The Illusionists: A Novel - Softcover

Thomas, Rosie

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1468310984 ISBN 13: 9781468310986

Publisher: The Overlook Press, 2015

Synopsis

Over the course of three decades of writing, bestselling novelist Rosie Thomas has earned an untold number of awards and the devotion of millions of loyal readers. Her new novel, The Illusionists, set in London in 1870, is a thrilling step forward―a captivating tale of passion and fantasy set in the theater world. At the start of The Illusionists, we meet Eliza, a young, beautiful woman of limited means. Eliza is modern before her time. Not for her the stifling if respectable conventionality of marriage, children, domestic drudgery. She longs for more. Through her work as an artist’s model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil―a born showman whose dream is to run his own theater company. Devil’s right-hand man is the improbably-named Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf with an enormous talent for all things magic and illusion. Carlo and Devil clash at every opportunity and it constantly falls upon Eliza to broker an uneasy peace between them. And then there is Jasper Button. Mild-mannered, and a family man at heart, it is his gift as an artist that makes him the unlikely final member of the motley crew. Thrown together by a twist of fate, their lives are inextricably linked: the fortune of one depends on the fortune of the other. And as Eliza gets sucked into the seductive and dangerous world her strange companions inhabit, she risks not only her heart, but also her life, which is soon thrown into peril.

About this title

About the Author

Rosie Thomas is the author of numerous critically acclaimed, bestselling novels, and has twice won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award. Born in a small village in northern Wales, Thomas discovered a love of traveling and mountaineering when her children were grown. In the years since, she has climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas, competed in the Peking to Paris car rally, and trekked in the footsteps of Shackleton on South Georgia Island.

Review

“Beneath this buoyant tale of down-market entertainers in Victorian London rumbles a heavyweight novel . . . As intricate and thrilling as any accomplished bit of conjuring.”
- The New York Times

“Gripping . . . Rosie Thomas ably captures the magic of Victorian London―including its spectacular advancements in technology, such as the phonograph, electric lighting and automata―yet she does not neglect the seamy, hardscrabble life so prevalent among theatrical performers.”
- Shelf Awareness

“Thomas’s sprawling follow-up to The Kashmir Shawl combines several elements: a story of a theater company, a thriller, and, most successfully, a portrait of a woman trying to create an equal partnership with a man . . . The heart of the book is Eliza’s long, slow attempt to not only marry Devil but to live in parity with him. Since she has no models for the relationship she wants, Thomas shows Eliza working to invent a new kind of life; a creation as novel for her time as the mechanical illusions at the Palmyra.

”
- Publishers Weekly

“This character driven novel is filled with odd and unusual characters whose personalities and quirks are revealed as the story progresses. . . . The story-line is compelling for its vivid descriptions and fascinating characters who are anything but normal and predictable . . . Definitely, an entertaining read that stands out for its unique qualities.”
- Historical Novels Review

“While the background details on stage magic and the theater business are captivating, Devil and Eliza’s ardent love story is the book’s emotional heart, and the ever-changing connections among all its intriguing performers fill it with genuine life and vitality.”
- Booklist

“Rosie Thomas has the rare and wonderful ability to create stories and characters that take you instantly into another world.”
- Penny Vincenzi - Praise for the work of Rosie Thomas

“Thomas writes with a sharp nib, not a dull computer key. She is neither mawkish nor squeamish, but full of fresh images.”
- Washington Post Book World - Praise for the work of Rosie Thomas

“A master storyteller.
”
- Cosmopolitan - Praise for the work of Rosie Thomas

“Thomas’s novels are beautifully written.”
- Marie Claire - Praise for the work of Rosie Thomas

“Thomas can write with ravishing sensuality.”
- The Times - Praise for the work of Rosie Thomas

About this edition

• Publisher: The Overlook Press
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 1468310984
• ISBN 13: 9781468310986
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 480