Amid the fading grandeur of a country estate, Clara lives in the care of Mr Crowe, a man of many mysterious gifts, and his faithful manservant, Eustace. Free from rules and lessons, she inhabits a silent world of her own. She has her books, and her secret places. Mr Crowe was once the toast of the finest salons: a man of learning and means, he travelled the world, dazzling all who met him. Now, he devotes himself to earthly pleasures, while his great library gathers dust and his once magnificent gardens grow wild. But Mr Crowe and his extraordinary gifts have not been entirely forgotten. When he commits a crime of passion, he attracts the attention of Dr Chastern, the figurehead of a secret society to which Crowe still belongs. When Chastern comes to call him to account, his sinister attention is soon diverted to Clara. For Clara possesses gifts of her own, gifts whose power she has not yet fully grasped. She must learn to use them quickly, if she is to save them all.
About the Author
Paraic O’Donnell's first novel,The Maker of Swans, was named the Amazon Rising Stars Debut of the Month for February 2016, and was shortlisted for the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Book Awards in the Newcomer of the Year category.Praise forThe Maker of Swans‘Lavishly entertaining…strange and captivating.’–The Independent‘At its best, the prose is glorious, combining an ear for deep cadences of language with a phenomenal acuity of vision…O’Donnell is clearly a major talent.’–The Guardian‘A vividly imagined and deeply pleasurable gothic fantasy.’–Financial Times‘Ambitious and original.’–The Irish Times‘Extraordinarily readable…almost cinematic.’–Irish Independent‘There’s sufficient invention and engaging strangeness to keep the reader enfolded, though it is O’Donnell’s arresting descriptions of the natural world that are likely to live longest in the mind.’–Daily Mail‘A dark, elegant celebration of the power and beauty of words.’–Sunday Express‘A powerful thriller.’–Vogue‘An oddly beautiful tale of magic and art.’–The Bookseller‘Compulsive reading…rich, strange, beautiful.’–Helen Macdonald, author ofH is for Hawk‘I devoured this book, and it kept me guessing right to the very end. Line by line, Paraic's writing contains some of the most beautifully turned phrasing I've read in a long while.’–Laura Barnett, author ofThe Versions of Us‘Combines through-the-looking-glass enchantment with Nabokovian dexterity…a mesmerising book whose prose absolutely soars.’–Sandra Newman, author ofThe Country of Ice Cream Star‘Exquisite.’–Liz Nugent, author ofUnravelling Oliver‘Dazzlingly inventive.’–Jane Casey
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