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The Coral Thief

The Coral Thief

by RebeccaStott (Author)

  • Used

    Hardcover 2009

    $3.29

  • Used

    Hardcover 2009

    $3.29
Synopsis

It's a hot August night in 1815, a few weeks after Napoleon's surrender to the Allied Forces at Waterloo. Daniel Connor, a brilliant and ambitious student from Edinburgh Medical School, is travelling to Paris by mail coach carrying rare historical specimens and letters of introduction to the illustrious Professor Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes, a botanical and zoological garden on the banks of the Seine. In the coach he encounters a strikingly tall dark-haired woman with heretical ideas about transmutation and the origins of life. When Daniel wakes at dawn, she has disappeared, taking his precious gifts with her. Arriving in Paris, Daniel makes friends with a fellow medical student, Fin. Gradually Paris works its spell on Daniel so that he begins to feel that he is metamorphosing into someone he no longer recognises. He discovers that the mysterious woman who stole his belongings is Lucienne Bernard, a jewel thief and philosopher who is on the run from Pierre Jagot, the notorious Head of the Paris Security Police. When Lucienne re-enters Daniel's life they embark on a passionate affair. But time is running out for Lucienne. Daniel joins her salon of thieves to execute one last breathtakingly bold robbery.

$3.29

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Quantity

1 in stock

More Information

Format: Hardcover
 Pages: 240
 Publisher: W&N
Published: 22 Dec 2009
ISBN 10: 0297851373
ISBN 13: 9780297851370

Media Reviews
This is an intellectual thriller, a book of penetrating humanity and a vivid evocation of Paris in the wake of Bonaparte's defeat -- Kate Williams FINANCIAL TIMES full of twists and turns. The period detail is good, and there is an authentic whiff of post-Napoleonic Paris, evidence of how thoroughly Stott has done her research -- Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN superbly told. intriguing and involving CHOICE Science and life seamlessly intertwine in a wholly natural way as the characters pursue both personal fulfilment and an understanding of the bigger picture -- Peter Forbes THE INDEPENDENT This is a tightly written and engaging book -- Kathy Stevenson DAILY MAIL This riveting, fascinating novel bears comparison with the likes of Perez-Reverte and Iain Pears. WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY Original and evocative, this is a mesmerising thriller that deftly waves together history and science DAILY TELEGRAPH A well-told tale of 1800s Paris, you'll want to read it in one go WOMAN a fun and convincing read that taught me more about Napoleonic France than school history lessons ever did MSLEXIA An enjoyable, atmospheric and carefully researched yarn NEW SCIENTIST Rebecca Stott's low-temperature, sepia-tinted dramatization of a crucial moment in the history of ideas is set in a Paris that is brought to vivid life -- David Coward TLS she evokes the spirit of a very dangerous Paris marvellously well. a stylish read -- Virginia Blackburn DAILY EXPRESS an enthralling exploration of revolutionary science in post-revolutionary Paris -- Clare Clark THE GUARDIAN An inventive and versatile writer. Rebecca Stott has created an intricate, suspenseful burglary caper that combines mystery, romance and cloak-and-dagger intrigue -- Richard Milner SCIENCE
Author Bio
Rebecca Stott is a writer and broadcaster. She writes both fiction and non-fiction, is affiliated to the Cambridge history of science department and is Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at UEA. Her work, in radio writing, fiction and non-fiction, weaves together history, literature and the history of science. She is the author of the non-fiction book DARWIN AND THE BARNACLE and the novel GHOSTWALK.