Bücher von Vanora Bennett

An enchanting, suspenseful novel of love, art, music, and family secrets set among the Russian émigré community of Paris in 1937The White Russian by Vanora Bennett begins as Evie, a rebellious young American, leaves New York in search of art and adventure in Jazz Age Paris, home to her long-estranged bohemian grandmother. But just as Evie arrives, her grandmother becomes very ill. Before she dies, she compels Evie to carry out her final wish: find a man from her past known only as Zhenya.The quest leads Evie deep into the heart of the Russian émigré community of Paris. With the world on the brink of war, she becomes embroiled in murder plots, conspiracies, and illicit love affairs as White Russian faces Red Russian, and nothing is as it seems.When Evie meets Jean, a liberal Russian refugee connected to her grandmother's circle, she thinks she has finally found the passion and excitement she's yearned for all her life. But is she any nearer to discovering the identity of the mysterious Zhenya or to uncovering the heartbreak of her grandmother's past?

In 1471, merchant John Lambert marries off his two beautiful daughters. The elder, Jane Shore, soon begins a notorious liaison with King Edward IV. The other sister, industrious and clever Isabel, is wed to the scion of a wealthy silk dynasty--and faces a monumental challenge when her husband is killed. Forced into apprenticeship to her mother-in-law, Alice Claver, Isabel learns to love the exotic fabrics from Italy, Persia, Spain, Tunisia, and beyond, discovering both loyal friends and dangerous enemies in this breathtaking new world. But Isabel's most powerful alliance will be with sister Jane's royal lover. And when the political landscape shifts perilously, one sister ?will fall while the other rises--as dire choices are made that will change their lives forever.

Hidden identities, rising political and religious tension, sensual awakening, and artistic vision come together in Vanora Bennett's luminous and absorbing historical novel of Tudor England reminiscent of the works of Phillipa Gregory, Sarah Dunant, and Tracy Chevalier.1527. A dark curtain has fallen across Europe. Martin Luther's break with the Vatican has led to civil war and artistic censorship, forcing the renowned portraitist Hans Holbein the Younger to flee to the safety of Tudor England. Under the patronage of one of Henry VIII's most trusted and brilliant advisors, Sir Thomas More, Holbein painted two portraits of the More family over the course of five years. Though nearly identical, the second is different. Why? And what do these subtle differences mean?In this sweeping epic, Vanora Bennett uses these two pictures to weave a wondrously imagined tale of Tudor England, witnessed through the eyes of Meg, More's intelligent and headstrong young ward. Set against the turmoil, intrigue, and tragedy of Henry VIII's court, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is the story of a woman torn between two remarkable yet radically different men--one she will love, the other she will marry. It also the story of a country torn apart by fanaticism, corruption, and the desires of a headstrong king. Rich with colorful detail, full of vibrant characters drawn from the pages of history, this magnificent novel hails the arrival of a visionary new writer and is sure to become one of the most talked about books of the year.