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Early 1900s: Imogen Robertson transports you back to the Belle Époque, expertly evoking the artistic, glitzy side to Paris as well as the dark side.
The Paris Winter
What you need to know before your trail
The Paris Winter throws up its dazzling Belle Epoque curtains and beckons you in with its silky gloved hand. The stage is set for an era of art and culture. Murder and madness are waiting in the wings, opium is sitting waiting in the foyer. And all around, danger lurks
Stepping into this world is young Maud, an artist from England who wants to work in the capital and earn money for her family back in Darlington. She becomes a companion to a french woman and her older brother. But cracks soon start to show as their world becomes hers, their secrets become hers and the danger lurking around the corner is also hers too. The stage is set for a drama and the finale can only be dangerous..
Travel Guide
The streets of early 20th century Paris is the stage here and the thrills and spills of the artist’s world come alive in all their glitzy yet severely debauched glory. Sylvie as many other artists in the city is addicted to opium and that hazy world can only mean danger and murderous intent –
The architecture is impressive and decorative too in its splendour- “..the familiar elegance of Haussmann’s Paris” but its the joy of reading descriptions such as this one that brings the tones, colours and city to life.
In the full darkness the clubs and cabarets shone like jewels. The city then was a a woman in evening dress certain of her beauty and endlessly fascinating. The air smelled of roasting chestnuts, and music spilled out of every cafe,
The city lights
In the full light of day Paris was chic and confident
Only in this hour, just before dawn on a winters morning, did the city seem a little haggard
Paris stars
It’s not only the city that comes alive like this – the characters on the stage itself are varied and vibrant – Gertrude Stein, Modigliani and Susan Valadon make interesting cameo appearances and help to showcase Paris for the city and environment that it was at that time.
The evocative and rich vivid descriptions of streets, cafés, paintings, buildings and dresses makes this a sumptuous stage for a murderous mystery story. With a multicultural cast too – the flamboyant russian and the wealthy american to name but two, the cast is rich as well.
And not forgetting the many art works which are referenced during the novel – the Dress for example states “despite the delicate colouring the picture is cold and empty.
Art imitating life at times in the novel. Maud’s life in particular.
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