Lies and sorcery
(New Book)

"Though written at the end of the first half of the twentieth century this is essentially a nineteenth century novel written with a twentieth century sensibility. A few things give it away as a twentieth century novel - regular trains, even to remote rural areas, and a gramophone as well as the fact that, unlike most nineteenth century novels, none of the main characters survives unscarred. Indeed, most of them die, usually relatively unpleasant deaths. The other unusual feature is that there is no reference whatsoever to political events in the country. Napoleon is mentioned in passing but that is it"--,Provided by publisher.,This is the story of Elisa, a young orphaned girl who is raised by a "fallen woman." For years she lives in an imaginary world, full of fantasies she has created. When her guardian dies, Elisa realizes she must abandon her imagined world, and confront the truth of her family's tortured and dramatic history. But she is a spinner of stories, and draws the reader into a world of secrets, intrigue, and treachery that slowly reveal her complex relationships with other people and the world around her.