Bitter Greens A Novel

The amazing power and truth of the Rapunzel fairy tale comes alive in this breathtaking historical novel that braids together the stories of three women across two centuries. French novelist Charlotte-Rose de la Force is banished from the court of Versailles by the Sun King, Louis XIV, for her scandalous love affairs. At the convent, she is comforted by an old nun, Sœur Seraphina, who tells her the tale of a young girl, Margherita, who, a hundred years earlier in Renaissance Venice, is sold by her parents for a handful of bitter greens. After Margherita's father steals parsley (rapunzel) from the walled garden of the courtesan Selena Leonelli, he is forced to relinquish his daughter. Selena, known as 'La Strega Bella' and a famous red-haired muse of the artist Tiziano (Titian), locks Margherita away in a high tower. The novel weaves together Charlotte-Rose's life at the court and the convent, Margherita's isolation and hope, and the history of Selena, the 'witch' of the fairy tale, to create a compelling tale of desire, black magic, and the redemptive power of love.

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