The Jewel of St Petersburg

By KATE FURNIVALL

RRP: $38.99, TPB, Sphere

Love and courage, revenge and heartbreak in the last days of the Romanov empire – a prequel to The Russian Concubine.

Russia, 1910. Young Valentina Ivanova charms St Petersburg's aristocracy with her classic Russian beauty and her talent as a pianist. She scandalises society when she begins a romance with Jens Friis, a Danish engineer. He brings to her life a passion and an intimacy she has never known. Unbending in their opposition, her parents push her into a loveless engagement with a Russian count. Valentina struggles for independence and to protect her young sister from the tumult sweeping the city, as Russia is bound for rebellion. The Tsar, the Duma and the Bolsheviks are at each other's throats. Valentina is forced to make a choice that changes her life forever.

About the Author

Kate Furnivall was born in Wales and now lives in Devon. Her mother’s childhood was spent in Russia, China and India and when her mother died in 2000 Kate decided to write a book inspired by her mother’s story. The Russian Concubine contains fictional characters and events, but Kate made use of the extraordinary situation that was her mother’s childhood experience – that of two white Russian refugees, a mother and a daughter, stuck without money or papers in an International Settlement in China. The Jewel of St Petersburg is Kate’s fourth novel and it is a prequel to The Russian Concubine.

Kate writes about her latest book on www.katefurnivall.com

‘I've loved the shift of mood in this book and relished the delight of immersing myself in the lavish lifestyle of the final glory days of the tsarist regime in Russia. It was an extravagant and decadent world of self-indulgence and gaudy excess, of Imperial balls, glittering diamonds and romantic sleigh rides - a sharp contrast to the privations of the underpaid workforce. It's a story of passion and treachery set against a backdrop of danger. And isn't the cover gorgeous? As lush and lavish as the world it describes.’

Praise for Kate Furnivall’s novels:

‘A wonderful escapist read,’ – Otago Daily Times

‘It’s fast-paced, has wonderfully drawn characters, and somehow manages to melt truckloads of research into a super-smooth read,’ – NEXT Magazine

‘Delicious turns of plot as the characters are caught between cultures and ideologies, and must adapt to change,’ – Weekend Herald

‘Oh this is a cracker all right. Escapist fabulousness – but with the ring of authenticity,’ – Kerre Woodham
 

Published 1st Sep 2010

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