The Passion

Format:	Paperback 176 pages

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Synopsis

Henri had a passion for Napoleon and Napoleon had a passion for chicken. From Boulogne to Moscow, Henri butchered for his Emperor and never killed a single man. Meanwhile, in Venice, the city of chance and disguises, Villanelle was born with the webbed feet of her boatman father - but in the casinos she gambled her heart and lost. As the soldier-chef's love for Napoleon turns to hate he finds the Venetian beauty, and together they flee to the canals of darkness.

Book details

Published
03/10/1996

Publisher
Vintage

ISBN
9780099734413

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UK Kirkus review

This novel is quite remarkable. It is the story of Henri, Napoleon's chicken chef, and Villanelle, a Venetian girl born with webbed feet. While Henri endures the horrors of the retreat from Moscow, Villanelle falls in love with a woman whose fortune she tells. There are some scenes in literature which one cannot forget. Such a scene is Henri's literal search for Villanelle's heart, which is hidden in the house of her lover. This novel beautifully combines historical fact and fantasy. Here Winterson is in control of her material, achieving a rare poetic intensity that persuades the reader to accept the impossible. At one point, Villanelle walks on water. 'I'm telling you stories,' Winterson writes. 'Trust me.' (Kirkus UK)

About the author

Jeanette Winterson

Jeanette Winterson OBE is the author of ten novels, including Oranges are not the Only Fruit, The Passion and Sexing the Cherry; a book of short stories, The World and Other Places; a collection of essays, Art Objects as well as many other works, including children's books, screenplays and journalism. Her writing has won the Whitbread Award for Best First Novel, the John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize, the E. M. Forster Award and the Prix d'argent at Cannes Film Festival.