The Winter Palace: A Novel of Catherine the Great [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Eva Stachniak (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 10, 2012

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Wall Street Journal • The Washington Post

From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that illuminates, as only fiction can, the early life of one of history’s boldest women. The Winter Palace tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.

Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has other, loftier, more dangerous ambitions, and she proves to be more guileful than she first appears.

What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power.

With dazzling details and intense drama, Eva Stachniak depicts Varvara’s secret alliance with Catherine as the princess grows into a legend—through an enforced marriage, illicit seductions, and, at last, the shocking coup to assume the throne of all of Russia.

Impeccably researched and magnificently written, The Winter Palace is an irresistible peek through the keyhole of one of history’s grandest tales.

Praise for The Winter Palace
 
“A majestic and splendidly written tale of pride, passion, intrigue, and deceit that is brought alive from the first page to the last.”—Rosalind Laker
 
“At the same time baroque and intimate, worldly and domestic, wildly strange and soulfully familiar, The Winter Palace offers a flickering glimpse of history through the gauze of deft entertainment.”—The Washington Post
 
“A thrilling point of view . . . Readers are treated to a firsthand account of the young princess’s slow ascent to the throne, a path deliciously strewn with discarded lovers and sanguine court intrigues.”—Minneapolis Star-Tribune
 
“[A] brilliant, bold historical novel . . . This superb biographical epic proves the Tudors don’t have a monopoly on marital scandal, royal intrigue, or feminine triumph.”—Booklist (starred review)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tasha Alexander Reviews The Winter Palace

Tasha Alexander is the author of the bestselling Lady Emily series. She attended the University of Notre Dame, where she signed on as an English major in order to have a legitimate excuse for spending all her time reading. A confirmed Anglophile from birth, she and her husband, novelist Andrew Grant, divide their time between Chicago and the UK.

Like most lovers of historical fiction, I’m on constant lookout for a book into which I can completely disappear, one that will engulf all my senses and, in effect, turn my couch into a time machine. I want the history to be accurate, the characters to be compelling, and the story to make me reconsider preconceived notions about a period outside the area of my expertise. Eva Stachniak’s The Winter Palace does all that in spectacular fashion.

The scandal, luxury, and political unrest rife in eighteenth century Russia provide a rich backdrop, and Stachniak takes full advantage of all of it without sticking to the ordinary and expected. Instead of presenting Catherine the Great at the peak of her powers, she gives us the infamous empress during her youth, when she was Sophie, a young German duchess betrothed to the future Tsar Peter III. A not entirely welcome foreigner, Sophie is thrust into a court full of corruption and deceit, where nothing is more important than have a source of reliable information. It is by taking advantage of this circumstance that Stachniak gives her novel extra depth. Catherine is not the protagonist of The Winter Palace. Stachniak tells her story through Barbara, a young woman whose heartbreaking life has led her to employment as an ill-treated seamstress at the palace.

Until someone realizes she’d make a better spy.

Stachniak’s well-chosen protagonist enables her to give the novel a full and satisfying depiction of the Imperial Court, seen not only through the eyes of the privileged nobility, but through a woman who is keenly aware of what goes on above and below stairs. She brings to life the plight of the less fortunate and the delicate balance of truth and lies necessary to survive in the murky labyrinth of Barbara’s world. Stachniak fills her novel with intricate details--the opulence is all but tangible--but never does so at the expense of her story, which moves along at a clipped pace. Her prose, lush and evocative, is as elegant as the fabled Amber Room at Catherine’s summer palace.

The Winter Palace should secure Stachniak a place among the best historical novelists. It is one of those rare books that grabs the reader and won’t let go, one that begs to be read again, one that lingers pleasantly in the mind long after the finishing the last page. And for me, it proved itself in a more simple way: the minute I closed the book, I wanted to get my hands on everything else Stachniak has written.

Review

Advance praise for The Winter Palace
 
“Stachniak’s brilliant, bold historical novel of eighteenth-century Russia is a masterful account of one woman’s progress toward absolute monarchical rule. . . . This superb biographical epic proves the Tudors don’t have a monopoly on marital scandal, royal intrigue, or feminine triumph.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“Awash in period details and as gripping and suspenseful as any thriller, The Winter Palace gives us a unique look at the making of a queen. Eva Stachniak allows us to peep through keyholes and overhear whispers as we navigate the intrigues of Imperialist Russia along with Sophie, the princess who became Catherine the Great. I loved this book, and this glimpse into a world of silk and shadows, grandeur and gossip.”—Melanie Benjamin, author of The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb
 
“The Winter Palace is an intensely written, intensely felt saga of the early years that shaped the eighteenth century’s famous czarina, Catherine the Great. Her survival in the treachery of the Russian court was an amazing feat, and Eva Stachniak captures the fluidity and steeliness that propelled Catherine from a lowly German duchess to one of the towering figures of the century.”—Karleen Koen, New York Times bestselling author of Through a Glass Darkly
 
“Eva Stachniak has given readers a thrilling glimpse into the scandals and secrets at the heart of the Russian Imperial court. With deft prose and exquisite detail, Stachniak has resurrected one of the most compelling ages in history. Turn off the phones and lock the doors—you will not put it down.”—Deanna Raybourn, New York Times bestselling author of Silent in the Grave
 
“This novel is literary sable to sink into on a cold winter’s night: luxurious and elegant, gilded with details, yet piercing in its depiction of the flamboyant decadence of the Russian court, and the tumultuous rise to power of Catherine the Great, as seen through the eyes of a scheming lady in waiting and spy. Once you enter the glorious, dangerous world of The Winter Palace, you will never want to leave.”—C.W. Gortner, author of The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
 
“Utterly enchanting from the first page . . . Eva Stachniak brings to life the sensual feast that was Catherine the Great’s Russia in this beautifully written, tightly plotted novel.”—Tasha Alexander, author of And Only to Deceive

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Bantam; First Edition edition (January 10, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553808125
• ISBN-13: 978-0553808124
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.7 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (163 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #256,490 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Canadian

More About the Author

I was born in Wrocław, Poland.

I came to Canada in 1981 on an English scholarship to McGill University where I defended my doctoral thesis in 1988. In Poland I taught at the English Department of the University of Wrocław.

In 1984-86 I worked for Radio Canada International, the Polish Section, in Montreal, writing and producing radio programs about Canada. In 1988 I joined the faculty of Sheridan College where I taught English and humanities courses until 2007.

My first short story, "Marble Heroes," was published by the Antigonish Review in 1994, and my debut novel, Necessary Lies, won the Amazon.com/Books in CanadaFirst Novel Award in 2000.

I live in Toronto.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 58 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Exciting and atmospheric! August 27, 2011

By P. B. Sharp TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

Russia has always been surrounded by an aura of mystery even today and the Winter Palace and Saint Petersburg seem as far off and remote as the moon! In this fine historical novel by Polish born Eva Stachniak we are going to sneak right into the palace and right into the private rooms of royalty. You get the feeling throughout this novel that the author understands the Russian psyche well, bringing to life the exalted men and women of Russia's elite and the servants who toil to keep the palaces functioning.

In fact we are going to be Peeping Toms. Or actually, Peeping Thomasinas as "Winter Palace" is penned by a servant girl named Varvara. The old saying that no man is a hero to his valet is pretty much true here as Varvara sees everything, goes everywhere and judges much. Although the way Varvara manages to inveigle herself into the palace is complicated and contrived, this novel is a splendid romp. Varvara becomes the confident of Empress Elizabeth and closely observes her nephew, the Crown Prince Peter who at 16 years of age is cowardly, neurotic.and still wets his bed. She also becomes the friend and confident of the German princess Sophie, in fact she is a sort of double agent. We see the immense panorama of the times through Varvara's eyes.

Everybody in the palace from the Empress Elizabeth to the lowliest scullery maid is waiting with baited breath the arrival of 14 year old Sophie of Anhalt, an obscure German princess who might be a possible mate for the Crown Prince Peter. She is arriving at the palace to be vetted. Sophie is approved and when she has converted (very enthusiastically) to Russian Orthodox, she is married to Crown Prince and assumes the name of Catherine.

Empress Elizabeth, apparently as a reward to one of the young palace guards who had been her lover, forces Egor to marry, Varvara being the reward. Catherine is almost lost in the secondary tale of Varvara and her travails She and her husband move into a house of their own and Varvara gives birth to a little girl, Darya. But Empress Elizabeth needs Varvara back in the palace to act as her spy, however Varvara's sympathy is with Catherine.

Seven years go by and the Crown Princess Catherine has not conceived. To be a little bit delicate so Amazon will not zap my review, Peter can't perform due to a problem which is remedied by surgery. (This actually is historically true). Catherine promptly brings a son to term, and Paul, as he is named by Elizabeth is snatched up by the Empress and taken to her apartments to be brought up by her and not his mother Catherine.

Although Catherine is thoroughly upstaged by the narrator of the tale, Varvara, we see Catherine develop as both a power and a personality. She takes the first of her many lovers and climbs slowly but surely up the ladder of success, success in her case being Empress of Russia. A determined, resolute lady, the word failure does not exist in her vocabulary. Catherine morphs from a rather sensitive, kind hearted girl to a woman much more steely. She usurps the throne from her own husband, Peter and Peter is mysteriously murdered. It has never been proved whether or not Catherine was privy to his death. (Shades of Mary Queen of Scots and Darnley.).

When Catherine grabs the reins as autocrat of all the Russias, she will go on to try and bring Russia out of the Dark Ages. She corresponds with preeminent historical intellectual figures including Voltaire. She has a powerful intellect herself, but she is an adulteress, a traitor and a murderess. She becomes too important to bother with a friendship such as Varvara and Varvara must go on, with her daughter at her side, to carve out her own niche in life.

Author Stachniak dishes up a historically- based stew that is a savory and pungent . She captures very well the atmosphere of the eighteenth century Russia, where greed, ambition, treachery and superstition rubbed shoulders, where every man had to watch his back. The title "The Winter Palace" is inappropriate as much of the action takes place elsewhere but this is a fast-paced novel that will easily hold your interest. However, this is not a novel about Catherine, it is a novel about Varvara.

P.S. On November 8, 2011, Robert K. Massie's "Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman" will be published. Don't miss it!

96 of 105 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Long-winded and not very engaging September 15, 2011

By Jennifer Rothwell VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I'll start by saying I really did think I would enjoy this novel when I picked it out. It is exactly the type of novel I normally go for--historical fiction based upon a key figure in history. This novel is also told through the voice of a third party, which I also usually enjoy, as it allows the reader to see the broader spectrum of events from that period of time. I have never read an historical fiction novel based upon Catherine the Great before and so I was eager to begin reading this novel.
It started out with a lot of promise, introducing Varvara as our voice of the novel, giving a quick sweep of her background, and then placing her perfectly within the Russian court, under the wing of the 'spy-master' Chancellor Bestuzhev. I knew from the synopsis that Varvara was to become the confidante of Catherine, and so the anticipation of how this relationship was to be shaped by the author grew and grew as I read. And then it fizzled out. Although Varvara had been secretly loyal to Catherine all along, the point in their relationship when Catherine finally asked Varvara to be 'on her side' did not occur until halfway through the novel, and even then I felt that Varvara did not become Catherine's true confidante until about two thirds of the way through when she alone was privy to Catherine's relationship with a certain lover. By this point I was so tired of the monotony of the story--Varvara reporting gossip to the Empress Elizabeth, then reporting gossip to Catherine, then reporting gossip to the Chancellor. And the gossip wasn't even that interesting. Lots of names of people and places, but no historical detail that could serve to widen my knowledge or perspective of this time in history.
The last third of the novel did improve somewhat and became a little 'jucier', but I have to be honest and I felt that it was too little, too late. I tend to enjoy a novel where the reader is able to become emotionally attached to the protagonist, which in this case would be Varvara, and yet I found her to be such a two-dimensional and vague figure that I never managed to feel any such attachment. Even Catherine didn't jump off the page as a vibrant and colorful character.
All in all I guess this novel was just not to my taste.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Moving Novel October 1, 2011

By Betty K VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

When her mother expires of cholera and her father, a Polish bookbinder in the Russian court, dies soon after of a broken heart, Barbara Nikolayevna or Varvara in Russian is left an orphan at the mercy of Empress Elizabeth. At first, the woman in charge of female servants treats Varvara miserably, but soon she takes the eye of Alexi Bestuzhev-Rhumin, the Chancellor of Russia.

For a few sexual favours, he trains her in the art of spying and helps her to gain the confidence of the empress. Eventually she is given a prominent position in the palace, high enough to begin a friendship with the young Princess Sophie of Anhalt-Zerbst who becomes Catherine the Great. It is through the eyes and point-of-view of Varvara that the book is written.

I really wanted to like this book a lot. The blood of Mother Russia runs through the veins of my own husband, and I am always fascinated by the history of that country, sad as it is. But I found the plot moved forward very slowly, and it took me much longer than usual to read the novel. It's definitely not a page-turner; rather a book to take in small doses.

That's not to say it isn't well done. The writing is literary and beautiful in style--often quite poetic--but it is a dirge rather than a lyrical piece. It is often depressing. As I read, I could almost hear the sound of The Volga Boatmen in the background. It is that natural Russian melancholy that prevails throughout the story.

Still, I would recommend it so any lover of historical fiction. There is lots to learn from the book. Although rather improbable, it is very informative at times.