From the author of Richard and Judy Book Club choice, THE ROSE OF SEBASTOPOL

'A first-rate historical romance: it's hard to think it will be bettered this year' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

When two strangers enters the manor of a brilliant alchemist and his talented young daughter, nothing will remain the same...

Dark secrets haunt the manor house at Selden in Buckinghamshire, where Emilie Selden, motherless, fiercely intelligent and beautiful, has been raised in near isolation by her father. John Selden, student of Isaac Newton, is conducting a secret experiment. He aims to turn Emilie into a brilliant natural philosopher and alchemist and fills her with knowledge while recording every step she takes.

In the spring of 1725, when Emilie is eighteen, father and daughter begin their most daring adventure - an attempt to breathe life into dead matter. But they are interrupted by the arrival of two strangers. During the course of a sultry August, Emilie is caught up in the passion of first love and, listening for the first time to her heart rather than her head, she makes her choice - with consequences that are far-reaching and tumultuous.

A classic, page-turning story of secrets and science, passion and betrayal, innocence and experience - in the tradition of Tracy Chevalier and Philippa Gregory

About the Author
Katharine McMahon is the author of ten novels, including The Alchemist's Daughter and The Crimson Rooms, that focus on astonishing women and their ability to find a voice and make a mark, even at times and in societies when they are risking everything. The Rose of Sebastopol was a Richard & Judy pick and a Sunday Times bestseller. http://www.katharinemcmahon.com

Reviews
A first-rate historical romance: it's hard to think it will be bettered this year * INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY *
This is an intelligent portrait of England in the early 18th century, as experienced by a remarkable young woman * THE TIMES *
What makes THE ALCHEMIST'S DAUGHTER more than a routine entertainment is McMahon's vivid sense of both the natural world and of the smells and illuminated darkness of Selden's workroom. We believe in Emilie and come to love her for all her follies, because she is so passionate in her experience of the world around her * INDEPENDENT *



Book Information
ISBN 9780753821312
Author Katharine McMahon
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 220g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 128mm * 24mm