254 ratings | 121 reviews | avg rating:4.76

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Eva Stachniak

Goodreads Author

Born

Wroclaw, Poland, Poland

Website

http://www.evastachniak.com

Twitter

twitter.com/evastachniak

Genre

Literature & Fiction, Historical Fiction

Member Since

November 2008

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Eva Stachniak was born in Wrocław, Poland. She moved to Canada in 1981 and has worked for Radio Canada International and Sheridan College, where she taught English and humanities. Her debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.ca/Books in Canada First Novel Award in 2000. Her first novel of Catherine the Great, The Winter Palace, has been included in the Washington Post 2011 list of most notable fiction and was a #1 international bestseller.
Stachniak lives in Toronto. Her latest novel is The School of Mirrors (2022). ...more

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Eva Stachniak’s books

Average rating: 3.55 · 19,438 ratings · 2,280 reviews · 6 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Winter Palace (Catherine #1) by Eva Stachniak (Goodreads Author), Beata Poźniak (Goodreads Author) (Narrator) 3.60 avg rating — 14,450 ratings — published 2012 — 56 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The School of Mirrors 3.50 avg rating — 2,292 ratings — published 2022 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Empress of the Night (Catherine, #2) 3.08 avg rating — 1,580 ratings — published 2013 — 26 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Chosen Maiden 3.83 avg rating — 690 ratings — published 2017 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dancing with Kings 3.24 avg rating — 267 ratings — published 2004 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Necessary Lies 3.48 avg rating — 159 ratings — published 2000 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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39 posts
Eva Stachniak's Blog: On the absence of stories...

Inspiration for The School of Mirrors

The King's Midwife A History and Mystery of Madame du Coudray by Nina Rattner Gelbart

On the Canadian paperback release of The School of Mirrors here is my interview with Nina Rattner Gelbart whose research inspired my novel:

I’ve stumbled across The King’s Midwife; A History and Mystery of Madame du Coudray when I was researching my latest novel The School of Mirrors and needed some information on French midwifery in the 18th century. The book captivated me at once. Here wa Read more of this blog post »

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Published on January 20, 2023 08:22

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Series by Eva Stachniak

Catherine (2 books)
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Eva Stachniak (Goodreads Author)

3.55 avg rating — 16,030 ratings

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The School of Mirrors

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Eva Stachniak rated a book it was amazing Eastbound by Maylis de Kerangal	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
One of the best books I have read this year. Slim and powerful, a story of two fugitives. A Russian conscript and a French woman who is escaping a difficult relationship with her Russian love take the same trans-Siberian train... a masterpiece.
Dec 10, 2023 08:38AM · 4 likes · like · see review
Eva Stachniak rated a book it was amazing Asking for a Friend by Kerry Clare (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Dec 10, 2023 08:37AM · like

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Quotes by Eva Stachniak (?)

“Where does destiny end and choice begin?”
― Eva Stachniak, The Winter Palace

tags: choice, destiny

21 likes

“Life is a game and every player is cheating.”
― Eva Stachniak

tags: life

15 likes

“Don't stare into mirrors. It's easy to get lost in there.”
― Eva Stachniak, The Winter Palace

12 likes

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Polls

Which book would you like to read for our July 15 - August 15 European Royalty group read?

The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great by Eva Stachniak

19 votes, 32.8%

Legacy: The Acclaimed Novel of Elizabeth, England's Most Passionate Queen -- And the Three Men Who Loved Her by Susan Kay

16 votes, 27.6%

Lady of the English by Elizabeth Chadwick

15 votes, 25.9%

Queen By Right by Anne Easter Smith

8 votes, 13.8%

58 total votes

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Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
Historical Fictio...: HF releases you're looking forward to in 2012	8	72	Dec 08, 2011 12:00PM
Book Haven: I am Currently Reading (2011)	1551	1014	Jan 27, 2012 11:12AM
The Seasonal Read...: Spring Challenge 2012: Completed Tasks -DO NOT DELETE ANY POSTS IN THIS TOPIC	2297	777	May 31, 2012 09:02PM
European Royalty: July 15 - Sept 15: The Winter Palace	3	46	Jul 29, 2012 12:44AM
Historical Fictio...: Around the World Challenge (Aug 1 - Sept 30, 2012) - Report Points Here	118	238	Oct 03, 2012 06:53PM
Historical Fictio...: Top Historical Reads in 2012	45	212	Jan 07, 2013 05:40PM
Bookworm Bitches : Books Read in January 2013	40	223	Feb 04, 2013 09:15AM

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Eva’s Quotes

“The joy of writing.
The power of preserving.
Revenge of a mortal hand.”
― Wisława Szymborska

tags: writing

87 likes

“I exist not to be loved and admired, but to love and act. It is not the duty of those around me to love me. Rather, it is my duty to be concerned about the world, about man.”
― Janusz Korczak, The Warsaw Ghetto Memoirs of Janusz Korczak

68 likes

“I never realized that a child is capable of remembering so well and of waiting so patiently”
― Janusz Korczak, Loving Every Child: Wisdom for Parents

22 likes

“By forty, is there anyone who hasn’t had to recognize that happiness, as understood by youth, is illusory? That the best one can hope for is an absence of too many tragedies and that the road through the inevitable grief be, if not smooth, then steady?”
― Robin Black, Life Drawing

7 likes

“How fortunate we were who still had hope I did not then realise; I could not know how soon the time would come when we should have no more hope, and yet be unable to die”
― Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth

tags: death, hope

70 likes

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Eva’s Groups

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This is a book group for GoodReads users in the UK, but members from other countries are welcome too so long as all posts are made in English. The g ...more

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"Interested in history - then you have found the right group". The History Book Club is the largest history and nonfiction group on Goodread ...more

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Are you a lover of different varieties of books? So am I! The Moderators will be posting various books to read as they read them. These threads will s ...more

Virtual Writers — 2342 members — last activity Oct 07, 2025 02:30AM
Helping readers and writers connect. Virtual Writers is a popular online writers’ community committed to showcasing established and emerging writers ...more

52 weeks, 52 books — 1378 members — last activity Sep 18, 2025 01:29AM
This year, we'll read a book a week - an eclectic mix of bestsellers, finds, and old favourites. With an emphasis on fiction but some non-fiction too. ...more

Historical Fiction and Classics Fans — 338 members — last activity Nov 25, 2022 10:30AM
This is a group for all the fans of historical fiction, history, classics and royal families.

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