The Illusionists

Description

From the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl London 1885 As a turbulent and change-filled century draws to a close, there has never been a better time to alter your fortune. But for a beautiful young woman of limited means, Eliza's choices appear to lie between the stifling domesticity of marriage or a downwards spiral to the streets - no matter how determined she is to forge her own path. One night at a run-down theatre, she meets the charismatic Devil Wix - showman, master of illusion, fickle friend. Drawn into his circle, Eliza becomes the catalyst of change for his colleagues - a dwarf, an eccentric engineer, and an artist - as well as Devil himself. And as Eliza embarks on a dangerous adventure, she must decide which path to choose, and how far she should go when she holds all their lives in her hands.

Rosie Thomas is the author of a number of celebrated novels, including the bestsellers Sun at Midnight, Iris and Ruby and Constance. Once she was established as a writer and her children were grown, she discovered a love of travelling and mountaineering. She has climbed in the Alps and the Himalayas, competed in the Peking to Paris car rally, spent time on a tiny Bulgarian research station in Antarctica and travelled the silk road through Asia. She lives in London.

'Love, seduction, magic and illusion collide as Rosie Thomas takes us on a spellbinding journey through an extremely shadowy world' Daily Express 'A brilliant Gothic mix of glitter and grime and so atmospheric you can almost see the pea-soupers' Daily Mail 'Always engaging: a beautifully written novel that will magic you away to the seedy streets of turn-of-the-century London' Stylist 'Beneath this buoyant tale rumbles a heavyweight novel ... A plot as intricate and thrilling as any accomplished bit of conjuring' New York Times Praise for The Kashmir Shawl: 'A superbly researched and vivid evocation of wartime Kashmir and Ladakh' Daily Mail 'A spellbinding tale. Beautifully written, honest and compassionate...a delight from start to finish' Daily Express 'An epic tale...A complicated entanglement of family secrets, love during wartime and dangerous liaisons. For fans of Maggie O'Farrell' Red 'A superbly written novel, marvellously descriptive and especially evocative of the war years . . . a gorgeous treat' Choice 'Thomas' portrayal of a young wife struggling to cope with life in wartime Kashmir, her husband's indifference to her and her attraction to a charismatic mountaineer is beautifully written, touching and believable' The Daily Express