The Star of Kazan
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- 3,99 €
Description de l’éditeur
Award-winner Eva Ibbotson's hugely entertaining The Star of Kazan is a timeless classic for readers of any age. Perfect for fans of Journey to the River Sea. With a gorgeous updated cover by Katie Hickey.
'Packed with wit and adventure' – The Times
Ever since she was found abandoned as a baby in 1896, Annika has lived in the servants' quarters at a grand house in Vienna. She loves the other servants as if they were family, and she adores the magnificent, glittering city. There is only one thing that Annika longs for: the day her real mother comes to find her.
So when a beautiful aristocrat arrives to claim her, it is as if Annika has walked into her own dream. Whisked off to her true home – a remote estate far, far from Vienna – her new life begins. But the dark and crumbling castle echoes with secrets and lies, and as Annika unravels the truth she finds herself in terrible danger . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Although there are no ghosts at large, this fairytale-like novel set in Vienna during Franz Joseph's reign features the same unique blend of bigger-than-life adventure, sparkling wit and intricate plotting that characterizes Ibbotson's previous novels (The Secret of Platform 13). Annika, a foundling, has been lovingly raised by two servant women working in the household of three professors in the heart of the city. Annika has enjoyed a happy childhood there, surrounded by friends. Even snooty Loremarie Egghart redeems herself by unwittingly forging a friendship between the heroine and Loremarie's great-aunt, who was once a theater attraction in Paris and whose health is ailing. Still, Annika wonders about her past and dreams of some day meeting the mother who abandoned her as a baby. Then one day a stately German woman named Edeltraut von Tannenberg claims Annika as her long lost daughter and promptly whisks her off to Spittal, a gloomy, rundown estate up north. More at home in the kitchen than in the drafty dining room, Annika finds that the only people she can relate to are the servants, especially free-spirited Zed, a gifted horse handler who plays a key role in uncovering the ulterior motives of Edeltraut and rescuing Annika from a dangerous situation. Readers will never doubt for a moment that Annika will rediscover happiness. But following the twisting path (of carefully planted details) that leads to her complicated rescue proves to be a fun-filled trip full of surprises. Ages 10-up.
