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Miriam: La Colombe Blanche
London 1588: Miriam, a beauty with the voice of an angel, condemned to be burnt at the stake until a handsome stranger offers her immortality, his fee a partnership for all eternity.
331 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 19, 2024
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Waters
4 books109 followersWendy Waters is an award-winning author, composer, lyricist and librettist. Born in Queensland, she grew up in Sydney, lived in the USA for six years, travelled extensively, and now lives in Sydney, Australia. Waters' debut novel, CATCH THE MOON, MARY, was published in the UK in 2015. Her second novel, FIELDS OF GRACE was published in 2019 and the combined sequel to both books, PARADIS INFERNO was published in 2022. MIRIAM - La Colombe Blanche was published by APS in November 2024.
Waters also writes musicals: ALEXANDER, FRED and THE LAST TALE and WsIP currently THE LOVESONG OF RUBEN KEYES with composers/lyricists, Frank Loman and Ricardo Fernandes and THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR and GOLD with Donna Hewitt, John Montgomery and Frank Loman.
FRED, a four-hander book musical was produced in Australia in June 2018 by the Tweed Theatre Company. You can listen to songs from FRED on Waters’ site www.wendywaters.net
Waters also writes musicals: ALEXANDER, FRED and THE LAST TALE and WsIP currently THE LOVESONG OF RUBEN KEYES with composers/lyricists, Frank Loman and Ricardo Fernandes and THE BUTTERFLY COLLECTOR and GOLD with Donna Hewitt, John Montgomery and Frank Loman.
FRED, a four-hander book musical was produced in Australia in June 2018 by the Tweed Theatre Company. You can listen to songs from FRED on Waters’ site www.wendywaters.net
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 14, 2025
I will come back to review this properly to give it the attention and high praise it deserves from one of my favourite authors.
December 2, 2024
A Tour de Force; a wonderful read that I will read time and time again. Highly recommended.
December 16, 2024
By almost all measures, Ms. Waters would be considered an accomplished, multi-talented artist, except for the fact that she doesn’t have the name recognition that usually accompanies such a talent, but hopefully her latest book, “Miriam: La Colombe Blanche,” will change all that.
Ms. Waters is an award-winning author and novelist, composer, lyricist and librettist (a person who writes the text of an opera). She has written three musicals: “ALEXANDER, FRED and MIRIAM,” and has had songs from three musicals performed at the historic Pheasantry Hub in London that has hosted legends such as Queen, Lou Reed, Thin Lizzy, Bonnie Langford and was home to Eric Clapton.
“Miriam: La Columbe Blanche,” is not only a highly ambitious project, covering a period of time from 1588 to 2024, but beautifully written with mesmerizing lyrics interjected throughout the novel. But what is most astonishing is her ability to take Historically dominant figures such as Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Voltaire, kings and queens, Marchioness, and courtesans and literally change the personalities of these individuals that completely goes against the historical records and she gets away with it because her development of these characters as she sees them is so powerful…and with a little help from the devil and the temptation of literary immorality, wealth and power it works wonderfully.
Miriam, the main character in the novel, is first introduced to us as a virginal, gorgeous servant who works in the kitchen, along with her mother and friends. She stands out not only because of her beauty and her flowing curls of red hair but because of her voice which is heavenly, majestic, and mesmerizing.
She is chosen as one of the servants to serve the Marchioness, her daughter Elizabeth, her husband Master Rathe, and whatever guests might be sitting at the table. Master Rathe is not only mesmerized by Miriam’s voice, but by her beauty.
He seduces her and she becomes pregnant and when his wife Elizabeth becomes sick with tuberculosis it is Miriam who is chosen to take care of her. When Elizabeth dies, her death is blamed on Miriam. Master Rathe wants nothing to do with the baby Miriam carries. She is quickly convicted of the murder and is to burn at the stake. About to burn at the stake in front of a blood thirsty audience, the devil, Stanas, intervenes and offers her immortality in exchange for a partnership that will last for an eternity.
She accepts and is to remain at the radiant age of twenty-two for eternity with the miraculous voice that charms both Queens and Kings and all that hear her sing. She is part of the devil’s plan to take over the world with her voice and the works of Marlowe, who he has also worked out a deal with just as he is arrested and branded as a hectic and eventually put to death. In exchange for his life, Marlowe allows Stanas authorship of all his works.
Marlowe, unlike Miriam, rejects immortality and dies at the age of ninety-one. Stanas at the same time has made a bargain with Shakespeare who seeks literary immortality more than anything in the world. He accepts the plays from Stanas and pens such plays as “Hamlet,” as his own. If this sounds convoluted, believe me it is not. It is a clever way to highlight the length and power artists have over entire populations of people and to the extent they will go through to live on long after they have died.
It also highlights the universal power of music to move, excite, mesmerize, and incite armies to go fight. Stanas' entire plan to rule the world is based on the notion that “words, music, and art can just as easily take over populations and countries as armies and advanced weaponry.
Ms. Waters is a unique and imaginative talent that I hope and pray more people get acquainted with. I was so impressed that I nominated her novel, “Miriam: La Colombe Blanche,” as my favorite book of the year in the voting for The 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award.
Ms. Waters is an award-winning author and novelist, composer, lyricist and librettist (a person who writes the text of an opera). She has written three musicals: “ALEXANDER, FRED and MIRIAM,” and has had songs from three musicals performed at the historic Pheasantry Hub in London that has hosted legends such as Queen, Lou Reed, Thin Lizzy, Bonnie Langford and was home to Eric Clapton.
“Miriam: La Columbe Blanche,” is not only a highly ambitious project, covering a period of time from 1588 to 2024, but beautifully written with mesmerizing lyrics interjected throughout the novel. But what is most astonishing is her ability to take Historically dominant figures such as Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe, Voltaire, kings and queens, Marchioness, and courtesans and literally change the personalities of these individuals that completely goes against the historical records and she gets away with it because her development of these characters as she sees them is so powerful…and with a little help from the devil and the temptation of literary immorality, wealth and power it works wonderfully.
Miriam, the main character in the novel, is first introduced to us as a virginal, gorgeous servant who works in the kitchen, along with her mother and friends. She stands out not only because of her beauty and her flowing curls of red hair but because of her voice which is heavenly, majestic, and mesmerizing.
She is chosen as one of the servants to serve the Marchioness, her daughter Elizabeth, her husband Master Rathe, and whatever guests might be sitting at the table. Master Rathe is not only mesmerized by Miriam’s voice, but by her beauty.
He seduces her and she becomes pregnant and when his wife Elizabeth becomes sick with tuberculosis it is Miriam who is chosen to take care of her. When Elizabeth dies, her death is blamed on Miriam. Master Rathe wants nothing to do with the baby Miriam carries. She is quickly convicted of the murder and is to burn at the stake. About to burn at the stake in front of a blood thirsty audience, the devil, Stanas, intervenes and offers her immortality in exchange for a partnership that will last for an eternity.
She accepts and is to remain at the radiant age of twenty-two for eternity with the miraculous voice that charms both Queens and Kings and all that hear her sing. She is part of the devil’s plan to take over the world with her voice and the works of Marlowe, who he has also worked out a deal with just as he is arrested and branded as a hectic and eventually put to death. In exchange for his life, Marlowe allows Stanas authorship of all his works.
Marlowe, unlike Miriam, rejects immortality and dies at the age of ninety-one. Stanas at the same time has made a bargain with Shakespeare who seeks literary immortality more than anything in the world. He accepts the plays from Stanas and pens such plays as “Hamlet,” as his own. If this sounds convoluted, believe me it is not. It is a clever way to highlight the length and power artists have over entire populations of people and to the extent they will go through to live on long after they have died.
It also highlights the universal power of music to move, excite, mesmerize, and incite armies to go fight. Stanas' entire plan to rule the world is based on the notion that “words, music, and art can just as easily take over populations and countries as armies and advanced weaponry.
Ms. Waters is a unique and imaginative talent that I hope and pray more people get acquainted with. I was so impressed that I nominated her novel, “Miriam: La Colombe Blanche,” as my favorite book of the year in the voting for The 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award.
April 22, 2025
With her entrancing singing voice and heavenly face to match, fifteen-year-old serving girl Miriam Tilby would always be a target for Rathe Courteney, the Master of Radclyffe Hall, as her mother, Eirinn, feared. Six years later, in 1593, accused of bewitching him, poisoning his wife, and pregnant with their child, Miriam is sentenced to be burned at the stake in Smithfield, London.
But the night before the pyre is due to be lit, a black-clad stranger offers Miriam immortality in return for an everlasting partnership of power and vengeance…
Having been privy to Waters’ unique and exceptional writing talent upon reviewing her fantastic trilogy ending in Paradis Inferno back in 2022, I had an inkling that Miriam, La Colombe Blanche, would, once again, showcase Waters' pure literary sorcery. I was not wrong; her new offering effortlessly blends magical realism, historical fiction, philosophy, and fantasy, woven together with Miriam’s spellbinding musical ability and otherworldliness.
Opening in 1588, Part One of the novel is a wonderfully immersive narrative into, primarily, the below-stairs life of a wealthy family. It instantly transports and hooks the reader, full of historical insight, keen detail, and evocative, lively dialogue.
However, interspersed with, and underneath the fascinating daily life of a late sixteenth-century London household are shivers of the supernatural and tantalizing hints of unearthly guidance enhanced by the lush, dreamlike quality of Waters’ prose, although her conjuring of time and place, throughout the novel, is always sharply drawn and beautifully captured.
Waters dexterously moves the reader into the age of the ‘world turning upside down’ as the novel segues into Part Two. Miriam, now immortal, is in exile in a ruined Abbey sited on the Cornish coast, a plaintive siren seeking retribution.
In a less capable writer’s hands, this area of the novel could have stagnated; many years pass, but Waters uses Miriam’s anchorite and often Gothic existence not only for her emotional introspection and spiritual growth but also to explore precisely who placed her there and his intentions regarding Miriam and the wider world.
So much is encompassed in this novel. Waters is never afraid to address through her story, uncomfortable, whispering truths, such as the role of Christopher “Kit” Marlowe in the ascendancy of Shakespeare, not to mention the broader contexts and consequences of the fundamental socio-political upheavals and ideological shifts that occur throughout the novel’s span.
All of which is seen not only through Water’s penetrating gaze but also in the aching profundity of Miriam. If this sounds a little dense, it is not; on a superficial level, her novel can be read as a rollickingly good romp through the ages with a preternatural gloss, but there are lots of additional layers and sub-textual nuances to delve deeper into for the curious, probing reader.
And, never more so, as Miriam leaves the Abbey and heads to France in the early eighteenth century. Waters plunges her into the chicanery and conspiracies of Versailles, replacing Marlowe with Voltaire and deliciously bringing to life those intrigues founded on sexual currency involving Mesdames Pompadour and Du Barry.
Waters' characters are depicted with depth, intelligence, and individuality, especially those in Part One who are observed with a rich rusticity. She skilfully embroiders the non-fictional personalities while leaving Miriam beguiling enigmatic.
However, the mercurial, Byronic Stanas Vedil, is the constant presence throughout the centuries and featured in Waters' Paradis Inferno novel. Fascinating, childish, and full of sullen, dandified grandeur, he excites and repels in equal measure. And, it’s not only Stanas who reappears; as the novel concludes, there is a further connective, clever, and unexpected twist.
Miriam, La Colombe Blanche is a staggeringly brilliant, seductive, and sumptuous tour de force that unfurls an extravagant tapestry of love, betrayal, and revenge, dripping in lavish detail and flushed with latent sensuality. Highly recommended.
But the night before the pyre is due to be lit, a black-clad stranger offers Miriam immortality in return for an everlasting partnership of power and vengeance…
Having been privy to Waters’ unique and exceptional writing talent upon reviewing her fantastic trilogy ending in Paradis Inferno back in 2022, I had an inkling that Miriam, La Colombe Blanche, would, once again, showcase Waters' pure literary sorcery. I was not wrong; her new offering effortlessly blends magical realism, historical fiction, philosophy, and fantasy, woven together with Miriam’s spellbinding musical ability and otherworldliness.
Opening in 1588, Part One of the novel is a wonderfully immersive narrative into, primarily, the below-stairs life of a wealthy family. It instantly transports and hooks the reader, full of historical insight, keen detail, and evocative, lively dialogue.
However, interspersed with, and underneath the fascinating daily life of a late sixteenth-century London household are shivers of the supernatural and tantalizing hints of unearthly guidance enhanced by the lush, dreamlike quality of Waters’ prose, although her conjuring of time and place, throughout the novel, is always sharply drawn and beautifully captured.
Waters dexterously moves the reader into the age of the ‘world turning upside down’ as the novel segues into Part Two. Miriam, now immortal, is in exile in a ruined Abbey sited on the Cornish coast, a plaintive siren seeking retribution.
In a less capable writer’s hands, this area of the novel could have stagnated; many years pass, but Waters uses Miriam’s anchorite and often Gothic existence not only for her emotional introspection and spiritual growth but also to explore precisely who placed her there and his intentions regarding Miriam and the wider world.
So much is encompassed in this novel. Waters is never afraid to address through her story, uncomfortable, whispering truths, such as the role of Christopher “Kit” Marlowe in the ascendancy of Shakespeare, not to mention the broader contexts and consequences of the fundamental socio-political upheavals and ideological shifts that occur throughout the novel’s span.
All of which is seen not only through Water’s penetrating gaze but also in the aching profundity of Miriam. If this sounds a little dense, it is not; on a superficial level, her novel can be read as a rollickingly good romp through the ages with a preternatural gloss, but there are lots of additional layers and sub-textual nuances to delve deeper into for the curious, probing reader.
And, never more so, as Miriam leaves the Abbey and heads to France in the early eighteenth century. Waters plunges her into the chicanery and conspiracies of Versailles, replacing Marlowe with Voltaire and deliciously bringing to life those intrigues founded on sexual currency involving Mesdames Pompadour and Du Barry.
Waters' characters are depicted with depth, intelligence, and individuality, especially those in Part One who are observed with a rich rusticity. She skilfully embroiders the non-fictional personalities while leaving Miriam beguiling enigmatic.
However, the mercurial, Byronic Stanas Vedil, is the constant presence throughout the centuries and featured in Waters' Paradis Inferno novel. Fascinating, childish, and full of sullen, dandified grandeur, he excites and repels in equal measure. And, it’s not only Stanas who reappears; as the novel concludes, there is a further connective, clever, and unexpected twist.
Miriam, La Colombe Blanche is a staggeringly brilliant, seductive, and sumptuous tour de force that unfurls an extravagant tapestry of love, betrayal, and revenge, dripping in lavish detail and flushed with latent sensuality. Highly recommended.
September 12, 2025
Wendy Waters has done it again; every time I think I've read the best of her, only to be proved wrong by the next book which leaves me even more in awe of her writing abilties.
Miriam: La Colombe Blanche has been my read through the bulk of a rather distressing 2025. Wendy was so kind to gift me a copy, which I eagerly awaited; but when the courier finally delivered it I was blown away, because (amazing) story aside, this book is just _gorgeous_, this time in a glossy hardcover that does full justice to the captivating story within.
And the story... where do I even begin? Starting to read Miriam: La Colombe Blanche is literally like taking a travel through a time machine back to the 1500s - you breathe and live and can downright see everything Wendy is describing as clearly as if you were there among the characters. The amount of research that went in recreating the atmospheres and settings is outstanding; rarely you come across a historical book which you can say feels this realistic and true to the time it's set in, while maintaning her characteristically engaging narrative that seems to flow smoothly and almost effortlessly (but there WAS a lot of effort that went into crafting this beautiful tale, and it's _felt_, alongside with every bit of the passion she poured in each line).
Her prose is as sophisticated and enchanting as ever; readers of the trilogy starting with Catch The Moon, Mary will also reacquaint with a familiar character from the third book, Paradis Inferno. As ever, the characterization is top-notch, the dialogues allow the reader to glimpse within the characters mind and souls.
Wendy's masterful storytelling lulls the mind with words that seem to capture the angelic music in her Miriam's singing; it's a gift. And I hope she will continue to share it with us in many, many more books.
If you like historical novels, passionate characters who are so tridimensional you close the book feeling that you know them as you would a friend you went to school with, and a language that's captivating in its rhythm, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. But really, even if you're just looking for a genuinely _good_ read - don't miss out Wendy Water. _All_ of her books are buried gems.
Miriam: La Colombe Blanche has been my read through the bulk of a rather distressing 2025. Wendy was so kind to gift me a copy, which I eagerly awaited; but when the courier finally delivered it I was blown away, because (amazing) story aside, this book is just _gorgeous_, this time in a glossy hardcover that does full justice to the captivating story within.
And the story... where do I even begin? Starting to read Miriam: La Colombe Blanche is literally like taking a travel through a time machine back to the 1500s - you breathe and live and can downright see everything Wendy is describing as clearly as if you were there among the characters. The amount of research that went in recreating the atmospheres and settings is outstanding; rarely you come across a historical book which you can say feels this realistic and true to the time it's set in, while maintaning her characteristically engaging narrative that seems to flow smoothly and almost effortlessly (but there WAS a lot of effort that went into crafting this beautiful tale, and it's _felt_, alongside with every bit of the passion she poured in each line).
Her prose is as sophisticated and enchanting as ever; readers of the trilogy starting with Catch The Moon, Mary will also reacquaint with a familiar character from the third book, Paradis Inferno. As ever, the characterization is top-notch, the dialogues allow the reader to glimpse within the characters mind and souls.
Wendy's masterful storytelling lulls the mind with words that seem to capture the angelic music in her Miriam's singing; it's a gift. And I hope she will continue to share it with us in many, many more books.
If you like historical novels, passionate characters who are so tridimensional you close the book feeling that you know them as you would a friend you went to school with, and a language that's captivating in its rhythm, do yourself a favor and pick up this book. But really, even if you're just looking for a genuinely _good_ read - don't miss out Wendy Water. _All_ of her books are buried gems.
February 10, 2025
Miriam
La Colombe Blanche
by Wendy waters
Wendy Waters’ fourth book is linked to her previous three through time and space by none other than the Devil, in purloined human guise. Ms Waters has produced yet another gripping read. This is an author who carries out meticulous research to give her books a shining authenticity, each word carrying the reader further into unfamiliar times, places and beliefs.
This magical realism novel follows the unnaturally lengthened life of a beautiful songstress; a servant in a grand London household with connections to Queen Elizabeth 1st, to the court of the French Sun King, Louis XIV, and far beyond.
Music flows through the book, in nature, in Miriam’s golden singing, and in the writing of this talented author.
“...presently the strains of a familiar song drifted up. For want of company she sang along, her voice winging out into the velvet night, the song accompanying the transverse of stars and sickle moon across the sky. When the moon was almost overhead a star fell, protesting the extinguishing of its light in a streak of silver fire…”
“...I see the world in colours made of sound…
Night descends in whispers shivering sighs
The stars unroll crackling silver runes
Green the weeping tide implores the moon
Thru my eyes
The colour of the night is sweet perfume
And I’ll sing a song to show you how it looks to me
A world made of sound – colour-bound
Colour-bound
The world may clock, measure passing time
Tick away the years in metered rhyme
Life is potions of memories, laughter hinted ruby-tinted wine...”
If you love magical realism, historical fiction and beautiful writing, firmly grounded in times and places of old, then 'Miriam' is the book for you.
La Colombe Blanche
by Wendy waters
Wendy Waters’ fourth book is linked to her previous three through time and space by none other than the Devil, in purloined human guise. Ms Waters has produced yet another gripping read. This is an author who carries out meticulous research to give her books a shining authenticity, each word carrying the reader further into unfamiliar times, places and beliefs.
This magical realism novel follows the unnaturally lengthened life of a beautiful songstress; a servant in a grand London household with connections to Queen Elizabeth 1st, to the court of the French Sun King, Louis XIV, and far beyond.
Music flows through the book, in nature, in Miriam’s golden singing, and in the writing of this talented author.
“...presently the strains of a familiar song drifted up. For want of company she sang along, her voice winging out into the velvet night, the song accompanying the transverse of stars and sickle moon across the sky. When the moon was almost overhead a star fell, protesting the extinguishing of its light in a streak of silver fire…”
“...I see the world in colours made of sound…
Night descends in whispers shivering sighs
The stars unroll crackling silver runes
Green the weeping tide implores the moon
Thru my eyes
The colour of the night is sweet perfume
And I’ll sing a song to show you how it looks to me
A world made of sound – colour-bound
Colour-bound
The world may clock, measure passing time
Tick away the years in metered rhyme
Life is potions of memories, laughter hinted ruby-tinted wine...”
If you love magical realism, historical fiction and beautiful writing, firmly grounded in times and places of old, then 'Miriam' is the book for you.
December 13, 2024
Wendy Waters' book is fascinating and unique in its writing style. Reading it is similar to listening to classical opera.
The book presents a richly woven narrative against the vibrant backdrop of 18th-century France, masterfully combining historical figures with fictional elements. Central to the story is Miriam, known as La Colombe Blanche, whose enchanting voice captivates the audience at Le Café Procope, attracting the attention of prominent figures such as Voltaire and the heir apparent, Philippe, Duc d'Orléans. Her journey reflects deep themes of loss, identity, and the struggle for independence in a world dominated by powerful men and social constraints.
The character development is complex, especially showcasing Miriam's emotional depth as she navigates the traumas of her past and the complexities of her relationships. Her poems, laden with sorrow and longing – “My soul lives in the past, London long gone” – echo her experiences and resonate with the human condition, offering a poignant commentary on isolation and the search for belonging.
The writing is lush and evocative, capturing the atmosphere of Parisian cafés, the opulence of Versailles, and the stark realities faced by the disenfranchised. The narrative deftly juxtaposes the lives of the elite with the struggles of the common people, weaving commentary on social inequality and the growing calls for revolution.
Written with historical depth and emotional richness, this work is both a celebration of music and a critique of the hierarchical structures that bind individuals to their fate, and compels readers to reflect on the legacy of the past while considering their role in shaping the future.
The book presents a richly woven narrative against the vibrant backdrop of 18th-century France, masterfully combining historical figures with fictional elements. Central to the story is Miriam, known as La Colombe Blanche, whose enchanting voice captivates the audience at Le Café Procope, attracting the attention of prominent figures such as Voltaire and the heir apparent, Philippe, Duc d'Orléans. Her journey reflects deep themes of loss, identity, and the struggle for independence in a world dominated by powerful men and social constraints.
The character development is complex, especially showcasing Miriam's emotional depth as she navigates the traumas of her past and the complexities of her relationships. Her poems, laden with sorrow and longing – “My soul lives in the past, London long gone” – echo her experiences and resonate with the human condition, offering a poignant commentary on isolation and the search for belonging.
The writing is lush and evocative, capturing the atmosphere of Parisian cafés, the opulence of Versailles, and the stark realities faced by the disenfranchised. The narrative deftly juxtaposes the lives of the elite with the struggles of the common people, weaving commentary on social inequality and the growing calls for revolution.
Written with historical depth and emotional richness, this work is both a celebration of music and a critique of the hierarchical structures that bind individuals to their fate, and compels readers to reflect on the legacy of the past while considering their role in shaping the future.
January 27, 2025
In ‘Miriam, La Colombe Blanche’, Wendy Waters unfolds the Late Renaissance period like a bolt of bright cloth, simultaneously unravelling our preconceptions. This is a different view of history, a view orchestrated by the Devil, and in this reader’s opinion, none the worse for that.
We meet Miriam in 1588, an innocent young servant girl with the voice of an angel. Given the period, and women’s lack of power, it seems almost inevitable when she’s seduced by the master of the manor, and later accused as a witch. But saved and made immortal by the Devil, Miriam lives on until 2024, when Stanas Vedil’s music sets her soul free.
I first met Wendy’s charming Devil, Stanas Vedil in her previous novel, ‘Paradis Inferno’. I became rather fond of him, so I was glad to see his reappearance in her latest story. The ending of this book brought me to tears and links beautifully with all her earlier books.
During Miriam’s centuries of lonely immortality, we glimpse alternate versions of people like Christopher Marlow and Shakespeare, Voltaire, Madame la Pompadour, Madame du Barry and the king they served. Through the politics and poetry of the changing times, Wendy Waters also explores some fascinating philosophical questions. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it. Highly recommended.
We meet Miriam in 1588, an innocent young servant girl with the voice of an angel. Given the period, and women’s lack of power, it seems almost inevitable when she’s seduced by the master of the manor, and later accused as a witch. But saved and made immortal by the Devil, Miriam lives on until 2024, when Stanas Vedil’s music sets her soul free.
I first met Wendy’s charming Devil, Stanas Vedil in her previous novel, ‘Paradis Inferno’. I became rather fond of him, so I was glad to see his reappearance in her latest story. The ending of this book brought me to tears and links beautifully with all her earlier books.
During Miriam’s centuries of lonely immortality, we glimpse alternate versions of people like Christopher Marlow and Shakespeare, Voltaire, Madame la Pompadour, Madame du Barry and the king they served. Through the politics and poetry of the changing times, Wendy Waters also explores some fascinating philosophical questions. This is a book that will stay with you long after you finish it. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2025
Miriam: La Colombe Blanche by Wendy Waters is a captivating historical fantasy novel set in the turbulent times of 16th-century London. The story follows Miriam, a woman of remarkable beauty and a voice so enchanting that it seems almost divine. However, her extraordinary gift becomes both a blessing and a curse when she finds herself condemned to be burned at the stake, a fate met by many in an era rife with fear, superstition, and persecution.
Just as all hope seems lost, a mysterious and handsome stranger appears, offering her a chance at salvation—but at a great cost. He promises her immortality, a gift that will allow her to escape death’s grasp, but in return, she must agree to a partnership that will bind them together for eternity. As Miriam steps into a world beyond human comprehension, she must navigate the consequences of her fateful decision.
Wendy Waters weaves a rich and atmospheric tale, blending historical detail with elements of the supernatural, romance, and intrigue. Through Miriam’s journey, the novel explores themes of destiny, sacrifice, and the true meaning of freedom. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the mystical will find Miriam: La Colombe Blanche an engrossing and thought-provoking read.
Just as all hope seems lost, a mysterious and handsome stranger appears, offering her a chance at salvation—but at a great cost. He promises her immortality, a gift that will allow her to escape death’s grasp, but in return, she must agree to a partnership that will bind them together for eternity. As Miriam steps into a world beyond human comprehension, she must navigate the consequences of her fateful decision.
Wendy Waters weaves a rich and atmospheric tale, blending historical detail with elements of the supernatural, romance, and intrigue. Through Miriam’s journey, the novel explores themes of destiny, sacrifice, and the true meaning of freedom. Readers who enjoy historical fiction with a touch of the mystical will find Miriam: La Colombe Blanche an engrossing and thought-provoking read.
June 15, 2025
Wendy Waters' "Miriam" is a breathtaking journey through centuries, a masterfully woven tapestry that defies easy categorization. This book is pure literary sorcery, enchanting from its very first pages. It weaves historical fiction, magical realism and dark fantasy seamlessly. If you're looking for a novel that challenges genre boundaries and offers a richly imaginative experience, "Miriam" is an absolute must-read.
Waters' prose is nothing short of exquisite. It immerses the reader completely in Miriam's world. Her dialogue is crisp and alive. Her descriptions and imagery are lush and colorful. "Miriam", offers rich layers of meaning that reward careful reading. It is a book that demands to be savored.
"Miriam" is an extraordinary achievement. It's an ambitious, intelligent, and utterly engrossing novel that will appeal to fans of intricate historical fiction, dark fantasy, and anyone who appreciates truly original storytelling. Water's storytelling abilities are magnificent. "Miriam" has stayed with me long past turning the last page. She still lives in my imagination. That's how I know I've read a great book. I highly recommend reading this marvelous achievement!
Waters' prose is nothing short of exquisite. It immerses the reader completely in Miriam's world. Her dialogue is crisp and alive. Her descriptions and imagery are lush and colorful. "Miriam", offers rich layers of meaning that reward careful reading. It is a book that demands to be savored.
"Miriam" is an extraordinary achievement. It's an ambitious, intelligent, and utterly engrossing novel that will appeal to fans of intricate historical fiction, dark fantasy, and anyone who appreciates truly original storytelling. Water's storytelling abilities are magnificent. "Miriam" has stayed with me long past turning the last page. She still lives in my imagination. That's how I know I've read a great book. I highly recommend reading this marvelous achievement!
August 25, 2025
Miriam is an innocent, beautiful servant girl with the voice of an angel. After she’s seduced by the master of the manor, becomes pregnant, and charged with murdering the master’s wife, a strange figure approaches her before she’s set to be burned at the stake as a witch. The mysterious man, who turns out to be the devil, will save her life for a price. She agrees, and so begins her immortal journey.
I’m not a big reader of historical fiction, or alternate historical fiction as this one turned out to be, so it took me a while to get into the story. It’s pretty long, which is to be expected of the genre, with song lyrics interwoven throughout.
Miriam’s journey of self-discovery and survival as a lone woman in a man’s world was heartbreaking and realistic. Her naïveté and strength, and later, wisdom and weariness, felt real and carried the story.
For readers who enjoy alternate history and a strong female lead, give this story a try.
4 Stars
I’m not a big reader of historical fiction, or alternate historical fiction as this one turned out to be, so it took me a while to get into the story. It’s pretty long, which is to be expected of the genre, with song lyrics interwoven throughout.
Miriam’s journey of self-discovery and survival as a lone woman in a man’s world was heartbreaking and realistic. Her naïveté and strength, and later, wisdom and weariness, felt real and carried the story.
For readers who enjoy alternate history and a strong female lead, give this story a try.
4 Stars
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