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The bestselling author of The Madonnas of Leningrad returns with a breathtaking novel of love, madness, and devotion set against the extravagant royal court of eighteenth-century St. Petersburg.
Harper
September 2012
On Sale: August 28, 2012
Featuring: Xenia
256 pages
ISBN: 0061231452
EAN: 9780061231452
Kindle: B007HC3TX4
Hardcover / e-Book
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Historical
Born to a Russian family of lower nobility, Xenia, an
eccentric dreamer who cares little for social conventions,
falls in love with Andrei, a charismatic soldier and singer
in the Empress's Imperial choir. Though husband and wife
adore each other, their happiness is overshadowed by the
absurd demands of life at the royal court and by Xenia's
growing obsession with having a child—a desperate need that
is at last fulfilled with the birth of her daughter. But
then a tragic vision comes true, and a shattered Xenia
descends into grief, undergoing a profound transformation
that alters the course of her life. Turning away from family
and friends, she begins giving all her money and possessions
to the poor. Then, one day, she mysteriously
vanishes. Years later, dressed in the tatters of her
husband's military uniform and answering only to his name,
Xenia is discovered tending the paupers of St. Petersburg's
slums. Revered as a soothsayer and a blessed healer to the
downtrodden, she is feared by the royal court and its new
Empress, Catherine, who perceives her deeds as a rebuke to
their lavish excesses. In this evocative and elegantly
written tale, Dean reimagines the intriguing life of Xenia
of St. Petersburg, a patron saint of her city and one of
Russia's most mysterious and beloved holy figures. This is
an exploration of the blessings of loyal friendship, the
limits of reason, and the true costs of loving deeply
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