Bluebeard's Castle

(Paperback)

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Description

Judith is a successful novelist, but she's a little sensitive. She's from a good family, even if that family favours her more beautiful sister. She loves a drink (or three) but isn't sure if she loves the handsome doctor who is courting her. She yearns for a romance to yield to but remains a virgin. Judith receives visions from the saints. Then Judith meets Gavin, a handsome and charming baron, at a wedding on the Cornish coast. His love transforms her from a plain, lonely girl into a beautiful, glamorous woman overnight. After a whirlwind honeymoon in Paris, he whisks her away to a Gothic castle in the countryside. But soon her perfect marriage begins to fall apart and she finds herself trapped in a nightmare, as her husband's mysterious nature, and his alternation of charm and violence, become more and more confusing and frightening. And then there are those whispers amongst the staff, unsettling rumours from London, and strange rattlings from the crypt...

Reviews

A perfect literary debut for a one-of-a-kind filmmaker. And that cover! -- Sophia Stewart, Most Anticipated Books of 2023 * The Millions *
A provocative work that adds layers of meaning as one becomes addicted to this page-turner of a book, Bluebeard's Castle is a bit of Alfred Hitchcock mixed with Andr Breton's Nadja. -- Tosh Berman, author of Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Berman's World
Written by the filmmaker of 2016's The Love Witch, this debut novel has a similar romantic haze and a retro hyper-aesthetic swirl.stylish, scary, and peak modern Gothic. -- Maggie Lange, Most Anticipated Books * Bustle *
Anna Biller's sly feminist dissection of gothic tropes is as lush and layered as her cinema...Biller skillfully portrays the gaslighting and abuse that reduce her heroine to making excuses for her boorish husband. -- Molly Odintz, Most Anticipated Books * CrimeReads *
Though the story is set in the present day, Biller paints a beautifully creepy atmosphere full of billowy dresses, darkened woods, burning candles, and castle corridors full of ghosts and secrets. The novel's timeless quality helps drive home the unending nature of male violence against women. * Kirkus Reviews *
Apparently, there's nothing Biller can't do, because she's bringing her gothic-meets-midcentury-camp aesthetic to the page with Bluebeard's Castle, a retelling of the famous fairy tale that also seems to be in conversation with Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca. * BookPage ("Most anticipated mystery and suspense") *

Author Bio

Anna Biller is an independent filmmaker. The New York Times called her film The Love Witch a hothouse filled with deadly and seductive blooms; Indiewire called it a spellbinding feminist delight; and Rotten Tomatoes listed her as one of The 21 Masters of Horror Shaping the Genre Right Now. The hashtag #thelovewitch has gone viral on Tiktok, with over 72 million views to date. She is a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the writers branch, and is represented for her film work by WME. She is currently in talks with production companies about the movie version of Bluebeard's Castle.