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The Paris Winter
Imogen Robertson's break-out novel - a deep, dark and opulent tale of Belle epoque Paris, and the secrets and dangers hidden beneath its luxurious facade. Maud Heighton came to Lafond's famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town. It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money. While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle epoque, Maud slips into poverty. Quietly starving, and dreading another cold Paris winter, Maud takes a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel. But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium. As Maud is drawn into the Morels' world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers. Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will plunge her into the darkness that waits beneath this glittering city of light.
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First published April 1, 2013
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About the author
Imogen Robertson
21 books456 followersImogen Robertson grew up in Darlington, studied Russian and German at Cambridge and now lives in London. She directed for film, TV and radio before becoming a full-time author and won the Telegraph’s ‘First thousand words of a novel’ competition in 2007 with the opening of Instruments of Darkness, her first novel. Her other novels also featuring the detective duo of Harriet Westerman and Gabriel Crowther are Anatomy of Murder, Island of Bones and Circle of Shadows. The Paris Winter, a story of betrayal and darkness set during the Belle Époque, will be published in the US by St Martin's Press in November 2014. She has been short-listed for the CWA Ellis Peters Historical Dagger twice and is married to a freelance cheesemonger.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 673 reviews
March 21, 2013
THE PARIS WINTER, BY IMOGEN ROBERTSON
A long time, ago, when I was a baby crime writer trying to find a publisher for my first book (‘darling, we love the plot, but we just can’t publish lesbian characters. Can’t you change them?), my agent brought me in due course of time to The Women’s Press who said, ‘Darling, we love the characters, but the plot… we don’t publish thrillers, we only publish mysteries. Yours is too thrilling. Can you make it into a mystery?’
Thus began a search for the distinction between mysteries and thrillers. As a result, I came to the conclusion that a mystery is a literary hybrid between Cleudo and the Telegraph crossword where we all have to discover who killed Miss Scarlet with the lead piping in the library and where the clues wind through of varying degrees of tortuosity before revealing their import, or lack of it.
A thriller, by contrast, sets up one single important question: will the person for whom we have most affection, survive through to the end of the novel? This covers a pretty broad base and so we have the subgenres: the spy thriller, the action thriller (and its baby brother, the acronym thriller, in which every page must have at least one military acronym, one particular brand of gun and an identification to the nearest half millimeter of the rounds it fires), the historical thriller.
And then we have the rarest of beasts, the literary thriller, the thriller that transcends genres and leaps out to the head of a crowded field; a book so good that it bludgeons away all the normal restrictions of the field. Imogen Robertson’s ‘The Paris Winter’ is just such a book.
Set in Paris of La Belle Époque at the turn of the twentieth century, the book follows the fortunes of Maud Heighton, a young English woman of straightened means who has come to Paris to study at a women-only art school. Finding herself cold and quite literary starving, she faces the prospect of returning home to her disapproving brother – until an angel in the form of the fantastically beautiful, fantastically wealthy Russian heiress, Tanya, introduces her to a man who needs a young lady of good breeding to take care of his sister, Sylvie. Sylvie is an opium addict, and perhaps company will bring her back to the world.
Maud flourishes in Sylvie’s company. Her painting improves, her life is perfect. Until it isn’t. The sudden crash that hits her is as unexpected to us as it is to her and I’m not going to spoil it for you, but let’s say that what was a fascinating, intricate novel of art and artistry, of manners and means, becomes an increasingly dark and twisting thriller with a genuinely nail-biting denoument that coincides with the floods that assailed Paris in January of 1910.
So far, so good. This is a love story, a story of art, a story of loss and betrayal and doubt and of women finding their way in the world – the subplot of Tanya’s aunts is particularly moving – but none of these in and of themselves is exceptional. What lifts this above the herd is the quality of the prose; the working of words as if they were oils on a canvas that turn this novel about art into work of art in its own right. The characters are complex and perfect; they have depth and colour and the lights that show them are chosen with care. The settings are detailed and many are mirrored in the catalogue notes for an unsigned collection, the provenance of which only becomes clear in the last pages. The sense of Paris as the hub of change is palpable, and lights every page. And yes, I did fall in love with Maud: always a good sign in a novel.
This isn’t the average blood and thunder. It’s not a book of battles and intrigue and politics and great men of state. It’s a glorious, gorgeous tapestry of a world that is almost within reach of our own and I loved it. If it’s not at least on the shortlist for the Prize formerly known as Orange, somebody, somewhere isn’t doing their job right.
A long time, ago, when I was a baby crime writer trying to find a publisher for my first book (‘darling, we love the plot, but we just can’t publish lesbian characters. Can’t you change them?), my agent brought me in due course of time to The Women’s Press who said, ‘Darling, we love the characters, but the plot… we don’t publish thrillers, we only publish mysteries. Yours is too thrilling. Can you make it into a mystery?’
Thus began a search for the distinction between mysteries and thrillers. As a result, I came to the conclusion that a mystery is a literary hybrid between Cleudo and the Telegraph crossword where we all have to discover who killed Miss Scarlet with the lead piping in the library and where the clues wind through of varying degrees of tortuosity before revealing their import, or lack of it.
A thriller, by contrast, sets up one single important question: will the person for whom we have most affection, survive through to the end of the novel? This covers a pretty broad base and so we have the subgenres: the spy thriller, the action thriller (and its baby brother, the acronym thriller, in which every page must have at least one military acronym, one particular brand of gun and an identification to the nearest half millimeter of the rounds it fires), the historical thriller.
And then we have the rarest of beasts, the literary thriller, the thriller that transcends genres and leaps out to the head of a crowded field; a book so good that it bludgeons away all the normal restrictions of the field. Imogen Robertson’s ‘The Paris Winter’ is just such a book.
Set in Paris of La Belle Époque at the turn of the twentieth century, the book follows the fortunes of Maud Heighton, a young English woman of straightened means who has come to Paris to study at a women-only art school. Finding herself cold and quite literary starving, she faces the prospect of returning home to her disapproving brother – until an angel in the form of the fantastically beautiful, fantastically wealthy Russian heiress, Tanya, introduces her to a man who needs a young lady of good breeding to take care of his sister, Sylvie. Sylvie is an opium addict, and perhaps company will bring her back to the world.
Maud flourishes in Sylvie’s company. Her painting improves, her life is perfect. Until it isn’t. The sudden crash that hits her is as unexpected to us as it is to her and I’m not going to spoil it for you, but let’s say that what was a fascinating, intricate novel of art and artistry, of manners and means, becomes an increasingly dark and twisting thriller with a genuinely nail-biting denoument that coincides with the floods that assailed Paris in January of 1910.
So far, so good. This is a love story, a story of art, a story of loss and betrayal and doubt and of women finding their way in the world – the subplot of Tanya’s aunts is particularly moving – but none of these in and of themselves is exceptional. What lifts this above the herd is the quality of the prose; the working of words as if they were oils on a canvas that turn this novel about art into work of art in its own right. The characters are complex and perfect; they have depth and colour and the lights that show them are chosen with care. The settings are detailed and many are mirrored in the catalogue notes for an unsigned collection, the provenance of which only becomes clear in the last pages. The sense of Paris as the hub of change is palpable, and lights every page. And yes, I did fall in love with Maud: always a good sign in a novel.
This isn’t the average blood and thunder. It’s not a book of battles and intrigue and politics and great men of state. It’s a glorious, gorgeous tapestry of a world that is almost within reach of our own and I loved it. If it’s not at least on the shortlist for the Prize formerly known as Orange, somebody, somewhere isn’t doing their job right.
November 18, 2014
3.5/5
Paris in 1909 was at its height of the Belle Époque - a period during which the city experienced a surge of hopefulness, peace and economic growth; a time when the arts rapidly developed in new and exciting ways. Europeans flooded the city to take in the aura of affluence, wonder and exotic entertainment. There was also, by contrast, the existence of a large lower socio-economic class particular to Paris, who lived in its densely poverty-stricken slums, and who would never glimpse the gilded life of the Belle Époque.
The Paris Winterfollows the stories of three women each at different social levels: Maud Heighton, an Englishwoman desperately seeking to develop her talent as a painter- she would spend everything for her art and in the process, literally starve for the dream of such a career; Wealthy Russian debutante Tanya Koltsova also studying art at the famous Lafond Académie - she lives under strict supervision of her matronly aunts, moves in high societal circles and is driven around Paris by a personal chauffeur; and Yvette who sits in as a model at the Académie- her knowledge and experience of the urban, darker, seedier side of Paris are perfectly hidden under her flawless exterior.
These three lives get tangled in a vast web of deception, fraud and mortal danger that takes them from the grand salon of Gertrude Stein, discussing nouveau art of the likes of Picasso, to the underbelly of Paris, where characters resembling Dickens' Fagin and the pickpockets of Oliver Twist subsist.
Reading about this mismatched trio gave me the impression of Charlie's Angels, a sort of French version of the heroines, moving about the city in unidentifiable guises and plotting vengeance.
The novel isn't heavily plotted; in some places, it is ridiculously simple, but the author kept the reader's interest with descriptions of Paris' allure and beauty, historically famous artistic figures and a disastrous event relevant to that period. In short, The Paris Winterheld up a decent level of entertainment that was an easy, light weekend read.
Paris in 1909 was at its height of the Belle Époque - a period during which the city experienced a surge of hopefulness, peace and economic growth; a time when the arts rapidly developed in new and exciting ways. Europeans flooded the city to take in the aura of affluence, wonder and exotic entertainment. There was also, by contrast, the existence of a large lower socio-economic class particular to Paris, who lived in its densely poverty-stricken slums, and who would never glimpse the gilded life of the Belle Époque.
The Paris Winterfollows the stories of three women each at different social levels: Maud Heighton, an Englishwoman desperately seeking to develop her talent as a painter- she would spend everything for her art and in the process, literally starve for the dream of such a career; Wealthy Russian debutante Tanya Koltsova also studying art at the famous Lafond Académie - she lives under strict supervision of her matronly aunts, moves in high societal circles and is driven around Paris by a personal chauffeur; and Yvette who sits in as a model at the Académie- her knowledge and experience of the urban, darker, seedier side of Paris are perfectly hidden under her flawless exterior.
These three lives get tangled in a vast web of deception, fraud and mortal danger that takes them from the grand salon of Gertrude Stein, discussing nouveau art of the likes of Picasso, to the underbelly of Paris, where characters resembling Dickens' Fagin and the pickpockets of Oliver Twist subsist.
Reading about this mismatched trio gave me the impression of Charlie's Angels, a sort of French version of the heroines, moving about the city in unidentifiable guises and plotting vengeance.
The novel isn't heavily plotted; in some places, it is ridiculously simple, but the author kept the reader's interest with descriptions of Paris' allure and beauty, historically famous artistic figures and a disastrous event relevant to that period. In short, The Paris Winterheld up a decent level of entertainment that was an easy, light weekend read.
April 10, 2013
Now this is a book that can pull you right into the heart of Paris, in the winter of 1909, at the height of La Belle Époque. And it’s a book with a rich, dramatic story to tell.
Maud Heighton came to Paris to study art, to paint. She loved the world she found, but she was struggling. She had little money, she was always cold, she was always hungry. Maud didn’t know what to do, but she did know that she wasn’t going to go home to her disapproving family.
The Paris WinterFortunately an angel was on hand. Tanya, was an art student too, and she came from a wealthy Russian family. She saw that Maud was struggling, and she found a way to help. She introduced Maud to Christian, who was looking for a companion for his opium addicted sister Sylvie. Someone to distract her, to encourage her to take an interest in art and books, someone to draw her back into the world.
It seemed almost too good to be true. Maud had a comfortable home, a generous salary, an accommodating employer. She thrived as an artist, and she seemed to be doing Sylvie good. And maybe it was too good to be true, but it was so easy to be swept along. I liked Maud, and I was so pleased to see her happy and successful.
There were little signs that maybe something was amiss. But nothing to prepare me for the sudden crash that came. I wish I could say more, but it really wouldn’t be fair.
A lovely historical story, of art and artists, turned into a tense drama that would culminate in a dramatic finale as Paris is flooded in January 1910.
I was held from start to finish, because I found so much that was wonderful.
The characters were wonderfully drawn, utterly believable, and so very engaging.
And there is so much going on. A love story. A story of art. A crime story. A story of betrayal. And a study of women striving to succeed in a man’s world. Imogen Robertson really knows how to spin a tale, and she brings all of this together beautifully.
Her tale is rich with details – so much art, so much history – and time and place are brilliantly evoked.
And she tells a bigger story too, of a time when women artist struggled in the shadows of their male counterparts, of a time when Paris was at its height as a centre of art and culture, and of a world on the brink of change.
The setting are reflected in catalogue notes for an unsigned collection of art, scattered throughout the text. As I read they felt like a distraction, but in the end the story explained why they had to be there. It was a lovely, clever touch.
There are many lovely, clever touches in a very well constructed plot, that twists and turns in some very interesting ways.
I really do wish I could write more about the story, the characters, all the wonderful things I read about. But this is too good a book to risk spoiling.
It held me from start to finish.
Maud Heighton came to Paris to study art, to paint. She loved the world she found, but she was struggling. She had little money, she was always cold, she was always hungry. Maud didn’t know what to do, but she did know that she wasn’t going to go home to her disapproving family.
The Paris WinterFortunately an angel was on hand. Tanya, was an art student too, and she came from a wealthy Russian family. She saw that Maud was struggling, and she found a way to help. She introduced Maud to Christian, who was looking for a companion for his opium addicted sister Sylvie. Someone to distract her, to encourage her to take an interest in art and books, someone to draw her back into the world.
It seemed almost too good to be true. Maud had a comfortable home, a generous salary, an accommodating employer. She thrived as an artist, and she seemed to be doing Sylvie good. And maybe it was too good to be true, but it was so easy to be swept along. I liked Maud, and I was so pleased to see her happy and successful.
There were little signs that maybe something was amiss. But nothing to prepare me for the sudden crash that came. I wish I could say more, but it really wouldn’t be fair.
A lovely historical story, of art and artists, turned into a tense drama that would culminate in a dramatic finale as Paris is flooded in January 1910.
I was held from start to finish, because I found so much that was wonderful.
The characters were wonderfully drawn, utterly believable, and so very engaging.
And there is so much going on. A love story. A story of art. A crime story. A story of betrayal. And a study of women striving to succeed in a man’s world. Imogen Robertson really knows how to spin a tale, and she brings all of this together beautifully.
Her tale is rich with details – so much art, so much history – and time and place are brilliantly evoked.
And she tells a bigger story too, of a time when women artist struggled in the shadows of their male counterparts, of a time when Paris was at its height as a centre of art and culture, and of a world on the brink of change.
The setting are reflected in catalogue notes for an unsigned collection of art, scattered throughout the text. As I read they felt like a distraction, but in the end the story explained why they had to be there. It was a lovely, clever touch.
There are many lovely, clever touches in a very well constructed plot, that twists and turns in some very interesting ways.
I really do wish I could write more about the story, the characters, all the wonderful things I read about. But this is too good a book to risk spoiling.
It held me from start to finish.
November 26, 2014
This book started very slowly, but I love reading books set in Paris and especially during the Belle Époque time period, so that was enough for me to keep reading. I actually ended up liking all the history, the flooding of Paris in 1910 and one of the only art studios where woman had a chance to learn to paint. Although the studio in the book had a different name, it was based on a real such studio. Also enjoyed the descriptions of the paintings that fronted each chapter and the origin of these paintings when that is revealed.
The story itself was just okay, although I did sympathize with a few of the characters. The author's strength for me was in the descriptions and the history.
ARC from Netgalley.
The story itself was just okay, although I did sympathize with a few of the characters. The author's strength for me was in the descriptions and the history.
ARC from Netgalley.
January 9, 2022
Me ha gustado si, pero para mi es una historia muy olvidable al que me ha costado engancharme. Es un thriller histórico, además ese componente histórico del libro es muy interesante, todo ese mundo de principios del siglo XX, en el puro centro artístico de la época como era Paris, todo lo que sea de pintura me fascina, y todo gira sobre unas estudiantes de pintura. La trama tiene buenos giros, y esta bien argumentada, aunque hay una cosita al principio que parecía que iba a dar mucha importancia y se queda en una forma de empezar la novela. Mi problema es que no me interesaba mucho por los personajes, y me costaba engancharme porque me dormía cada dos por tres, me quedaba frita todo el rato y claro me costaba un poco coger ritmo.
February 28, 2022
Me costó bastante terminar la lectura por el simple hecho de que no tiene la intriga suficiente.
Mezcla de novela histórica con algo de thriller pero que se queda a medio camino de ambos.
La protagonista me inspiró poca empatía. Pero hay que reconocerle su lucha para sobrevivir en un mundo hostil para ella y lleno de intrigas y traiciones.
Mezcla de novela histórica con algo de thriller pero que se queda a medio camino de ambos.
La protagonista me inspiró poca empatía. Pero hay que reconocerle su lucha para sobrevivir en un mundo hostil para ella y lleno de intrigas y traiciones.
December 10, 2015
This historical fiction had a slow start, picked up and then plunged into a labor to read. While I enjoyed the plot, it seemed to stop half way through.
April 11, 2015
Superbly atmospheric novel of bohemian Paris, and a top-flight mystery as well. The heroine, a fierce young art student, is sensitive and appealing, and her little band of friends (a Russian heiress, a cynical French model) have stories of their own and aren't just shuttled onto the stage as side-kicks. The ending is unexpected and very satisfying.
June 15, 2021
3|5
Don't let the three star rating fool you, I really enjoyed reading this. I went blind into The Paris Winter, only knowing it's a historical fiction and I must say I was rather surprised by it. It is a blend of historical fiction and mystery/thriller, gloomy and with a lot of art mentions through. I was never sure what will happen next, which meant that sometimes I had the feeling the author wasn't always sure either, but it also kept my attention and I was there for the ride.
The story is following Maud, a poor but talented English girl that is studying at a famous painting academy in Paris. Through her we meet a handful of interesting characters, mostly women, we see the relations between them evolve and change, which is something I always appreciate in a book. We also have Paris as the backdrop for the story and the love-hate relation these characters have with the city. Discussions on class, art, human character and a big twist that comes by the half point, all keep you engaged 'till the end. Also the book is very atmospheric, it captures a part of Paris at the end of 1909, beginning of 1910, very well.
I've read this a month ago and I can say: The Winter Paris is one of those books you appreciate more after you finish it. I'm still thinking about some of these characters to this day.
Don't let the three star rating fool you, I really enjoyed reading this. I went blind into The Paris Winter, only knowing it's a historical fiction and I must say I was rather surprised by it. It is a blend of historical fiction and mystery/thriller, gloomy and with a lot of art mentions through. I was never sure what will happen next, which meant that sometimes I had the feeling the author wasn't always sure either, but it also kept my attention and I was there for the ride.
The story is following Maud, a poor but talented English girl that is studying at a famous painting academy in Paris. Through her we meet a handful of interesting characters, mostly women, we see the relations between them evolve and change, which is something I always appreciate in a book. We also have Paris as the backdrop for the story and the love-hate relation these characters have with the city. Discussions on class, art, human character and a big twist that comes by the half point, all keep you engaged 'till the end. Also the book is very atmospheric, it captures a part of Paris at the end of 1909, beginning of 1910, very well.
I've read this a month ago and I can say: The Winter Paris is one of those books you appreciate more after you finish it. I'm still thinking about some of these characters to this day.
October 6, 2014
This is the third novel I've read by Imogen Robertson, the other two were the first and second in her Crowther and Westerman series. I did attempt to read the third book in that series but gave up at over a hundred pages into it. I liked the very first book in that series and I thought this book might be as enjoyable as it was.
I did make it all the way to the end of 'The Paris Winter' but it felt like an accomplishment rather than a pleasure, often the details seemed tedious. As with the third Crowther and Westerman book 'Island of Bones', I found the story and the characters never pulled me in. The writing was easy to read but not really very engaging or interesting. The rendering of the characters came off flat and somewhat clichéd, while the storyline wasn't bad it just didn't have the pacing and pull I was hoping it might.
Fleshing out the characters and their conflicts and histories would have made for a more satisfying reading experience. As I said the reading was easy but the story was underdeveloped and didn't come alive for me. I didn't find any of the characters particularly realistic or likeable. I know this will be one of those stories that fades from my memory soon after the cover is closed.
I did make it all the way to the end of 'The Paris Winter' but it felt like an accomplishment rather than a pleasure, often the details seemed tedious. As with the third Crowther and Westerman book 'Island of Bones', I found the story and the characters never pulled me in. The writing was easy to read but not really very engaging or interesting. The rendering of the characters came off flat and somewhat clichéd, while the storyline wasn't bad it just didn't have the pacing and pull I was hoping it might.
Fleshing out the characters and their conflicts and histories would have made for a more satisfying reading experience. As I said the reading was easy but the story was underdeveloped and didn't come alive for me. I didn't find any of the characters particularly realistic or likeable. I know this will be one of those stories that fades from my memory soon after the cover is closed.
October 21, 2017
Un encanto de historia.
Una novela de misterio con un punto gótico muy heavy y ambientada en una época muy bohemia. Tiene de todo, amor, intriga, aventura. Pero por encima de todo, lo mejor es la magia de la pintura que envuelve el relato.
El personaje principal, es una joya, del que no tenia ni idea, un descubrimiento para las amantes del arte como yo. Las inundaciones del Sena también me han parecido muy interesantes, algo que disfruto mucho de un libro es que me descubra cosas nuevas.
Es una novela de personajes femeninos que desafían poco a poco la época en la que viven, pero en este caso la historia es muy bonita y te mantiene enganchada.
Las ilustraciones son un puntazo.
My contenta.
Una novela de misterio con un punto gótico muy heavy y ambientada en una época muy bohemia. Tiene de todo, amor, intriga, aventura. Pero por encima de todo, lo mejor es la magia de la pintura que envuelve el relato.
El personaje principal, es una joya, del que no tenia ni idea, un descubrimiento para las amantes del arte como yo. Las inundaciones del Sena también me han parecido muy interesantes, algo que disfruto mucho de un libro es que me descubra cosas nuevas.
Es una novela de personajes femeninos que desafían poco a poco la época en la que viven, pero en este caso la historia es muy bonita y te mantiene enganchada.
Las ilustraciones son un puntazo.
My contenta.
February 21, 2015
"Invierno en París" es un thriller psicológico ambientado en el París de la Belle Époque. Las descripciones del entorno, tanto físico como cultural, son excepcionales y la autora mezcla sus personajes ficticios con otros de reales con mucha elegancia. El ritmo de la novela atrapa porque crea una especie de nerviosismo; sabes que está a punto de pasar algo pero no sabes qué será ni cuando. En este sentido, me ha recordado a lo que sentí cuando leí mi primer Stephen King.
La protagonista, Maud, convence y su evolución causa escalofríos. Personalmente, me habría gustado leer más sobre la historia pasada de Christian y Sylvie, aunque me imagino que la autora la mantiene oculta para aumentar el misterio.
Una novela más que recomendable para cualquier lector de novelas de intriga o incluso de terror, y también para los amantes de este periodo histórico.
La protagonista, Maud, convence y su evolución causa escalofríos. Personalmente, me habría gustado leer más sobre la historia pasada de Christian y Sylvie, aunque me imagino que la autora la mantiene oculta para aumentar el misterio.
Una novela más que recomendable para cualquier lector de novelas de intriga o incluso de terror, y también para los amantes de este periodo histórico.
March 9, 2015
Quite an interesting historical novel, which takes place in the artistic Paris at the time of the 1910 flood. An interesting plot, good characters, not too perfect, (Maud often got on my nerves), with interesting developments. I liked the way each chapter started with the description of a painting and the artistic milieu depicted by Imogen Robertson.
Very well read, too.
I will be looking for more novels by Ms Robertson
Very well read, too.
I will be looking for more novels by Ms Robertson
Read
August 26, 2020dnf
July 31, 2019
The story starts interesting with atmosphere of Belle Époque of Paris: women studying art at the Academie Lafond, but as the story progresses it changes the atmosphere from the world of artists to the world of mystery due to accidental death.
Maud Heighton comes to the Academie Lafond to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town.
To satisfy her hunger and to warm her cold body during the winter time, she obtains a position as a live-in companion to a young woman, Sylvie.
Sylvie lost her parents in a car accident, which she herself survived, but it left her with a fragile health. Laudanum administered under the care of a professional medical man helped her a great deal. Then she was introduced by a friend into taking opium.
Maud understands that Sylvie uses it on a regular basis. As a result Sylvie doesn’t leave the apartment in the evenings. Therefore, there are no outings to the theaters or cabarets.
Maud believes she can distract Sylvie with lessons of sketching and English conversation and keep a watchful eye on her. For the most part, everything seems to be fine until one day an older lady knocks on the door and claims to know the two devils, Sylvie and her husband Christian, who is supposed to be her brother. Then, there is an accidental death.
Some descriptions are very interesting, but I thought that this would be a story of artists, and it turns out to be something else. Something that doesn’t hold my interest and that’s a personal preference.
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
Maud Heighton comes to the Academie Lafond to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town.
To satisfy her hunger and to warm her cold body during the winter time, she obtains a position as a live-in companion to a young woman, Sylvie.
Sylvie lost her parents in a car accident, which she herself survived, but it left her with a fragile health. Laudanum administered under the care of a professional medical man helped her a great deal. Then she was introduced by a friend into taking opium.
Maud understands that Sylvie uses it on a regular basis. As a result Sylvie doesn’t leave the apartment in the evenings. Therefore, there are no outings to the theaters or cabarets.
Maud believes she can distract Sylvie with lessons of sketching and English conversation and keep a watchful eye on her. For the most part, everything seems to be fine until one day an older lady knocks on the door and claims to know the two devils, Sylvie and her husband Christian, who is supposed to be her brother. Then, there is an accidental death.
Some descriptions are very interesting, but I thought that this would be a story of artists, and it turns out to be something else. Something that doesn’t hold my interest and that’s a personal preference.
@FB/BestHistoricalFiction
September 14, 2013
This historical mystery is set in the glitzy Belle Epoque of Paris; a period when the arts flourished and many masterpieces gained recognition. Young Maud Heighton flees her small English town to take art lessons at the esteemed Académie Lafond. But life in Paris is expensive, and Maud sinks into poverty. Alone and hungry, she is overjoyed to gain employment as a companion to the wealthy Sylvie Morel. Maud is gradually drawn into the Morels’ secret world, and, as the new year of 1910 dawns, a terrible deception catapults Maud into the bleak and dangerous underworld that lurks beneath the elegant Parisian streets.
In The Paris Winter, the author provides a wonderfully atmospheric picture of early 20th century Paris via an intriguing storyline. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of certain works of art at the beginning of several of the chapters. The reason for this was not initially obvious, but gave me a nice surprise in the final twist in the tale.
I felt there were a few too many characters for a story of this length, which made it difficult to relate to all but the main ones. And, despite a few minor plot-holes, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this compelling story of secrecy, greed, deceit and revenge to lovers of historical fiction mysteries.
In The Paris Winter, the author provides a wonderfully atmospheric picture of early 20th century Paris via an intriguing storyline. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of certain works of art at the beginning of several of the chapters. The reason for this was not initially obvious, but gave me a nice surprise in the final twist in the tale.
I felt there were a few too many characters for a story of this length, which made it difficult to relate to all but the main ones. And, despite a few minor plot-holes, I wouldn’t hesitate in recommending this compelling story of secrecy, greed, deceit and revenge to lovers of historical fiction mysteries.
January 14, 2015
Wonderfully descriptive read. I was totally immersed in the atmosphere of this book.
February 14, 2018
Я дуже давно хотіла прочитати “Зиму в Парижі“. Британку Імоджен Робертсон до того знала лише за першим історичним детективом в декораціях Британії XVIII (це єдина її книжка, перекладена російською). “Знаряддя темряви” – книжка цікава, але щось в ній здавалося недокрученим. Як виявилося, The Paris Winter слабує на ту ж саму хворобу – цікавезний матеріал, але хочеться пошукати викрутку і трішечки підправити.
Загалом, певна розхристаність цього тексту легко пояснюється тим, що маємо тут фактично “три в одному”, а баланс трохи накульгує.
Перша книжка – це те, що я шукала: тягучий і сумний роман виховання творчої особистості в найбільш придатному до того місті. Імоджен Робертсон іде шляхом мор дарк, мор реалістік, і обставини такий підхід виправдовують на раз. Романтичні паризькі злидні (ну, знаєте, гроші або на хліб, або на фарби, повії-натурниці, сухоти – оце от усе), знайомі за біографіями численних митців, в британської авторки якось остаточно струшують із себе позолоту страждань заради мистецтва. Ні, голод – це голод, недоїдання – шлях до хвороб, холод мало сприяє гнучкості пальців, а якщо ти жінка – то тобі ще треба не забувати плекати репутацію. Якщо ти англійка – загрози репутації набувають катастрофічних масштабів, тому англійкою краще не бути. Або забути про мрію стати художницею – погано воно якось поєднується.
Перші глави роману, що дзеленчать як не Бальзаком, то Золя – проте на жіночий мотив і з повним розумінням того, наскільки непростий для всіх митців шлях ускладнюється саме для жінок, – страшні і чудові. Та й потім Імоджен Робертсон старанно дозує історичний колорит: тут у нас салон Ґертруди Стайн (писано за мотивами “Автобіографії Еліс Б. Токлас” – зізнається письменниця в післямові), там “салон” іншого ґатунку – оселя Сюзанни Валадон, де юрмляться ще не визнані таланти, Мод посміхається гарний хлопчина Амедео – якось отак. Але є з цим усім історичним романом виховання два моменти: перший – виховання трохи не задалося, бо Мод як характер виписана доволі поверхово (а от другий план там зірочками світиться – і Таня, і демонічно-привабливі Морелі, і ініціативна натурниця Іветт, і ще декілька спойлерів). Другий – бо роман виховання швидко закінчується, там у програмі ще два пункти.
Друга книжка – це недодетектив формату “Здається, в минулому щось сталося… Упс, це минуле раптом вплинуло на теперішнє!”. Рівно на середині роману сюжет “Зими в Парижі” робить несподіваний поворот – і книжка була би шокуючо прекрасною, аби авторка довела одну ідею до кінця. Не вийшло, але в будь-якому разі поява детективної лінії дозволила розширити коло активних дійових осіб і показати в усій “красі” уже не напівсвіт Парижа, а самісінькі нетрі. Як картинка – вийшло виразно. Як екшен – ні, ми любимо “Зиму в Парижі” не за це.
А що тут є окрім тяжких художніх буднів та історій про втрачені/вкрадені/загублені діаманти? Сена. Третій шар книжки – це фільм роман-катастрофа про одну з найстрашніших повеней в історії французької столиці. Вода прибуває, вода прибуває, пристрасті вирують, сюжетні ставки зростають – у цих останніх ро��ділах роман нарешті відрощує огогояку динаміку, але вона слугує потребам того самого млявого детективного сюжету. Силу стихії, що готова знищити цивілізацію, Імоджен Робертсон змальовує чудово, але вона письменниці потрібна як декорація. Теж варіант, чому ні, але якоїсь миті хотілося, щоби фабула взяла вихідний, а нам показали трохи більше отакого Парижа, що категорично відрізняється від свого розтиражованого маскультурою образу.
Розширена версія відгуку лежить за посиланням.
Загалом, певна розхристаність цього тексту легко пояснюється тим, що маємо тут фактично “три в одному”, а баланс трохи накульгує.
Перша книжка – це те, що я шукала: тягучий і сумний роман виховання творчої особистості в найбільш придатному до того місті. Імоджен Робертсон іде шляхом мор дарк, мор реалістік, і обставини такий підхід виправдовують на раз. Романтичні паризькі злидні (ну, знаєте, гроші або на хліб, або на фарби, повії-натурниці, сухоти – оце от усе), знайомі за біографіями численних митців, в британської авторки якось остаточно струшують із себе позолоту страждань заради мистецтва. Ні, голод – це голод, недоїдання – шлях до хвороб, холод мало сприяє гнучкості пальців, а якщо ти жінка – то тобі ще треба не забувати плекати репутацію. Якщо ти англійка – загрози репутації набувають катастрофічних масштабів, тому англійкою краще не бути. Або забути про мрію стати художницею – погано воно якось поєднується.
Перші глави роману, що дзеленчать як не Бальзаком, то Золя – проте на жіночий мотив і з повним розумінням того, наскільки непростий для всіх митців шлях ускладнюється саме для жінок, – страшні і чудові. Та й потім Імоджен Робертсон старанно дозує історичний колорит: тут у нас салон Ґертруди Стайн (писано за мотивами “Автобіографії Еліс Б. Токлас” – зізнається письменниця в післямові), там “салон” іншого ґатунку – оселя Сюзанни Валадон, де юрмляться ще не визнані таланти, Мод посміхається гарний хлопчина Амедео – якось отак. Але є з цим усім історичним романом виховання два моменти: перший – виховання трохи не задалося, бо Мод як характер виписана доволі поверхово (а от другий план там зірочками світиться – і Таня, і демонічно-привабливі Морелі, і ініціативна натурниця Іветт, і ще декілька спойлерів). Другий – бо роман виховання швидко закінчується, там у програмі ще два пункти.
Друга книжка – це недодетектив формату “Здається, в минулому щось сталося… Упс, це минуле раптом вплинуло на теперішнє!”. Рівно на середині роману сюжет “Зими в Парижі” робить несподіваний поворот – і книжка була би шокуючо прекрасною, аби авторка довела одну ідею до кінця. Не вийшло, але в будь-якому разі поява детективної лінії дозволила розширити коло активних дійових осіб і показати в усій “красі” уже не напівсвіт Парижа, а самісінькі нетрі. Як картинка – вийшло виразно. Як екшен – ні, ми любимо “Зиму в Парижі” не за це.
А що тут є окрім тяжких художніх буднів та історій про втрачені/вкрадені/загублені діаманти? Сена. Третій шар книжки – це фільм роман-катастрофа про одну з найстрашніших повеней в історії французької столиці. Вода прибуває, вода прибуває, пристрасті вирують, сюжетні ставки зростають – у цих останніх ро��ділах роман нарешті відрощує огогояку динаміку, але вона слугує потребам того самого млявого детективного сюжету. Силу стихії, що готова знищити цивілізацію, Імоджен Робертсон змальовує чудово, але вона письменниці потрібна як декорація. Теж варіант, чому ні, але якоїсь миті хотілося, щоби фабула взяла вихідний, а нам показали трохи більше отакого Парижа, що категорично відрізняється від свого розтиражованого маскультурою образу.
Розширена версія відгуку лежить за посиланням.
September 18, 2014
2.5-3 stars, as in it was ok, I sort of liked it but will give it 3 stars since I am a huge fan of Robertson's Crowther and Westerman series, and jumped at the chance to read this book when it was offered on Amazon's Vine program.
The plot summary is aptly handled above so I'll skip right to what I did and didn't like. I was pleased to find Robertson's amazing gift of fleshing out every character, no matter how minor: from the wealthy, sheltered Tanya's battle axe aunts to her hovering, nurturing maid Sasha to the fiery, feisty artist Valadon (who shelters Maud after her terrible ordeal), Robertson created her usual cast of multi-layered, strong, fascinating characters - and therein lay the problem for me as a reader! Central characters Tanya, tough yet loving model Yvette, truly good yet indomitable Miss Harris, her formidable assistant Charlotte ("just call me Charlotte"), even the treacherous, ruthless American Countess central to the revenge aspect of the plot - all made me want to learn so much more about them, more so than our heroine, middle-class Englishwoman Maud Heighton.
I felt for her abusive, lonely childhood, for her struggle to maintain her stiff upper lip and air of even shabby gentility in the face of another cold, wet Paris winter as a struggling art student, yet I struggled to care much about her. **SPOILER ALERT ** I was also frustrated by her cluelessness about the obviously shifty Morels, a pair of "siblings" who employ Maud as a companion/art tutor to dreamy, supposedly sickly Sylvie, portrayed by her "brother" Christian as a recovering opium addict.
I don't mean to be coy with the quotation marks, but it was so obviously too good to be true; Maud was starving, cold and broke and the Morels offer food, warmth, companionship and a lovely apartment where she can spend the coming cold Paris winter. I was tipped off right away when Miss Harris' invaluable Charlotte hesitated when handing over the Morels' file so Maud could visit them for an interview, noting only that Christian "smiled too much". Knowing Robertson's masterful ability to convey so much through such an obviously strong and wise yet supposedly minor character's comments and observations, this threw up flaming red flags of foreshadowing for me!
Then Maud observes Christian leaving Sylvie's bedroom in the middle of the night in a state of déshabillé, sharing a last sensuous kiss before skulking away; all Maud thinks is, "I wonder if I'll ever be loved like that?" Huh?! No moral outrage or shock at this supposedly incestuous pair? Then an elderly, unhinged woman bursts into the flat one day, accusing the Morels of all sorts of dark and sinister deeds - but Maud swallows Christian's glib explanation all too readily. I know she was desperate, but I would've thought several of these red flags would've sent Maud scurrying back to Miss Harris for explanation, or at least consulting her more worldly friends Yvette and Tanya.
So, I would say this is a well-written, well-researched historical fiction novel with revenge and psychological thriller elements (especially near the end when Maud seems unhinged in her quest to "haunt" Morel, very creepy and effectively done but somewhat discordant for me given the "happily ever after" ending), but it just didn't do it for me. Obviously other readers will feel differently, and I would still read anything by Robertson, but I would've liked this book so much more if Tanya or Yvette or Miss Harris or Charlotte was the heroine! Ah, well, excuse me while I dive into the next Crowther and Westerman mystery, just arrived from England as I couldn't wait for it to be published here...
The plot summary is aptly handled above so I'll skip right to what I did and didn't like. I was pleased to find Robertson's amazing gift of fleshing out every character, no matter how minor: from the wealthy, sheltered Tanya's battle axe aunts to her hovering, nurturing maid Sasha to the fiery, feisty artist Valadon (who shelters Maud after her terrible ordeal), Robertson created her usual cast of multi-layered, strong, fascinating characters - and therein lay the problem for me as a reader! Central characters Tanya, tough yet loving model Yvette, truly good yet indomitable Miss Harris, her formidable assistant Charlotte ("just call me Charlotte"), even the treacherous, ruthless American Countess central to the revenge aspect of the plot - all made me want to learn so much more about them, more so than our heroine, middle-class Englishwoman Maud Heighton.
I felt for her abusive, lonely childhood, for her struggle to maintain her stiff upper lip and air of even shabby gentility in the face of another cold, wet Paris winter as a struggling art student, yet I struggled to care much about her. **SPOILER ALERT ** I was also frustrated by her cluelessness about the obviously shifty Morels, a pair of "siblings" who employ Maud as a companion/art tutor to dreamy, supposedly sickly Sylvie, portrayed by her "brother" Christian as a recovering opium addict.
I don't mean to be coy with the quotation marks, but it was so obviously too good to be true; Maud was starving, cold and broke and the Morels offer food, warmth, companionship and a lovely apartment where she can spend the coming cold Paris winter. I was tipped off right away when Miss Harris' invaluable Charlotte hesitated when handing over the Morels' file so Maud could visit them for an interview, noting only that Christian "smiled too much". Knowing Robertson's masterful ability to convey so much through such an obviously strong and wise yet supposedly minor character's comments and observations, this threw up flaming red flags of foreshadowing for me!
Then Maud observes Christian leaving Sylvie's bedroom in the middle of the night in a state of déshabillé, sharing a last sensuous kiss before skulking away; all Maud thinks is, "I wonder if I'll ever be loved like that?" Huh?! No moral outrage or shock at this supposedly incestuous pair? Then an elderly, unhinged woman bursts into the flat one day, accusing the Morels of all sorts of dark and sinister deeds - but Maud swallows Christian's glib explanation all too readily. I know she was desperate, but I would've thought several of these red flags would've sent Maud scurrying back to Miss Harris for explanation, or at least consulting her more worldly friends Yvette and Tanya.
So, I would say this is a well-written, well-researched historical fiction novel with revenge and psychological thriller elements (especially near the end when Maud seems unhinged in her quest to "haunt" Morel, very creepy and effectively done but somewhat discordant for me given the "happily ever after" ending), but it just didn't do it for me. Obviously other readers will feel differently, and I would still read anything by Robertson, but I would've liked this book so much more if Tanya or Yvette or Miss Harris or Charlotte was the heroine! Ah, well, excuse me while I dive into the next Crowther and Westerman mystery, just arrived from England as I couldn't wait for it to be published here...
January 7, 2019
I randomly selected this from one of my book cases, and I'm glad I did! An amalgamation of three various structures of people living in Paris during the turning of the 20th century, added glamor, necessity, and poverty to this very interesting book.
It is 1910, and Maud Heighton leaves small town England and studies art and hopes to make a living from selling her works. She studies at an academy for women who pursue their artistic skills. All too soon, she realizes that it costs way more money to live in Paris than she can possible afford. Quickly slipping into poverty, she is rescued by a co-student who happens to be very rich and lives with her two very wealthy Aunts. Tanya Koltsova hails from Russia and has never felt the sting of poverty.
She proves to be a good friend who shows the Paris limelight as together they visit various salons where art and money are plentiful. Through her friend, she is directed toward Madame de Civray who is known to help those in need. Finding placement with a "gentleman" Christian Morel, and his sister Sylvie, she is hired to assist Sylvie how to speak English.
Now well paid, well fed and able to visit museums and not worry about where to sleep, she knows she can become complacent, but all-too soon learns that the Morel's are not what they appear to be.
Framed for stealing a very expensive tiara from Madame de Civray, Christian Morel also tries to drown her by pushing her off a bridge into bitter cold water. She survives and is helped by Tanya, and Yvettte, a very down-to-earth woman who models at the art school where Maud attends.
While the book started out rather slowly, I'm glad I continued to read this very good historical novel where art, fashion, wealth and poverty collide.
I rate this book four stars. The writing is wonderful, the setting is lavishly portrayed, and the underbelly of Paris in the year 1910 can be very hedonistic, selfish and greedy, and those who want to stay above the trap of poverty will do anything to succeed. Maud is a realistic heroine who learns her lessons well.
It is 1910, and Maud Heighton leaves small town England and studies art and hopes to make a living from selling her works. She studies at an academy for women who pursue their artistic skills. All too soon, she realizes that it costs way more money to live in Paris than she can possible afford. Quickly slipping into poverty, she is rescued by a co-student who happens to be very rich and lives with her two very wealthy Aunts. Tanya Koltsova hails from Russia and has never felt the sting of poverty.
She proves to be a good friend who shows the Paris limelight as together they visit various salons where art and money are plentiful. Through her friend, she is directed toward Madame de Civray who is known to help those in need. Finding placement with a "gentleman" Christian Morel, and his sister Sylvie, she is hired to assist Sylvie how to speak English.
Now well paid, well fed and able to visit museums and not worry about where to sleep, she knows she can become complacent, but all-too soon learns that the Morel's are not what they appear to be.
Framed for stealing a very expensive tiara from Madame de Civray, Christian Morel also tries to drown her by pushing her off a bridge into bitter cold water. She survives and is helped by Tanya, and Yvettte, a very down-to-earth woman who models at the art school where Maud attends.
While the book started out rather slowly, I'm glad I continued to read this very good historical novel where art, fashion, wealth and poverty collide.
I rate this book four stars. The writing is wonderful, the setting is lavishly portrayed, and the underbelly of Paris in the year 1910 can be very hedonistic, selfish and greedy, and those who want to stay above the trap of poverty will do anything to succeed. Maud is a realistic heroine who learns her lessons well.
October 31, 2014
Who wouldn't want to spend the winter in Paris? Maud was in Paris starving and freezing as an art student when Tanya, a wealthy woman, befriended her and helped Maud obtain a position in a home to take care of a young lady.
Maud found out the accommodations brought about more than a warm place to stay and good meals. Sylvie, the young lady she was taking care of, smoked opium and stole things, her "brother" wasn't very honest, and nothing was what it seemed. What else was going to happen, and what did she get herself into?
What was supposed to be a life-changing winter turned out to be a winter of lies, danger, deceit, and murder.
The beginning of THE PARIS WINTER was a bit slow, but as the tale unraveled, there was nothing slow, nothing short of deviousness, and nothing short of
intrigue. Don't give up too soon.
You will feel sorry for Maud, you will love Tanya and Yvette - they are actually comical and so loyal to Maude, you will hate Sylvie and her "brother," and you will question all that goes on with them and question their motives.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE PARIS WINTER because of the well-developed, unlikeable, devious, corrupt characters and the unpredictable, twisted plot with a marvelous, thrilling ending. This thrilling ending was set during the Paris flood of 1910 and was a perfect connection to Maud's intentions.
Don't miss reading THE PARIS WINTER. You will be pulled in just like the flood waters of Paris pulled in its citizens. THE PARIS WINTER is an alluring, captivating historical read. 4/5
This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.
June 14, 2015
I think I enjoyed this book so much because I had zero expectations. It caught my eye because Paris was in the title. This Paris, though, was not the romantic city of lights. Maud, the heroine, describes Paris, "the flâeurs and the thieves, street hawkers* and shop girls! the philanthropists! chancres and visionaries! the blandishments of Paris wrapped around its dirty, defiant soul." Not so pretty.
The story takes place in Paris, 1909, during the Belle Époque, a time when art was flourishing. Maud, a young woman from England has recently moved here to try to become an artist. So far, she has only managed the starving part. It is also the time of The Great Paris Flood, about which I knew nothing. Today in Paris, there are markers on the sides of buildings showing how high the water got, over 28 feet. So, great setting.
My favorite part was the trio of friends who developed a close bond after Maud had a serious near death experience. Maud becomes friends with another art student Tanya, a rich young woman from Russia, and Yvette, a live model at the school where the two women study. Three strong women who were not afraid to travel through Paris' slums and opium dens to find answers. Fast paced story with a satisfying ending. A nice surprise.
*I can't read my own writing here. I'm guessing it says hawkers.
The story takes place in Paris, 1909, during the Belle Époque, a time when art was flourishing. Maud, a young woman from England has recently moved here to try to become an artist. So far, she has only managed the starving part. It is also the time of The Great Paris Flood, about which I knew nothing. Today in Paris, there are markers on the sides of buildings showing how high the water got, over 28 feet. So, great setting.
My favorite part was the trio of friends who developed a close bond after Maud had a serious near death experience. Maud becomes friends with another art student Tanya, a rich young woman from Russia, and Yvette, a live model at the school where the two women study. Three strong women who were not afraid to travel through Paris' slums and opium dens to find answers. Fast paced story with a satisfying ending. A nice surprise.
*I can't read my own writing here. I'm guessing it says hawkers.
September 5, 2013
This book is a perfect example of what I love about good historical fiction. Set in Paris in the Belle Epoque, the novel transported me to that time and place with its evocative, poignant descriptions of streets, cafés, dressing styles, umbrellas, architecture and more. Add to that a bunch of (mainly) female characters that were either flamboyant (Russian), disreputable (French), well-behaved (English) or simply really wealthy (American), and you have a rich cast thrown into the opulent setting.
These two aspects of the novel were what I appreciated the most, but the mystery part of the plot was also very enjoyable in especially the first half, I felt, before it was actually unravelled.
The style was an interesting mix of clear prose and vivid eloquence, mostly with a perfect balance between the two. Part of the novel's 'picturesqueness' was the way in which the author has included art as a theme running through the whole book, commenting on colours, hues and tints both in terms of choices the painter (often Maud, the main character) makes and the ways in which these choices influence what we see, i.e. various scenes in Paris.
A very gratifying read which I'd recommend to people who love historical fiction and/or Paris.
These two aspects of the novel were what I appreciated the most, but the mystery part of the plot was also very enjoyable in especially the first half, I felt, before it was actually unravelled.
The style was an interesting mix of clear prose and vivid eloquence, mostly with a perfect balance between the two. Part of the novel's 'picturesqueness' was the way in which the author has included art as a theme running through the whole book, commenting on colours, hues and tints both in terms of choices the painter (often Maud, the main character) makes and the ways in which these choices influence what we see, i.e. various scenes in Paris.
A very gratifying read which I'd recommend to people who love historical fiction and/or Paris.
April 7, 2015
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson is a powerful historical mystery that will lead the reader down a safe and unassuming path only to tear it out from under them in an unexpected and thrilling moment!
"...Valadon swept her eyes over them. 'Go home, Maud. You'll never be artists, either of you. Princess, you want everything to be pretty and Maud, you want everyone to think well of you so neither of you will ever tell any truth worth a damn.'
'Leave me alone, Suzanne,' said Maud. 'Madame de Civray was kind to me.'
'Oh you moth,' Valadon answered, her voice cool. 'Now I shall leave you babies and go back to my work.' She looked at Tanya. 'God, women are stupid sometimes..."
Paris, 1910, Maud Heighton has left the comforts of her English family home to seek freedom and escape as she learns to become a painter in France. But Paris is no place for a woman of limited means and the funds she carried with her are quickly used up. Maud slides into a life of poverty, starving and unprepared for another Paris winter.
Her friend and fellow painter Tanya, a Russian heiress trying to escape from an impending arranged marriage comes upon an opportunity for Maud. To join the household of the well to do couple, Christian Morel and his sister Sylvie. Christian needs someone to watch over Sylvie as she recovers from an opium addiction. He is looking to hire a live in companion for his sister who can keep their secrets. Maud seizes the opportunity as the pay is more than she had dreamed of and the room and board are free. Maud is overjoyed at her luck and change of fortune. Only the Morels are not who they seem and Maud is drawn further and further into their web until her very life is at risk.
"...Amedeo?'
'Yes, young lady?'
'What does Dante say of revenge?'
He turned back. 'That it is a sin. A sin of anger, and those who commit it are surrounded by a rank fog, forever tearing each other apart of gnawing at their own limbs. They are trapped in the marsh.' He sighed. 'I shall not waste the poetry on you if you do not speak Italian. I shall tell you instead what my mother told me when I came home from school covered in bruises from the bullies there.'
'What did she say?'
'To forget a wrong is the best revenge. But she was not right. Some wrong you must get a hot blade into it, take out the poison matter even if it costs you a little flesh. She said I must trust in God-but why should I trust Him to punish my enemies? He let them hurt me in the first place..."
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson is a incredibly well crafted novel with twists and turns that will at once delight and confuse the reader. Robertson is a master craftsman when it comes to historical mystery novels as her Westerman and Crowther will attest to. In this one Robertson creates a mystery tale with no detective. Only victims and criminals. It is up to the victims to right the injustice done to them. More so that they are young women in a society that does not recognize them to have any power or rights.
It is Paris as well that is central to this mystery, during the floods of 1910, when it seemed to many that the city itself would seek into the waters. The young ladies, privileged and poor, see how the class society around them values them as women and as people.
At its heart, the Paris Winter is about the main character of Maud. Naïve and trusting. Until her life and reputation are torn apart. Her descent into darkness and bitterness is reflected in the artwork she would produce later in life. Only in her struggle to redeem her reputation is she afforded any respite, and even then, she must lose much of herself.
A terrific read.
"...Valadon swept her eyes over them. 'Go home, Maud. You'll never be artists, either of you. Princess, you want everything to be pretty and Maud, you want everyone to think well of you so neither of you will ever tell any truth worth a damn.'
'Leave me alone, Suzanne,' said Maud. 'Madame de Civray was kind to me.'
'Oh you moth,' Valadon answered, her voice cool. 'Now I shall leave you babies and go back to my work.' She looked at Tanya. 'God, women are stupid sometimes..."
Paris, 1910, Maud Heighton has left the comforts of her English family home to seek freedom and escape as she learns to become a painter in France. But Paris is no place for a woman of limited means and the funds she carried with her are quickly used up. Maud slides into a life of poverty, starving and unprepared for another Paris winter.
Her friend and fellow painter Tanya, a Russian heiress trying to escape from an impending arranged marriage comes upon an opportunity for Maud. To join the household of the well to do couple, Christian Morel and his sister Sylvie. Christian needs someone to watch over Sylvie as she recovers from an opium addiction. He is looking to hire a live in companion for his sister who can keep their secrets. Maud seizes the opportunity as the pay is more than she had dreamed of and the room and board are free. Maud is overjoyed at her luck and change of fortune. Only the Morels are not who they seem and Maud is drawn further and further into their web until her very life is at risk.
"...Amedeo?'
'Yes, young lady?'
'What does Dante say of revenge?'
He turned back. 'That it is a sin. A sin of anger, and those who commit it are surrounded by a rank fog, forever tearing each other apart of gnawing at their own limbs. They are trapped in the marsh.' He sighed. 'I shall not waste the poetry on you if you do not speak Italian. I shall tell you instead what my mother told me when I came home from school covered in bruises from the bullies there.'
'What did she say?'
'To forget a wrong is the best revenge. But she was not right. Some wrong you must get a hot blade into it, take out the poison matter even if it costs you a little flesh. She said I must trust in God-but why should I trust Him to punish my enemies? He let them hurt me in the first place..."
The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson is a incredibly well crafted novel with twists and turns that will at once delight and confuse the reader. Robertson is a master craftsman when it comes to historical mystery novels as her Westerman and Crowther will attest to. In this one Robertson creates a mystery tale with no detective. Only victims and criminals. It is up to the victims to right the injustice done to them. More so that they are young women in a society that does not recognize them to have any power or rights.
It is Paris as well that is central to this mystery, during the floods of 1910, when it seemed to many that the city itself would seek into the waters. The young ladies, privileged and poor, see how the class society around them values them as women and as people.
At its heart, the Paris Winter is about the main character of Maud. Naïve and trusting. Until her life and reputation are torn apart. Her descent into darkness and bitterness is reflected in the artwork she would produce later in life. Only in her struggle to redeem her reputation is she afforded any respite, and even then, she must lose much of herself.
A terrific read.
March 10, 2020
November 1909 sees the ladies of Lafond’s Parisian painting academy cold, hungry and depressed by the suicide of one of their members. Although they try to keep their spirits up with art and camaraderie, the grim poverty of their setting seeps in: “Paris ate money. Paint and canvas ate money.” Maud Heighton, an orphan from Northumbria, longs to find a way out of penury. Reluctant to rely on charity, she instead finds a position as a live-in lady’s companion to Sylvie Morel. However, she soon discovers that Sylvie and her brother Christian are not the upstanding citizens they seem. Maud will plunge headlong into a sinister underworld of betrayal, stolen diamonds and opium addiction. Just as that winter’s Great Flood of Paris threatens to destroy homes and bridges, the secrets she has stumbled upon threaten Maud’s livelihood – and her very life.
Robertson is also the author of the Westerman & Crowther series of eighteenth-century mysteries. This first foray into more recent history is a taut tale of intrigue and false identity, shifting between the perspectives of Maud, a rich Russian friend, an artist’s model and a jewel thief. Using a dark palette of emotions, Robertson foreshadows Impressionism’s greys yielding to the fresh art forms represented in the novel by a Picasso exhibition. With its suspenseful atmosphere and a setting among a group of bohemian artists, The Paris Winter recalls Matthew Pearl’s thrillers and Jane Harris’s Gillespie and I. But as the title suggests, Paris is the real star here: bleak and menacing at times, but always harboring the promise of a better future.
Robertson is also the author of the Westerman & Crowther series of eighteenth-century mysteries. This first foray into more recent history is a taut tale of intrigue and false identity, shifting between the perspectives of Maud, a rich Russian friend, an artist’s model and a jewel thief. Using a dark palette of emotions, Robertson foreshadows Impressionism’s greys yielding to the fresh art forms represented in the novel by a Picasso exhibition. With its suspenseful atmosphere and a setting among a group of bohemian artists, The Paris Winter recalls Matthew Pearl’s thrillers and Jane Harris’s Gillespie and I. But as the title suggests, Paris is the real star here: bleak and menacing at times, but always harboring the promise of a better future.
February 25, 2016
Sobre la historia, más allá de que es un cuento oscuro de intrigas, engaños y traiciones, diré que, en contra de lo leído en unas cuantas reseñas, a mí no me ha parecido para nada destacable. Es más, hasta más o menos la mitad del libro transcurre de forma lenta y pesada, se enrosca sobre sí misma y resulta tediosa de leer. No miento si confieso que me arrancó más de un bostezo y que, a pesar de que iban surgiendo detalles que pretendían dejarte con la intriga de un capítulo a otro (unos con más solvencia que otros), lo cierto es que, si no hubiera sido porque la leí en el tren, es más que probable que la hubiera abandonado en la estantería antes de terminarla. LA RESEÑA SIGUE AQUÍ: http://www.elbuscalibros.com/2016/02/...
November 29, 2014
I rarely give any book 5 stars but The Paris Winter deserves all 5. A wonderfully twisty story that I couldn't put down. It takes place during one of my favorite historical time periods, la Belle Époque. Great characters, I was drawn in from the first page. Thank you Ms. Robertson for wonderful read.
April 23, 2022
This is what historical fiction should be. You’re completely immersed in 1909-1910 Paris (including the period of the great flood) and lifestyles of different classes during the Belle Epoche.
Maud is a young, English woman living in poverty as she studies painting at one of the few art schools that enrolls women. She has friends from her classes, including a Russian aristocrat, Tanya, and a model named Yvette.
Tanya helps Maid get a job as a companion to get her through the winter (the job includes room and board), but the position turns into something completely different. Part one ends with disaster for Maud. No spillers here, but it’s stunning.
Part 2 picks up with Tanya, who has her own secondary storyline, but she is mainly concerned for her friend Maud. Yvette and Tanya go on to help avenge the tragedy.
This seems to be the last of Imogen Robertson’s historical fiction books and I’ll miss her gorgeous writing. There are times when I just pause to savor a phrase or fascinating use of a word when reading her books. I hope she returns to this genre at some point.
Maud is a young, English woman living in poverty as she studies painting at one of the few art schools that enrolls women. She has friends from her classes, including a Russian aristocrat, Tanya, and a model named Yvette.
Tanya helps Maid get a job as a companion to get her through the winter (the job includes room and board), but the position turns into something completely different. Part one ends with disaster for Maud. No spillers here, but it’s stunning.
Part 2 picks up with Tanya, who has her own secondary storyline, but she is mainly concerned for her friend Maud. Yvette and Tanya go on to help avenge the tragedy.
This seems to be the last of Imogen Robertson’s historical fiction books and I’ll miss her gorgeous writing. There are times when I just pause to savor a phrase or fascinating use of a word when reading her books. I hope she returns to this genre at some point.
November 4, 2024
The Most Absolutely Perfect Book, At Just Exactly The Right Time.
Coming off of finishing my second consecutive reading of 'A Moveable Feast' (which itself was something of a restorative palate cleanser, after my 'Emmy Ellis 10-Title-Marathon') I felt as though my soul still wished to linger a while longer in early 20th Century Paris.
I'll be perfectly honest: I cannot for the life of me recall ever having so much as perused the blurb on this book - let alone purchased it. But being the incorrigible bookslut that I am, I can often be found chasing the covers of some new shiny title, only to file it away into its appropriate 'Collection' in one of my Kindles (my interest in it having evaporated almost as soon as I have procured it) before hunting down my next bibliomaniacal conquest. Part 'thrill of the chase', part indomitable book-lust, this particular proclivity of mine does actually serve me well in the long run. I am largely a mood-reader and believe that for every book one is fated to read in one's lifetime, there is a corresponding perfect time and place to read said books. I buy books whenever I can, hoping that should the aforementioned perfect moment arise, I shall already have the exact title ready and waiting for our reading rendezvous together.
I didn't know I had this book, I just did a search under 'Paris' and moments later had my latest literary liaison lined up, ready for me to slip between its pages. I knew nothing about the author, have never read anything else of hers before, and had no idea if it would sufficiently scratch that 'Belle Époque itch' I had going on. As luck (or should that be fate?) would have it, 'The Paris Winter' ended up being the exact sort of thing I had been looking for.
I mentioned on my '40% complete update' that I was really enjoying the atmosphere portrayed in the book, and really appreciated the little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter which were made out to look like the summary paragraphs either mounted beneath pieces of art in a museum, or on the opposite page to a reproduction piece, in an auctioneer's catalogue or coffee table book. They definitely leant an air of authenticity to the setting out story takes place in, whilst also acting as visual descriptions of the changing attitudes and emotions of our main characters.
I also mentioned how I was getting some 'Laura Purcell' vibes from the way the story was oriented around one fatal conceit, that sees our main character either ruined or redeemed. Close attention to historical detail and precise geographical focus, a sense of something sinister on the horizon, and female characters who felt beautifully drawn, whilst undergoing a believable kind of personal growth along the way: these were the 'Purcell-esque' vibes I was talking about. This book however did not possess a sense of the gothic about it though, with all of the cruelties, misfortune, and subsequent paths toward vengeance being rooted very much in the harsh realities of human behaviour. Yes there are parts that encapsulate an awe of the sublime, but they are related to the works of art we see being created or displayed. So, not quite the necessary themes a book requires to be considered truly gothic.
It was by pure chance that I picked this book up during the final week of the year, as both Christmas time and New Year both take place within the story. Obviously that wouldn't have made the book a poor choice to read at any other time of the year, but it seems as though the fates were conspiring to allow me to finish 2023 on a reading high. Thunderous rains beating a heavy tattoo on the roofs above; darkness drawing swiftly in during the shortest days of the year; draughty windows letting in the bitterest of cold, damp chills; boutique Windows ablaze with seasonal décor. It all just helped to make me feel even more immersed in the story.
I won't give any spoilers as to what goes on in this book, but if what I've written so far has piqued your curiosity, then I think you'll enjoy the intrigue, the twists, the development of the three main female characters and even the odd bits of foreshadowing, that weren't too difficult to see coming; but when read along with all the other unexpected turns, take absolutely nothing away from the story should you figure a couple of them out in advance.
It was a fairly quick read, held my attention throughout and was rounded up by what I felt was a satisfying conclusion. By the end of the book, when an epilogue was included to explain what happened to the artworks of the artists involved, I didn't actually know if what I'd just read had been real or a complete fabrication! I loved that it could have gone either way until you get that final confirmation by the author.
I just really enjoyed reading this book and will most likely now go on to seek out other titles by this same author (I think she has a series of at least 4 books, set in the 18th century...although don't quote me on the exact dates, I may have gotten those wrong, but I do know that there are a few more books by 'Imogen Robertson' that I want to check out).
Sinister - yet not supernatural - a historically accurate, utterly absorbing, dark tale of deception, decadence and vengeance. 4 stars from me, more like this please!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Coming off of finishing my second consecutive reading of 'A Moveable Feast' (which itself was something of a restorative palate cleanser, after my 'Emmy Ellis 10-Title-Marathon') I felt as though my soul still wished to linger a while longer in early 20th Century Paris.
I'll be perfectly honest: I cannot for the life of me recall ever having so much as perused the blurb on this book - let alone purchased it. But being the incorrigible bookslut that I am, I can often be found chasing the covers of some new shiny title, only to file it away into its appropriate 'Collection' in one of my Kindles (my interest in it having evaporated almost as soon as I have procured it) before hunting down my next bibliomaniacal conquest. Part 'thrill of the chase', part indomitable book-lust, this particular proclivity of mine does actually serve me well in the long run. I am largely a mood-reader and believe that for every book one is fated to read in one's lifetime, there is a corresponding perfect time and place to read said books. I buy books whenever I can, hoping that should the aforementioned perfect moment arise, I shall already have the exact title ready and waiting for our reading rendezvous together.
I didn't know I had this book, I just did a search under 'Paris' and moments later had my latest literary liaison lined up, ready for me to slip between its pages. I knew nothing about the author, have never read anything else of hers before, and had no idea if it would sufficiently scratch that 'Belle Époque itch' I had going on. As luck (or should that be fate?) would have it, 'The Paris Winter' ended up being the exact sort of thing I had been looking for.
I mentioned on my '40% complete update' that I was really enjoying the atmosphere portrayed in the book, and really appreciated the little excerpts at the beginning of each chapter which were made out to look like the summary paragraphs either mounted beneath pieces of art in a museum, or on the opposite page to a reproduction piece, in an auctioneer's catalogue or coffee table book. They definitely leant an air of authenticity to the setting out story takes place in, whilst also acting as visual descriptions of the changing attitudes and emotions of our main characters.
I also mentioned how I was getting some 'Laura Purcell' vibes from the way the story was oriented around one fatal conceit, that sees our main character either ruined or redeemed. Close attention to historical detail and precise geographical focus, a sense of something sinister on the horizon, and female characters who felt beautifully drawn, whilst undergoing a believable kind of personal growth along the way: these were the 'Purcell-esque' vibes I was talking about. This book however did not possess a sense of the gothic about it though, with all of the cruelties, misfortune, and subsequent paths toward vengeance being rooted very much in the harsh realities of human behaviour. Yes there are parts that encapsulate an awe of the sublime, but they are related to the works of art we see being created or displayed. So, not quite the necessary themes a book requires to be considered truly gothic.
It was by pure chance that I picked this book up during the final week of the year, as both Christmas time and New Year both take place within the story. Obviously that wouldn't have made the book a poor choice to read at any other time of the year, but it seems as though the fates were conspiring to allow me to finish 2023 on a reading high. Thunderous rains beating a heavy tattoo on the roofs above; darkness drawing swiftly in during the shortest days of the year; draughty windows letting in the bitterest of cold, damp chills; boutique Windows ablaze with seasonal décor. It all just helped to make me feel even more immersed in the story.
I won't give any spoilers as to what goes on in this book, but if what I've written so far has piqued your curiosity, then I think you'll enjoy the intrigue, the twists, the development of the three main female characters and even the odd bits of foreshadowing, that weren't too difficult to see coming; but when read along with all the other unexpected turns, take absolutely nothing away from the story should you figure a couple of them out in advance.
It was a fairly quick read, held my attention throughout and was rounded up by what I felt was a satisfying conclusion. By the end of the book, when an epilogue was included to explain what happened to the artworks of the artists involved, I didn't actually know if what I'd just read had been real or a complete fabrication! I loved that it could have gone either way until you get that final confirmation by the author.
I just really enjoyed reading this book and will most likely now go on to seek out other titles by this same author (I think she has a series of at least 4 books, set in the 18th century...although don't quote me on the exact dates, I may have gotten those wrong, but I do know that there are a few more books by 'Imogen Robertson' that I want to check out).
Sinister - yet not supernatural - a historically accurate, utterly absorbing, dark tale of deception, decadence and vengeance. 4 stars from me, more like this please!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
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