Petite Mort

(Paperback, Main)

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Description

Mesdames et Messieurs, presenting La Petite Mort, or, A Little Death .

A silent film, destroyed in a fire in 1914 at the Pathe studio, before it was seen even by its director.

A lowly seamstress, who makes the costumes she should be wearing, but believes her talent - and the secret she keeps too -will soon get her a dressing room of her own.

A famous - and dashing - creator of spectacular cinematic illusions, husband to a beautiful, volatile actress, the most adored icon of the Parisian studios.

All fit together, like scenes in a movie. And as you will see, this plot has a twist we beg you not to disclose .

Reviews

Sumptuous ... part Moulin Rouge, part Alfred Hitchcock * Grazia *
There's a touch of Angela Carter about Beatrice Hitchman's beguiling debut - a sly, erotic thriller concerned with doubleness and duplicity * Guardian *
Movie junkies will love this surprising and original novel ... the story winds itself in knots, then unravels deftly, providing a satisfactory judgment day for the sexy yet heartless central characters in a wholly unexpected ending * Daily Mail *
An impressive and enjoyable debut: nimble, deft and wrapped luxuriously in the velveteen glamour of the movies. -- David Evans * FT *
Like the silver screen world Hitchman portrays, her writing shimmers, drawing you in with glamour and trickery. A fascinating, beguiling and wily debut -- Katie Ward, author of Girl Reading
Compelling ... Hitchman's confident debut is a story about relationships and the risks we take to get what we want. Universal themes, beautifully explored. -- Eden Carter Wood * Diva *
Gorgeously written ... with a fantastic twist at the very end ... fascinating. -- Rachel Glover * Image *
Sumptuously set, elegantly written, evocative and quietly subversive -- Stella Duffy
Fans of silent films and historical fiction will delight in this chocolate box of a novel which mixes love, lust and scandal with the stardust of 1900s Paris. * The Simple Things *
An accomplished and assured debut ... a gently compelling tale -- Lesley McDowell * Sunday Herald *
The atmosphere is rich with sumptuous details ... striking ... This clever debut indicates a bright future for its author. -- Max Liu * Independent *
An astonishingly assured debut novel ... an expertly crafted story. -- Anna Carey * Irish Times *

Author Bio

Beatrice Hitchman was born in London in 1980. She read English and French at Edinburgh University and then studied for an MA in Comparative Literature. After a year living in Paris, she moved back to the UK, trained and worked as a documentary film editor. She has written and directed short films which have toured festivals worldwide.