruler. [See Prepub Alert, 9/16/13.]

This story of how wide-eyed German duchess Sophie becomes Catherine the Great, one of Russia's foremost rulers, is narrated by a servant named Barbara (not Varvara?) who doubles as a royal spy...