REISSUED AS A SCEPTRE 30TH CLASSIC
WINNER OF THE COSTA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD (2011)
A year of bones, of grave-dirt, relentless work. Of mummified corpses and chanting priests.
A year of rape, suicide, sudden death. Of friendship too. Of desire. Of love...
A year unlike any other he has lived.
Deep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby. Into their midst comes Jean-Baptiste Baratte, a young, provincial engineer charged by the king with demolishing it.
At first Baratte sees this as a chance to clear the burden of history, a fitting task for a modern man of reason. But before long, he begins to suspect that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781473639010
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 258 g
Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 23 mm
My uncle works for BA and often brings home books he's found discarded on the plane. This was one of those books and what a special find it was! I found myself parachuted into this 18th century world of breeches... More
This book was chosen for me as a book group read, and I honestly wasn't expecting to enjoy it. So I was very surprised to find myself whipped up by the bizarre ideas and goings on in this book, set mostly in... More
Young and still somewhat idealistic, provincial engineer Jean-Baptiste Baratte has come to the Palace of Versailles seeking a prestigious commission that he hopes will make his fortune. His only previous work since... More
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