About the Book
'Utterly captivating. An engrossing, propulsive novel' Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites
'A gorgeously written, at times fantastical and deeply immersive novel' Molly Aitken, author of Bright I Burn
Two women. An extraordinary power. An explosive bond.
In a time of revolution, their fates will lie in the turn of a card . . .
It is the early days of the French Revolution and, on the streets of Paris, terror reigns.
Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand is a young woman with an extraordinary power - through her tarot cards, she can commune with the dead, revolutionaries and the aristocracy alike seeking her out to divine their fortunes. Lenormand is loyal to Marie Antoinette and the dauphin of France, but she has seen the queen's fate in the cards and must take care that it doesn't become her own.
Then, one fateful day, she comes across Cait, a scullery maid from Ireland who has travelled to Paris for love. Cait has powers too - she can read people's pasts as Lenormand reads their futures. The two young women share an electrifying connection, drawn to each other's abilities. But Cait is hiding something. What will she do - and who will she betray - to bring revolution to the shores of her beloved Ireland too?
Inspired by the astonishing true story of Marie-Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Tarot Reader of Versailles is a sweeping, powerful novel where allegiances, betrayals and even fate itself can be forged or broken by the turn of a card . . .
*Selected as a Bookseller pick of the month*
'Readers who like their historical fiction laced with fantastical elements will enjoy this spirited tale' The Times
'[A] propulsive epic in the company of two extraordinary women' Daily Mail
'A complex, epic and engrossing tale' Caroline Lea, author of Love, Sex & Frankenstein
'I was totally swept up in this epic story of fate and betrayal, love and intrigue. Every twist left me reeling' Danielle Giles, author of Mere
'Thrilling, compelling and beautifully woven' Aoife Fitzpatrick, author of The Red Bird Sings
'Feminist, fantastical and flawlessly imagined' Natasha Solomons
'Lush, lyrical and utterly captivating' Kim Curran, author of The Morrigan
About the Author :
Anya Bergman is the internationally bestselling Irish author of The Witches of Vardø. She has published ten novels under her real name Noelle Harrison and possesses a doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University, where she is also a Lecturer in Creative Writing. Anya has been reading Tarot Cards professionally for over thirty years.
Review :
The author of the dynamic The Witches Of Vardo heads onto the bloody streets of the French Revolution in this equally propulsive epic in the company of two extraordinary women . . . The prose is lush, the love stories beguiling, but Bergman doesn't shy away from the horror of the reign of terror and the harsh realities of change.
Marie Anne Lenormand can commune with the dead . . . [Caitlin] Molloy is also connected to spirits and gods, in her case old Irish ones. Molloy and Lenormand meet, and the gods collide. Readers who like their historical fiction laced with fantastical elements will enjoy this spirited tale.
A complex, epic and engrossing tale, which is part emotive love story with a fantastical edge, part fascinating historical exploration of the French Revolution and part compulsive revenge story, which holds the reader captive throughout. . . . The voices of these two women who find themselves caught up in the heady and dangerous world of the Revolution are beautifully drawn.
Utterly captivating. Anya Bergman's vivid depiction of revolutionary France, and the extraordinary women negotiating the vagaries of power, fortune and fate throughout such unrest and upheaval, held me in thrall from the first page to the last. An engrossing, propulsive novel.
I was totally swept up in this epic story of fate and betrayal, love and intrigue. As the two women fight for their futures and ideals in a world in which everything is turned upside down, every twist left me reeling. Bergman effortlessly conjures the glittering excess of Versailles and the heady ideals of revolutionary Paris. Opulent and gripping, this novel is clear-sighted about the costs of revolution, and the people who get left behind.
Thrilling, compelling and beautifully-woven . . . the startling, entwined destinies of Lenormand and Molloy unfold across Paris and the rugged shores of a restless Ireland - a gripping clash between love and honour. Bergman is - as ever - deft and masterful in evoking the timeless wisdom of mythology . . . this vivid novel sings with insight and compassion.
A dark and delicious odyssey through the blood-soaked streets of French Revolution Paris. The Tarot Reader of Versailles had me spellbound from the very first page. I adored the original way this novel expertly wove folklore, Tarot, and Ireland's Great Rebellion with this fascinating period of French history. One to savour
An utterly magical book that weaves through the history of the French Revolution, casting it in a new light: feminist, fantastical and flawlessly imagined.
A sweeping, fantasy-fuelled tale of allegiances, betrayals, love and intrigue . . . full of simmering Sapphic romance and dangerous necromancy. . . This is a gripping tale of female empowerment you won't want to miss!
An enchanting and captivating novel that beautifully weaves together the perspectives of two very different women during the bloody French Revolution. I was enthralled right from the start and gripped by the immersive world Bergman created.
Reading The Tarot Reader of Versailles is like stepping into the most exquisite treasure trove; pearls of history are gilded with the mystical to create a sumptuous, ingenious tale of love, fate and the fight for equality. I was transported to the lavishness of the French court, to the wild beauty of Ireland, to the magic of myth and tarot - and I absolutely loved every glorious page.
A propulsive, seductive story. The French Revolution setting is fascinating and captured in all its gory detail, and the hidden, dark desires of human hearts are skilfully exposed at every turn. I devoured it!
A joy to read . . . Truly a rich tapestry that weaves together history, love, and a sprinkle of magic. The story is so expansive, I felt like I was walking the streets of Paris . . . It effortlessly wove fact into fiction to create a remarkable story.
A beautiful epic. Swept me from the emerald hills of Kerry to the glittering halls of Versailles. A captivating tale of two colliding female forces. Rich, complex and sweeping.
A gorgeously written, at times fantastical and deeply immersive novel, The Tarot Reader of Versailles had me captivated from the first page. Truly, historical fiction at its best.
From Ireland's misty landscapes to the tumultuous streets of Revolutionary Paris, Bergman skilfully weaves a sweeping narrative of love and fate, underpinned by the age-old wisdom of the tarot.
Lush, lyrical and utterly captivating, The Tarot Reader of Versailles is a triumph of historical fiction. A truly magical novel where women take control of their own fates - no matter what the cost . . . it brings the tumultuous world of revolutionary Paris to searing life. I was spellbound from the first page.
An epic historical drama that will captivate you from the first page. Set against the bloody, frenetic and dangerous backdrop of the French Revolution, the novel takes you on a sweeping and spellbinding journey through France and Ireland . . . Love, loss, drama, grief, war, death, sacrifice and heartache... this book has it all. I could not put it down.
