Labor Day was yesterday and fall is just around the corner. You’re back to work, the kids are back to school, so now is a good time to settle into a new book.
My friend Kate Beswick, an American author and actress living in London has written Year of Night which tells the story of a young Russian émigré and her struggle to free herself from a net of conflicting loyalties, passions and betrayal amid the color and excitement of 1920s Paris. In the chaos of Revolutionary Russia, 18-year-old Nadia Serova is forced to flee with false papers provided by her mysterious ‘Uncle Igor’, a charismatic photographer. Igor confesses that he is a key member of ‘The Trust’ – a secret anti-Bolshevik organization run from the heart of the Kremlin, known only as ‘Moscow’. Igor recruits her as his partner and they swear a blood oath of allegiance. In Paris, they join a flood of White Russian émigrés: officers, philosophers, poets, bohemians and former aristocrats who haunt Montparnasse and Billancourt, scraping a living, quarrelling and living in a hotbed of gossip and conspiracies as they plot the inevitable Bolshevik collapse, and their return.
Nadia befriends Arensky, a former White general, secretly creating an anti-Bolshevik force; at the same time, she meets Alyosha, who dreams of uniting both Reds and Whites. Her relationship with Igor becomes more intense; she becomes his muse and then his mistress, although he flaunts his relationship with his former lover. As the ‘Moscow’ organization increase pressure for action, and violence stalks the streets of Paris, Nadia realizes she might be at the center of a web not of her making. For who is Igor really? And what are his real intentions?
Year of Night is a gripping work of historical romantic fiction, which explores rarely-fictionalized parts of history. Kate has been inspired by a number of authors, including Chekhov, Evelyn Waugh, Alice Munro and Willa Cather.
How did you enjoy last month’s book The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris by Tom Sancton?
I look forward to reading your comments.
Please support Eye Prefer Paris and order Year of Night by Kate Beswick on Amazon icon below.
Christmas & New Years in Paris-My Apartment for Rent December 24 to January 3(dates flexible)
How would you like to spend a magical Christmas and festive New Years in Paris?
I am renting my apartment out from December 24 to January 3, (dates are flexible) a total of 10 nights for $2500.
Centrally located in the heart of the Marais near the St. Paul metro station, it's a spacious one-bedroom 750 sq. ft. loft style apartment with 12 ft. ceilings, decorated in chic Mid-Century Modern furniture and sleeps one or two people in a Queen size bed. Amenities include A/C, washer/dryer, 16" flat screen TV, dishwasher, internet connection/Wifi and free long distance calls to the U.S. The apartment is located on the second floor with an elevator.
Photos upon request. Please email me at rn88@rcn.com if you are interested.
Come experience Eye Prefer Paris live with Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I personally lead. Eye Prefer Paris Tours include many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes, food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks and gardens and much more. In addition to my specialty Marais Tour, I also lead tours of Montmartre, St. Germain, Latin Quarter, in addition to Shopping Tours, Gay Tours, Girlfriend Tours, Food Tours, Flea Market Tours, Paris Highlights Tours, and Chocolate & Pastry tours.
Tours start at 225 euros for up to 3 people, and 75 euros for each additional person. I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.
Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com
Click here to watch a video of our famous Marais tour
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