Amsterdam, 1705. La ravissante Thea Brandt fête ses dix-huit ans. Elle représente l'unique espoir des siens de redorer le blason de la famille. Sa tante Nella lui trouve le beau parti idéal mais la jeune femme n'a d'yeux que pour le grand théâtre de la ville et pour Walter, l'artiste qui y peint les décors. Tous deux s'engagent dans une liaison enflammée, menaçant la réputation de Thea et des siens. De mystérieuses figurines miniatures, sculptées avec une virtuosité éblouissante, font leur apparition, bouleversant la vie de chacun. Après le succès de Miniaturiste, La maison dorée, tout en grâce et en rebondissements, fait naître une héroïne aussi audacieuse qu'avide d'indépendance. Mais qui, de la raison ou du coeur, saura vaincre ?
Nella Oortman n'a que dix-huit ans ce jour d'automne 1686 où elle quitte son village pour rejoindre à Amsterdam son mari, Johannes Brandt. Homme d'âge mûr, riche marchand, il vit dans une opulente demeure entouré de ses serviteurs et de sa soeur, Marin, une femme restée célibataire qui accueille Nella avec une extrême froideur. Johannes offre à son épouse une maison de poupée représentant leur propre intérieur, que la jeune fille entreprend d'animer grâce aux talents d'un miniaturiste. Les fascinantes créations de l'artisan permettent à Nella de mettre peu à peu au jour de dangereux secrets... S'inspirant d'une maison de poupée exposée au Rijksmuseum d'Amsterdam, Jessie Burton livre ici un premier roman haletant, et dessine le portrait d'une femme résolument moderne, déterminée à affirmer son existence dans un monde hostile, où la rigueur morale le dispute à l'intransigeance religieuse.
Exilée sur une île isolée après avoir été abusée par des dieux puissants, Méduse a peu de compagnie à part les serpents qui lui tiennent lieu de chevelure. Quand le charmant Persée débarque sur son île, la paix de son existence solitaire vole en éclats, avec l'apparition du désir, de l'amour et de la trahison. Une réécriture féministe et poétique du mythe grec.
Un après-midi d'hiver de 1980, en plein coeur de Londres, Elise Morceau rencontre Constance Holden et tombe instantanément sous son charme. Connie, audacieuse et magnétique, est une écrivaine à succès dont le dernier roman va être adapté au cinéma par l'un des plus gros studios d'Hollywood. Elise suit Connie à Los Angeles, la ville par excellence du rêve et de l'oubli. Mais tandis que Connie s'enivre de l'énergie de cette nouvelle vie où tout le monde s'enveloppe de mensonges et tente d'atteindre les étoiles, Elise commence à perdre pied. Au cours d'une fastueuse soirée hollywoodienne, elle surprend une conversation qui l'entraînera à prendre une décision radicale qui pourrait bouleverser sa vie.Trois décennies plus tard, en 2017, Rose Simmons cherche des réponses sur sa mère, qui a disparu sans laisser de traces alors qu'elle n'était qu'un bébé. Rose a découvert que la dernière personne à l'avoir vue est Constance Holden, une écrivaine oubliée qui s'est retirée de la vie publique alors qu'elle était au sommet de sa gloire. Rose se retrouve irrépressiblement attirée sur la piste de Connie, en quête d'indices sur les secrets de son passé.Cette histoire lumineuse, au souffle romanesque puissant, nous emporte dans une quête d'identité remarquablement orchestrée. Au travers de personnages énigmatiques et inoubliables, Jessie Burton nous dévoile les coulisses des milieux littéraire et cinématographique, ainsi que l'envers de la création artistique, de la fiction et de la maternité.
Londres, 1967. Arrivée des Caraïbes cinq ans plus tôt, Odelle Bastien se rêve écrivain mais peine à trouver ses marques. Sa vie bascule quand elle décroche un poste de dactylo dans une galerie d'art et rencontre la charismatique Marjorie Quick, qui lui redonne confiance. Puis arrive un jour un tableau représentant deux femmes et un lion, qui semble profondément troubler Marjorie. Intriguée, Odelle décide de percer l'énigme de cette toile.
Andalousie, 1936. La jeune Olive Schloss, fille d'un marchand d'art en exil, aspire à devenir peintre mais sa famille s'y oppose. Un artiste révolutionnaire, Isaac Robles, se présente un jour avec sa soeur dans leur propriété. Petit à petit, ils s'insinuent dans la famille Schloss et proposent à Olive un marché dont les terribles conséquences résonneront dans les décennies suivantes...
__________________ ''A beautiful and profound retelling'' - Madeline Miller, author of Circe and The Song of Achilles ''A beautiful and compassionate retelling that gives the serpent-headed monster of myth a powerful and haunting humanity'' - Jennifer Saint ''Utterly transporting'' - Guardian Books of the Year __________________ A dazzling feminist retelling of the Greek myth from the internationally bestselling author of The Miniaturist Exiled to a far-flung island by the whims of the gods, Medusa has little company except the snakes that adorn her head instead of hair. But when the charmed and beautiful Perseus arrives on the island, her lonely existence is disrupted with the force of a supernova, unleashing desire, love and betrayal .
This astonishing retelling of Greek myth is perfect for readers of Circe and The Silence of the Girls . Illuminating the woman behind the legend, it brings alive Medusa for a new generation.
__________________ ''. a must-read for women of all ages'' - Red magazine ''The writing is beautiful, the story heartbreakingly relevant'' - Louise O''Neill ''. an impressive addition to the shelves of feminist retellings, balancing rage with beautiful storytelling'' - Irish Times
Au royaume de Kalia, douze princesses viennent de perdre leur mère. Fou de chagrin, le roi décide de les préserver à tout prix. Il leur en coûte leurs loisirs, leurs leçons et leur liberté. Mais la plus âgée de la fratrie, Frida, possède un don auquel rien de résiste : le pouvoir de son imagination. Ainsi, les princesses s'échappent toutes les nuits dans un monde merveilleux où une lionne bienveillante les invite à écouter leur détermination. Pourquoi une princesse ne pourrait-elle pas remplacer le roi ?
The Sunday Times No.1 Bestseller The sequel to Jessie Burton''s million-copy bestseller The Miniaturist, The House of Fortune returns to Nella''s mysterious family in historic 18th-century Amsterdam for a story of fate and fortune.
''Elegant, atmospheric, compelling. I absolutely loved it'' - Marian Keyes, author of Again, Rachel ''A book of beauty and insight . . . awe-inspiring. Burton is a master storyteller'' - Elizabeth Day, author of Magpie 1705. In the golden city of Amsterdam Thea Brandt is turning eighteen, and she is ready to welcome adulthood with open arms. At the city''s theatre, the love of her life awaits her, but at home all is not well - her father Otto and Aunt Nella argue endlessly, and the Brandt family are selling their furniture in order to eat. On Thea''s birthday, also the day that her mother died, the secrets of the past begin to overwhelm the present.
Nella is desperate to save the family and maintain appearances, to find Thea a husband who will guarantee her future, and when they receive an invitation to Amsterdam''s most exclusive ball, she is overjoyed - perhaps this will set their fortunes straight.
But, as Thea discovers new miniatures, Nella''s fears are realized. Eighteen years after she first entered the family''s life, the miniaturist may have plans of her own . . .
The House of Fortune is a glorious, sweeping story of ambition, secrets and dreams, and one young woman''s determination to rule her own destiny.
B>The phenomenal number one bestseller and a major BBC TV series. /b>br>b>Winner of the Specsavers National Book Award and /b>b>Waterstones Book of the Year/b>br>b>A Richard and Judy Book Club selection/b>There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . . On an autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman knocks at the door of a grand house in the wealthiest quarter of Amsterdam. She has come from the country to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt, but instead she is met by his sharp-tongued sister, Marin. Only later does Johannes appear and present her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. It is to be furnished by an elusive miniaturist, whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in unexpected ways . . .Nella is at first mystified by the closed world of the Brandt household, but as she uncovers its secrets she realizes the escalating dangers that await them all. Does the miniaturist hold their fate in her hands? And will she be the key to their salvation or the architect of their downfall?b>Beautiful, intoxicating and filled with heart-pounding suspense, Jessie Burton's magnificent debut novel The Miniaturist is a story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth./b>
The sensational Sunday Times bestseller from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse. When Elise Morceau meets the writer Constance Holden, she quickly falls under her spell. Connie is sophisticated, bold and alluring - everything Elise feels she is not. She follows Connie to LA, but in this city of strange dreams and razzle-dazzle, Elise feels even more out of her depth and makes an impulsive decision that will change her life forever. Three decades later, Rose Simmons is trying to uncover the story of her mother, who disappeared when she was a baby. Having learned that the last person to see her was a now reclusive novelist, Rose finds herself at the door of Constance Holden's house in search of a confession . . . 'Without doubt one of the best novels of recent years' - Elizabeth Day
A dazzling, feminist fairytale from the bestselling author of The Miniaturist and The Muse. This inspirational story about family, sisterhood, imagination and bravery is a modern classic to be handed down from mother to daughter for generations 'A fierce fairytale for the rebel girl' KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE 'A complete revelation' THANDIE NEWTON 'A magical modern retelling of an old fairytale ... Exquisite' JACQUELINE WILSON 'Wild, wise, generous, ferocious' KATHERINE RUNDELL For her twelve daughters, Queen Laurelia's death in a motor car accident is a disaster beyond losing a mother. Their father, King Alberto, cannot bear the idea of the princesses ever being in danger and decides his daughters must be kept safe at all costs. Those costs include their lessons, their possessions and, most importantly, their freedom.
But the eldest, Princess Frida, will not bend to his will without a fight and she still has one possession her father can't take: the power of her imagination. And so, with little but wits and ingenuity to rely on, Frida and her sisters begin their fight to be allowed to live .
The Sunday Times Number One Bestseller and Richard and Judy Book Club selection. Suspensefully sweeping from London in the sixties to 1930s rural Spain, The Muse is an unforgettable novel about art and aspiration, love and obsession - a masterpiece from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist. ''Those who loved The Miniaturist will find here all the cliffhangers, twists and heart-stopping revelations they expected, and in two evocative settings'' - Daily Telegraph A picture hides a thousand words . . . On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn''t know she had, she remains a mystery - no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery. The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in southern Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . . ''It takes all the promise of The Miniaturist - the complex female characters, an entrancing mystery, a lush and evocative sense of place - and executes it with wit and style'' - Elle
For the people who live on the banks of the Thames, the river is a living, breathing thing. It can take your treasures. It can hide your treasures. And, sometimes, it can give them back. Bo and Billy are two children who have never met. Billy is an orphan. Bo's dad died when she was small and now her brother is off to war. Both children are poor, but they have each found half of a priceless treasure, given up by the river. A treasure which - when the pieces are reunited - holds the power to give back to one of them the most precious thing they have ever lost. But should the treasure be put back together again? And why has the river given it up now? For fans of Katherine Rundell and Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke, Hidden Treasure is a classic in the making, with a rip-roaring plot, spine-tingling twists and an unforgettable cast of characters.
Retrouvez dans ce dossier gratuit les premiers chapitres de 21 titres incontournables pour vos lectures d'été, dans les collections Blanche et Du monde entier :
Americanah (de Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie), La vie des elfes (de Muriel Barbery), Trois fois dès l'aube (de Alessandro Baricco), Les Producteurs (de Antoine Bello), Miniaturiste (de Jessie Burton), Ça aussi, ça passera (de Milena Busquets), Évariste (de François-Henri Désérable), Quinquennat (de Marc Dugain), Charlotte (de David Foenkinos), Le voyant (de Jérôme Garcin), Éden Utopie (de Fabrice Humbert), Victor et Macha (de Alona Kimhi), Les prophètes du fjord de l'Éternité (de Kim Leine), Histoire d'Irène (de Erri De Luca), Plus haut que la mer (de Francesca Melandri), Pour que tu ne te perdes pas dans le quartier (de Patrick Modiano), Deux amantes au caméléon (de Francine Prose), L'amour et les forêts (de Éric Reinhardt), Check-Point (de Jean-Christophe Rufin), Le héros discret (de Mario Vargas Llosa) et Un an après (de Anne Wiazemsky).
Vous pouvez accéder directement à chaque extrait par la table des matières de ce dossier ou lire les extraits à la suite. Retrouvez aussi photographie et biographie des auteurs. Tous ces livres numériques sont en vente chez votre libraire.
"Love, war, desire, and art--it's all here." -- Elle Two Women. Two Eras. One painting that ties them together. July 1967, Mayfair, London--a painting is left propped on the doorstep of the Skeleton Gallery, discovered by Odelle Bastien, a Caribbean emigre trying to make her way in London. The painting is rumored to be the work of Isaac Robles, whose mysterious death has confounded the art world for decades. The excitement over the painting is only matched by the tension around the conflicting stories of its discovery. Odelle is unsure who or what to believe as she is drawn into a complex web of secrets and deceptions. Thirty years earlier, Olive Schloss, the daughter of a Viennese Jewish art dealer, follows her parents to a village in southern Spain that is rife with unrest. It is here Olive meets María Teresita, the young housekeeper, and María's half-brother Isaac Robles, an ambitious painter newly returned from the Barcelona salons. The illegitimate offspring of the local landowner, neither sibling has anything to lose when by exploiting these new guests in their poverty-stricken town. As they insinuate themselves into the family, the consequences are devastating and echo into the decades to come. In vividly rendered detail, acclaimed author Jessie Burton spins a tale of desire, ambition, and the ways in which the tides of history inevitably shape and define our lives.
