The Winter Palace
Subtitle: a novel of Catherine the Great
By: Eva Stachniak
Publisher: Anchor Canada
Published: 2013
Place of publication: [Toronto]
Language: eng
Number of pages: 483
ISBN-13: 9780385666572
Copyright date: 2011
Subjects: Fiction; History; Romans, nouvelles; Histoire
Description: Tells the epic story of Catherine the Great's improbable rise to power--as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne. Her name is Barbara--in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she's allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world's most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen--and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie's destiny at court is to marry the Empress's nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears. What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie's confidante--and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.
Notes: Originally published: Toronto : Doubleday Canada, ©2012.

Anchor Canada edition.

"Anchor Canada edition published 2013"--Title page verso.

Issued also in electronic format.