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The Mirror Makers

The Mirror Makers

by Clare Colvin (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2003

    $5.86

  • Used

    Paperback 2004

    $3.27
Synopsis

Louis XIV, at the height of his powers and grandiose ambitions, dreams of constructing a great Hall of Mirrors in the palace of Versailles. But the only craftsmen who know the secret are in Murano, prisoners of the Venetian Republic. The promise (via Louis XIV's controller of finances, Jean-Louis Colbert) of riches, adventure, a new life, prompts Sandro Allegri and a renegade group of mirror-makers, to risk not only his father's wrath but the severest punishment by the Venetian authorities. And, once in the Sun King's Court, Sandro finds himself caught up, not only with dangerous palace politics, but with one of the King's mistresses. Inventive, romantic and exciting, Clare Colvin's novel is a magical evocation of a glittering period of history.

$5.86

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2 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 416
 Publisher: Hutchinson
Published: 05 Jun 2003
ISBN 10: 0091794404
ISBN 13: 9780091794408
Book Overview: In the tradition of RESTORATION and TULIP FEVER, Clare Colvin takes a historical theme with a novel about the secret Venetian process of mirror-making and the Court of Louis XIV.

Media Reviews
A splendid historical theme made into a novel about the ancient secret Venetian process of making mirrors. Louis XIV is building Versailles and dreams of constructing a great Hall of Mirrors, but the glass-makers are prisoners in Murano in the Venetian Republic. With promises of great riches, Louis' controller of finances, Colbert, entices a few individuals to France, including Sandro Allegri, who is disinherited by his father. Sandro becomes involved not only in palace politics, but also one of the king's mistresses. As with Janet Gleeson's non-fiction story about the invention of European porcelain, the Arcanum, it makes a wonderful tale about a little-known aspect of history. A truly remarkable read.
Author Bio
Clare Colvin's first novel, A Fatal Season, received excellent reviews. She is also a well-known journalist and short story writer whose work has appeared in anthologies, on radio and has been translated in Europe. She writes regularly for national newspapers and magazines and is a former editor of the Express on Sunday.