← Back to search
Cover of The Book of Splendor

The Book of Splendor

Frances Sherwood (2002)

SubgenreSoft SF / Social SF
Age groupAdult 18+
Content ratingPG-13
Pages ()
Setting
Goodreads3.38

Content levels

ViolenceNot rated
Sexual contentNot rated
LanguageNot rated

Trigger warnings

Not yet tagged

Positive tags

Not yet tagged

Tropes

Not yet tagged

Themes

Not yet tagged

Synopsis

"Written with Frances Sherwood's inimitable wit and earthy flair, The Book of Splendor is an unusual historical novel about the most unlikely of lovers, interwoven with the mysticism of the Jewish occult.". "It is 1601, in the old city of Prague under the reign of Hapsburg emperor Rudolph II. Rochel is young, illiterate, of dubious birth, a Jew who is not quite a Jew, an outsider among outsiders. Yet she has heard stories, not only of the ancient Hebrews' heroic deeds but also of the handsome prince who rescued the virtuous Aschenputtel, and of the mermaid who sold her voice for a pair of legs. Rochel's chance to escape poverty comes in an arranged marriage, but her heart belongs to another". "In his castle on the hill, in possession of every luxury known to man, Emperor Rudolph II is discontent. There is no end to what he wants. His mania will ignite the long-standing resentments of his foes within the city."--BOOK JACKET.