The Nightingale's Castle
A Novel of Erzsébet Báthory, the Blood Countess
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- Vorbestellbar
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- Erwartet am 30. Juli 2024
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- 14,99 €
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- Vorbestellbar
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- 14,99 €
Beschreibung des Verlags
In the vein of riveting historical novels such as Hamnet and Circe—with a touch of Dracula—a propulsive, feminist reimagining of the story of Erzsébet Báthory, the infamous sixteenth-century Hungarian aristocrat known as the “Blood Countess”, who was rumored to have murdered hundreds of peasant girls and bathed in their blood.
In 1573, Countess Erzsébet Báthory gives birth to an illegitimate child. Secretly taken to a peasant family living in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, the infant girl is raised as their own. Years later, a young woman called Boróka—ignorant of her true history—is sent to join the Countess’s household.
Terrified of the Countess’s murderous reputation and the brutally cruel women who run the castle, Boróka struggles to find her place. Then plague breaches the castle’s walls, and a tentative bond unexpectedly forms between the girl and the Countess. But powerful forces are moving against the great lady whose wealth and independence threatens the king. Can the Countess trust the women seemingly so close to her? And when the show trial begins against the infamous “Blood Countess” where will Boróka’s loyalties lie?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Velton (The Image of Her) spins an alluring story based on the historical Hungarian "blood countess" Erzsébet Báthory, who was accused in the 17th century of murdering hundreds of girls. In 1610, 15-year-old orphan Boróka goes to work for the countess at Čachtice Castle. Boróka, who was raised by a doctor and taught to read, but otherwise has no skills, is assigned to work in the laundry house. She befriends her seamstress roommate, Suzanna, who grows resentful when Boróka is picked to serve as a model for the countess's portrait. According to Suzanna, the countess tortures the house's servant girls in their quarters. Boróka chalks Suzanna's accusations up to superstition, though her curiosity is piqued enough to snoop around the countess's belongings, where she finds a journal describing how another noblewoman gave birth to an illegitimate daughter when she was 13. When the countess is charged with murdering hundreds of servants based on scant evidence, Boróka remains loyal. Revelations about the connections between Boróka, the countess, and the woman mentioned in the diary are unsurprising, but Velton's riveting narrative vividly evokes the misogyny and paranoia of the era's witch trials. Historical fiction fans will find plenty to enjoy.
