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The Tarot Reader of Versailles

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What to expect

'Utterly captivating. An engrossing, propulsive novel' Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites
'A gorgeously written, at times fantastical and deeply immersive novel' Molly Aitken, author of Bright I Burn

Two women. An extraordinary power. An explosive bond.
In a time of revolution, their fates will lie in the turn of a card . . .

It is the early days of the French Revolution and, on the streets of Paris, terror reigns.

Marie Anne Adelaide Lenormand is a young woman with an extraordinary power - through her tarot cards, she can commune with the dead, revolutionaries and the aristocracy alike seeking her out to divine their fortunes. Lenormand is loyal to Marie Antoinette and the dauphin of France, but she has seen the queen's fate in the cards and must take care that it doesn't become her own.

Then, one fateful day, she comes across Cait, a scullery maid from Ireland who has travelled to Paris for love. Cait has powers too - she can read people's pasts as Lenormand reads their futures. The two young women share an electrifying connection, drawn to each other's abilities. But Cait is hiding something. What will she do - and who will she betray - to bring revolution to the shores of her beloved Ireland too?

Inspired by the astonishing true story of Marie-Anne Adelaide Lenormand, The Tarot Reader of Versailles is a sweeping, powerful novel where allegiances, betrayals and even fate itself can be forged or broken by the turn of a card . . .

*Selected as a Bookseller pick of the month*

'Readers who like their historical fiction laced with fantastical elements will enjoy this spirited tale' The Times

'[A] propulsive epic in the company of two extraordinary women' Daily Mail

'A complex, epic and engrossing tale' Caroline Lea, author of Love, Sex & Frankenstein

'I was totally swept up in this epic story of fate and betrayal, love and intrigue. Every twist left me reeling' Danielle Giles, author of Mere

'Thrilling, compelling and beautifully woven' Aoife Fitzpatrick, author of The Red Bird Sings

'Feminist, fantastical and flawlessly imagined' Natasha Solomons

'Lush, lyrical and utterly captivating' Kim Curran, author of The Morrigan

Critics Review

The author of the dynamic The Witches Of Vardo heads onto the bloody streets of the French Revolution in this equally propulsive epic in the company of two extraordinary women . . . The prose is lush, the love stories beguiling, but Bergman doesn't shy away from the horror of the reign of terror and the harsh realities of change.
Daily Mail
Marie Anne Lenormand can commune with the dead . . . [Caitlin] Molloy is also connected to spirits and gods, in her case old Irish ones. Molloy and Lenormand meet, and the gods collide. Readers who like their historical fiction laced with fantastical elements will enjoy this spirited tale.
The Times
A complex, epic and engrossing tale, which is part emotive love story with a fantastical edge, part fascinating historical exploration of the French Revolution and part compulsive revenge story, which holds the reader captive throughout. . . . The voices of these two women who find themselves caught up in the heady and dangerous world of the Revolution are beautifully drawn.
Caroline Lea, author of The Glass Woman and Love, Sex & Frankenstein
Utterly captivating. Anya Bergman's vivid depiction of revolutionary France, and the extraordinary women negotiating the vagaries of power, fortune and fate throughout such unrest and upheaval, held me in thrall from the first page to the last. An engrossing, propulsive novel.
Hannah Kent, author of Burial Rites
I was totally swept up in this epic story of fate and betrayal, love and intrigue. As the two women fight for their futures and ideals in a world in which everything is turned upside down, every twist left me reeling. Bergman effortlessly conjures the glittering excess of Versailles and the heady ideals of revolutionary Paris. Opulent and gripping, this novel is clear-sighted about the costs of revolution, and the people who get left behind.
Danielle Giles, author of Mere
Thrilling, compelling and beautifully-woven . . . the startling, entwined destinies of Lenormand and Molloy unfold across Paris and the rugged shores of a restless Ireland - a gripping clash between love and honour. Bergman is - as ever - deft and masterful in evoking the timeless wisdom of mythology . . . this vivid novel sings with insight and compassion.
Aoife Fitzpatrick, author of The Red Bird Sings
A dark and delicious odyssey through the blood-soaked streets of French Revolution Paris. The Tarot Reader of Versailles had me spellbound from the very first page. I adored the original way this novel expertly wove folklore, Tarot, and Ireland's Great Rebellion with this fascinating period of French history. One to savour
C.J. Cooke, author of The Lighthouse Witches
An utterly magical book that weaves through the history of the French Revolution, casting it in a new light: feminist, fantastical and flawlessly imagined.
Natasha Solomons, author of Fair Rosaline and Cleopatra
A sweeping, fantasy-fuelled tale of allegiances, betrayals, love and intrigue . . . full of simmering Sapphic romance and dangerous necromancy. . . This is a gripping tale of female empowerment you won't want to miss!
Lancashire Post
An enchanting and captivating novel that beautifully weaves together the perspectives of two very different women during the bloody French Revolution. I was enthralled right from the start and gripped by the immersive world Bergman created.
Angie Spoto, author of The Grief Nurse and The Bone Diver

User Reviews

Book 4.0
Narration 5.0
4.0
5.0
A real sense of time and place, and a fascinating angle to tell the story from. I was unawareness an Irish connection to the French Revolution (or vice versa) but I'm not surprised!
I enjoyed the paranormal storyline, and I really enjoyed the connections to the French royal family.
The romance between the two female characters was sweet - but again, why don't people just talk to one another!!!!
All in all, an enjoyable listening experience - the narrators did a fantastic job of bringing these characters to life.
ClareR 28/06/2025

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