Madame Two Swords

a spirited , plain looking young woman comes under the spell of a man who died on the guillotinehundreds of years ago in revolutionary Parisbut something of him survivedand lives on in a portrait painted by his wifethat portrait , together with a book full of his revolutionary writing is now in the girl's possessionshe accepts the hospitality of an old crone , reputed to be a witchbecause from within the witch's old lined face she can see a young girl looking outwhen the witch tells her she's the wife of the dead revolutionary our heroine wonderswhat do they want with me ????????imagine , girls , if Jane Eyre had paid a visit to Wuthering Heights …..then the Bronte sisters would have come up with something as good as Madame Two Swordsbelieve me , girls , Tanith Lee never lets you down

Madame Two Swords is a beautifully written tale set in an alternate France, 200 years after their failed revolution. Things seemed to have stood still for the majority of the population. Jobs are scarce and poverty rife. Perhaps then it is of little surprise that the heroine of the tale is so deeply drawn to one of the heroes of the revolution, Lucien de Cappays, even though it was by chance discovery that she became so obsessed by him.The story is both complex and simple and turns full circle in that most satisfying of ways. The characters are rich and exciting, even those barely sketched out background characters feel real. The settings are brought to life with vivid descriptions. It is a wonderful book.I read the illustrated new edition published by Immanion Press.