Casanova [Paperback]

Andrew Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1999

Giacomo Casanova arrives in England in the summer of 1763 at the age of thirty-eight, seeking a respite from his restless travels and liaisons. But the lure of company proves too hard to resist and the dazzlingly pretty face of young Marie Charpillon even harder. Casanova's pursuit of this elusive bewitcher drives him from exhilaration to despair and to attempt to reinvent himself in the roles of labourer, writer and country squire. Based on a little-known episode in Casanova's life, this is a scintillating, poignant, often comic portrait of a far more complex figure than legend suggests and of the decadent society in which he operated.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A witty novel as well as a beautiful one ... a source of wonder and delight' -- Hilary Mantel, Sunday Times 'Sparkling and lavishly detailed ... rich without being cloying; resonant of time and place while remaining fresh and modern ... he captures brilliantly the downfall and partial redemption of this charming isolate' -- Mary Loudon, The Times 'Full-bodied yet razor-sharp ... his writing is as dextrous as Casanova's love-making. Lie back and enjoy it' -- Katie Grant, Spectator 'Miller paints a perfectly crafted picture of 18th-century London and its visiting predator in language as delicate as the tendrils of fog that curl off the Thames, and as forceful as the fetid odours conjured up in the background.' -- Anthea Lawson, The Times 'Miller's prose is jewelled ... What Casanova wrote with a swagger resurfaces here as an elegant, elegiac, meditation on the death of purpose' -- David Coward, Times Literary Supplement 'Exquisite ... laced with luxurious imagery and wry humour' -- Stephanie Merritt, Daily Telegraph

About the Author

Andrew Miller was born in Bristol in 1960. His first novel, INGENIOUS PAIN, was published by Sceptre in 1997 and won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction, the International IMPAC Award and the Grinzane Cavour prize in Italy. CASANOVA, his second novel, met with similar acclaim on its publication in 1998 and he has since published OXYGEN, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Whitbread Novel Award, and the highly praised THE OPTIMISTS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sceptre (April 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340682108
• ISBN-13: 978-0340682104
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.7 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #896,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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