Synopses & Reviews
In the Victorian Age, a mysterious and irresistible woman becomes entwined in the lives of several artists, both as a muse and as the object of all-consuming obsession. Radborne Comstock, one of the early twentieth century's most brilliant young painters, is helpless under her dangerous spell.
In modern-day London, journalist Daniel Rowlands meets a beguiling woman who holds the secret to invaluable -- and lost -- Pre-Raphaelite paintings, while wealthy dilettante-actor Valentine Comstock is consumed by enigmatic visions.
Swirling between eras and continents, Mortal Love is the intense tale of unforgettable characters caught in a whirlwind of art, love, and intrigue that will take your breath away.
Review
“A lushly written treat that is also that rarest of things, a thought-provoking literary page-turner.” BookPage
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“Mortal Love is bewitching, sexy, creepy and, under all, dazzlingly romantic.” Detroit Free Press
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“A brilliant novel like Elizabeth Hands recent Mortal Love deserves all the readers it can get.” Michael Dirda, Washington Post Book World
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“The novel succeeds as both a thriller and a meditation on the mysterious nature of inspiration.” Village Voice
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“At once a painting in prose, an investigation into artistic obsession and a re-evaluation…. Ambitious and richly imagined.” Washington Post Book World
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“A literary page-turner…deeply pleasurable…Hands lushly worded tale is consistently gripping. … A delightful waking dream.” (Four stars) People
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“A wonderfully Gothic atmosphere, with lush visual imagery and rich poetic language.” Library Journal
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“Elizabeth Hand is a writer whose vision, and whose writing into that extraordinary vision of hers, is exceptional…” Bradford Morrow
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“ I think she has written the best book of her generation.” Peter Straub
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“Dont turn the pages too fastif you can help it.” John Crowley
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“You dont so much read this novel as drink it down, like absinthe.” Kelly Link
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“A great gothic read, and one that dishes up all the dark delights.” James Reese, author of The Book of ShadowsJames Reese, author of The Book of ShadowsJames Reese, author of The Book of ShadowsJames Reese, author of The Book of Shadows
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“Mortal Love is a wildly intelligent, dangerously sexy read.” Alisa Kwitney, author of Does She or Doesn't She?
About the Author
A New York Times notable and multiple award- winning author, Elizabeth Hand has written seven novels, including the cult classic Waking the Moon, and short-story collections. She is a longtime contributor to numerous publications, including the Washington Post Book World and the Village Voice Literary Supplement. She and her two children divide their time between the coast of Maine and North London.