On a New England college campus, the naked body of a beautiful student is found frozen in a bank of snow. Why had she not even been reported missing by her friends? Spencer O'Malley, the police detective assigned to the case, is soon drawn into the strange world of four friends, Jim, Conni, Albert and Kristina. O'Malley finds that these children of privilege who played, stu On a New England college campus, the naked body of a beautiful student is found frozen in a bank of snow. Why had she not even been reported missing by her friends? Spencer O'Malley, the police detective assigned to the case, is soon drawn into the strange world of four friends, Jim, Conni, Albert and Kristina.

O'Malley finds that these children of privilege who played, studied, and occasionally slept together also kept secrets of their own, secrets that must be pieced together to form an entirely new picture. O'Malley is a stranger in this Ivy League environment, yet he feels an affinity with the victim. In her death, he gradually discovers the truth of her mysterious and complex life, and each revelation is more shocking than the last. Suspenseful, claustrophobic and utterly compelling, Red Leaves puts Paullina Simons in the very front rank of contemporary writers.

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Some books should remain out of print,left to molder and rot without curious readers tracking them down and disturbing the wisdom of nature. Even ones that have saucy insets like this: scandalous!

If you had told me that this book was written by an alien from the planet glorp with no familiarity with human behavior, i would have no trouble believing it. If you told me this was a nanowrimo book, written in one month, without proofreading or author-sleep, i would understand. If this were the work of some books should remain out of print,left to molder and rot without curious readers tracking them down and disturbing the wisdom of nature. Even ones that have saucy insets like this: scandalous! If you had told me that this book was written by an alien from the planet glorp with no familiarity with human behavior, i would have no trouble believing it.

If you told me this was a nanowrimo book, written in one month, without proofreading or author-sleep, i would understand. If this were the work of a child or a dog who thinks he's people, i could forgive a lot of it. It's just not very good, and occasionally, it is terrible. This is a very distorted depiction of how humans behave and interact, and it is so unintentionally funny in places, i almost feel bad for it.and i am also confused - there is a big reveal at the end of the book that i had taken as a given from the beginning.

And then about halfway through, i was like - 'oh, wait, are we not supposed to have guessed this yet?' Because it was so obvious, that i was sure it was one of those things where the reader is made aware of something that the characters have yet to figure out. It was supposed to be this big surprise, and when she did reveal it, i felt quite embarrassed, like when ricky martin came out and everyone was like, 'duh.' I don't actually feel too bad trashing this, because it is out of print, and the novelist has a successful career writing historical fiction that is well received, so i can just gently rib this book as a youthful indiscretion, like me that one time at that club i got snowed in at in providence. So many meyerisms, too - why is everyone panting all the time?? It is disconcerting. Is the air that thin in new hampshire??

I am concerned because my dad will be moving there, and i want to make sure he will be able to breathe without panting all the time. That was the real mystery: where has all the air gone?

Oh, god, and this: 'she lay there naked in the snow?' Frankie shrugged. 'i know it sounds weird.

Driver Safety Plan Final Report Columbine. But she was a philosophy major. There are men in tibet who pierce their bodes or eat swords or walk on hot coals and don't get hurt.

She had this gift. She successfully steeled her body against the cold.' DID YOU KNOW THAT BEING A PHILOSOPHY MAJOR GAVE YOU MAGICAL POWERS??? Young'uns - take note.

There are so many hilarious conversations, confrontations, inexplicable decisions, almost NOTHING in this book makes sense. It is a hoot, but it's not painful to read or anything, it is just sometimes, you will come to a passage and want to smack your forehead a little in groaning glee. I suppose it is my own damn fault, this book was safely out of print until a readers' advisory assignment for readalikes for secret history led me to stumble upon it, and after learning that the nypl had but one copy of this book in a large print format, which had gone missing, i should have taken no to mean no. But i can't do that. And after reading elizabeth's review of another book by the same author, i somehow was made an offer to get this book sent to me by jen - who has already sent me a crappy movie in the course of our friendship, so it was time to be sent a crappy book. Our relationship is crap-based. And i love jen for getting it to me.

And i loved reading it, if mostly for the wrong reasons. Because, really, it's not THAT bad. But it kind of is. And it is NOTHING like secret history. I really had a difficult time getting through this book. The reason I chose it was that it was compared to Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”.

There is no comparison other than the fact that the book involves a group of college friends. There were several times when I wished I could just DNR this book but since I received a free copy from the publisher, I felt obligated to read the whole book in order to review it. Apparently, this book was published by St. Martin’s in 1996 but has been out of p I really had a difficult time getting through this book. The reason I chose it was that it was compared to Donna Tartt’s “The Secret History”. There is no comparison other than the fact that the book involves a group of college friends. There were several times when I wished I could just DNR this book but since I received a free copy from the publisher, I felt obligated to read the whole book in order to review it.

Apparently, this book was published by St. Martin’s in 1996 but has been out of print for many years and now William Morrow is re-publishing five of the author’s books over the next three years. The author has received awards for her work so maybe it’s just me. This story involves a young woman, Kristina Kim, and her very convoluted relationships with Connie, Jim and Albert. You know from the media’s blurbs that Kristina is going to be murdered.

She’s the narrator in the first section of the book, which consists mostly of repetitive conversations between the four “friends” about this one loves that one and that one loves this one and that one is cheating and that one wants the relationship to end, over and over and over again. At one point, Kristina meets a policeman, Spencer O’Malley, with whom she has a flirtation. It’s O’Malley who is assigned her murder investigation and he’s determined to find her killer. There were so many times throughout this book when I thought “What??” Conversations were consistently a bit off, contradictory, stilted and unrealistic. Events just didn’t fit together for me.

I didn’t find the end big reveal that shocking. I did enjoy a few small sections of the book but then it would fall apart for me again. I feel the story wasn’t a bad one but it was very poorly written.

My apologies to the publisher and author but truly, this book isn’t on par with “The Secret History” and shouldn’t be compared to it as it’s misleading. This book was given to me by the publisher through Edelweiss in return for an honest review.

I don't know what to say about this book. I even had a hard time deciding how many star to grant it. It wasn't good, not really at all.

There were parts that were cringe-worthy. But, it had its moments and it was sort of a page turner. 'Red Leaves' is the story of two people at heart; Kristina Kim and Spencer O'Malley. Kristina is on the verge of twenty-one, she's a philosophy major at Dartmouth and shows plenty of promise for the future. Except, she's kind of a completely idiot (more later).

Sh I don't know what to say about this book. I even had a hard time deciding how many star to grant it. It wasn't good, not really at all. There were parts that were cringe-worthy. But, it had its moments and it was sort of a page turner.

'Red Leaves' is the story of two people at heart; Kristina Kim and Spencer O'Malley. Kristina is on the verge of twenty-one, she's a philosophy major at Dartmouth and shows plenty of promise for the future. Except, she's kind of a completely idiot (more later).

She's had the same close knit group of friends since Freshman year; Jim Shaw (her boyfriend), Conni Tobias, and Albert Maplethorpe (Conni's boyfriend with whom she's having an affair). The first section of the novel belongs to her as she goes through the final few days before Thanksgiving break, culminating in her traditional naked walk across an icy bridge with a 70 foot drop (no, this is never really explained). Her part ends abruptly here because her body is found lying in the woods, and Spencer takes over. Spencer met and was intrigued by Kristina in the days leading up to her death. He becomes obsessed with the case and the reader is taken through twists and turns as Spencer hones in on the killer and stirs up secrets from the past. We'll start with the stupidest character put to paper, Kristina.

I've read a lot of negative reviews of this book and most seem to agree on one point, Kristina makes no sense. She's forever changing so her motivation is often confusing. At times I had to wonder if she was even a little slow, or perhaps foreign.

When events from her past are revealed I think we were supposed to understand her a bit better, but. Also, her reasoning was nonsensical. For example, early in she gets in a car accident that flips and totals her car.

While the other driver is searching for help Kristina leave the car and stumbles back to campus, not because she's in shock or drunk, but because she's not a fan of hospitals. She spends the rest of her short life in pain.

If we'd been given some hospital related trauma maybe I'd understand it, but we weren't and her obstinance was absurd. And if that's not stupid enough, after she stumbles home she proceeds to immediately get shit faced so if the cops were to arrive, as one might imagine they would, she'd look as if she were drunk. Spencer made more sense. It might have improved things if the book had belonged entirely to him.

Actually, the whole book improved with Spencer's arrival. While wading through the first half I stopped to check if English was perhaps not Ms. Simons' first language. The author is from Russia, but she moved to Queens in childhood so the language explanation seems moot.

So, it was a problem. At times it read like a primer. 'Kristina got in the car.

She started the car. 'I hate this car!' If the whole thing had been like that I would have quit. Thankfully things improved with the narration switched to Spencer's point of view.

Also, the book was somewhat steeped in mystery. So many, in fact, that they didn't all get solved adequately.

There were also a couple of plot twists that I was sure were supposed to shocking. And it's not as if I saw them all coming, I didn't, but if Ms. Simons wanted to scandalize me she really didn't go far enough.

In the end I wasn't really satisfied with the knowledge we were left with, morally ambiguous or no. I understood the facts but not all the motivations and that left me, not exactly unsatisfied by the book, but certainly puzzled. And I'm not sure that's a good thing. 2.5 I was intrigued by the description of Red Leaves by Paullina Simons. 'In the tradition of Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History comes a suspenseful thriller from the international bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman—an utterly captivating story about four Ivy League students whose bizarre friendship leads to a twisted maze of secrets, lies, betrayal, and murder.'

Sounds good right? Kristina is a star basketball player for Dartmouth. We meet her and her fo 2.5 I was intrigued by the description of Red Leaves by Paullina Simons. 'In the tradition of Ira Levin’s A Kiss Before Dying and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History comes a suspenseful thriller from the international bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman—an utterly captivating story about four Ivy League students whose bizarre friendship leads to a twisted maze of secrets, lies, betrayal, and murder.' Sounds good right? Kristina is a star basketball player for Dartmouth.

We meet her and her four friends playing a pick up game. There's an odd dynamic between the four from the opening chapters - not what you would expect of friends. Kristina leaves as the game is over to make an appointment with a Howard. Again, a very odd dynamic and a reveal. (I'm not going to spoil it in case you plan to read this book.) More oddness - Kristina happens to catch the eye of a police detective as she flounces around without a coat in the cold.

(Much is made of her going without warm clothing throughout the book.) The cop's behaviour is not believable at all. Or is Kristina's or anyone else's for that matter. So, part one is a (repetitive) rehash of the relationship between the four, both past and present that seems to go on and on. I grew tired of the enigmatic, evasive and mysterious circumstances of their friendships, the philosophical wordplay and bantering. (Stop here if you are going to read Red Leaves - spoiler ahead. I can't help it) Part two finds Kristina dead. And guess who's in charge.

Yes, that detective. His police work is slipshod and so far removed from actual police procedure that it's laughable. (More spoiling.at one point he has about a dozen Saturday night specials (guns) in his trunk that he hasn't turned in yet from a bust two or three weeks ago.) Okay, so the murder is (poorly) investigated. But along with that, every character cannot remember or later (two years in one case) admits they lied. This felt like a very convenient plot device much of the time. And the book continued on long after it should have ended. (The whodunit is not surprising) I found the writing choppy, stilted and clumsy.

That comparison made to Secret History the publisher made? Nope, not even close. What I subsequently discovered was that Red Leaves was originally published in 1996. I'm sure that Simons' work has become more polished as she has since written thirteen more bookS since Red Leaves and garnered much praise.

Sorry to say, but this book was a (big) miss for me. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, ★★★!

Red Leaves (stand alone.) Young collage student is found murdered. Thrilling, mysteriously and compelling. RED LEAVES sucked me in from page one. We already knew the twist beforehand, it was obvious from the very start that it was going to happen at some point.

At least if you weren't going into this book completely blind. But we didn't know when or how or why it was going to happen. That was what kept me glued to RED LEAVES. That and PAULLINA SIMONS beautiful writing. I can't help it. Red Leaves (stand alone.) Young collage student is found murdered. Thrilling, mysteriously and compelling.

RED LEAVES sucked me in from page one. We already knew the twist beforehand, it was obvious from the very start that it was going to happen at some point. At least if you weren't going into this book completely blind.

But we didn't know when or how or why it was going to happen. That was what kept me glued to RED LEAVES. That and PAULLINA SIMONS beautiful writing. I can't help it. I love the way she writes so much and I have yet to read one book by her I don't like.

Qif2csv Keygen For Mac here. And just like in every book, all the characters interested me and fascinated me from the start. Especially the two main ones. I loved Spencer from sentence one.

He was so mesmorized with Kristina from the first moment he saw her. I'm so sad that they didn't get to end up together. It was so hard to read that Spencer was so devestated after her death. It was horrible. Thanks to him, the killer got his justice in the end. I really hope he gets the happily ever after he deserves in THE GIRL IN TIMES SQUARE. This was a pretty short book, hence the short review.

I mainly read it because I wanted to get to know Spencer more before I read the next. But it turned out to be surprisingly good. I recommend it to everyone who likes a good mystery drama with a touch of romance. I had previously read another Paullina Simon book and loved it -. This book, however, was not at all similar to that book.

It is a murder mystery set on the campus of Dartmouth College over the Thanksgiving holidays in the early 1980s. It started out quite slowly for me. In fact I was somewhat bored and thought it would have to improve to get 3 stars from me. Well, improve it certainly did. In no way is this murder mystery predictable as so many are. Immediately you know who I had previously read another Paullina Simon book and loved it -.

This book, however, was not at all similar to that book. It is a murder mystery set on the campus of Dartmouth College over the Thanksgiving holidays in the early 1980s. It started out quite slowly for me. In fact I was somewhat bored and thought it would have to improve to get 3 stars from me.

Well, improve it certainly did. In no way is this murder mystery predictable as so many are. Immediately you know who the victim will be and you may even think you have solved the crime. But even if you choose correctly as to the murderer there is no way that you will have come up with the motive and with what will happen after the fact. Following the murder, it goes in many different directions and any one of several could have been the perpetrator, but until a key factor falls into place you are never really sure.

Once that happens, you are simply knocked out of your seat and stay that way until the book comes to a close. This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. The first half of the book is the 'background' of the four intertwined characters. It is a long drawn out section to establish this background and then you kill one of the main characters off? I felt I had just waisted 155 pages of descriptive, ground laying text - groan.

I should have stopped there. Things did get slightly better with the introduction of Spencer the detective investigating the murder. Though he was very unprofessional on This is one of the worst books I have read in a long time. The first half of the book is the 'background' of the four intertwined characters.

It is a long drawn out section to establish this background and then you kill one of the main characters off? I felt I had just waisted 155 pages of descriptive, ground laying text - groan. I should have stopped there.

Things did get slightly better with the introduction of Spencer the detective investigating the murder. Though he was very unprofessional on all counts, never once did he reveal there was a sightly personal level of involvement with the victim, that affected his ability to carry out his duties impartially as the lead investigator. This could have also got the conviction against the 'accused' overthrown or at the very lest, grounds for appeal. I will not go into the other unprofessional and illegal acts carried out by Spencer but basically this story was so wrong on so many levels. Do not waste your time reading this book. I have another book of hers to read and it will have to be the very last book in the house before I read it - book exchange, here they come. In news that will surprise no-one, I bought this because I read several reviews likening it to.

Yet again I've fallen victim to lazy comparisons: the books are alike only in that they both deal with the murder of a student at an Ivy League university (and there's the - admittedly very similar - detail that the body isn't discovered until a heavy snowfall has thawed). The writing couldn't be more different. This, along with, is one of the most odd and baffling books In news that will surprise no-one, I bought this because I read several reviews likening it to. Yet again I've fallen victim to lazy comparisons: the books are alike only in that they both deal with the murder of a student at an Ivy League university (and there's the - admittedly very similar - detail that the body isn't discovered until a heavy snowfall has thawed). The writing couldn't be more different. This, along with, is one of the most odd and baffling books I've read all year, and I don't mean that in a good 'it's full of twists/makes you think' sort of way.

Rather, it made me constantly wonder what the hell the characters were all about and think WHAT?! At every turn. I absolutely couldn't empathise with (or like) a single one of the characters. I particularly struggled with the first half of the book, written from Kristina's point of view, as I found her behaviour and motivations incredibly hard to understand. For example, when she's in a serious car crash but leaves the scene of the accident, abandoning her car and possessions without a care, and goes home - proceeding to act as if everything's normal to her friends - despite the fact that she's seriously injured and in pain.

It's not just that the characters do ridiculous things, it's that no justification is given for them within the narrative; as we never learn WHY Kristina chooses this course of action, it simply seems like bad writing rather than character development. The way everyone interacts is similarly strange, and the dialogue is bizarre, with the speakers constantly repeating what someone else has just said, as if none of them understand one another properly, ALL THE TIME. I didn't buy the idea of the four students being really close friends - they all seem uncomfortable around each other from the start, and while a twist near the end of the story explains this in part, it isn't really enough. I know there were plenty of other things that didn't make sense but I don't care enough to go back and check what they were. The more I think about it, the more I realise how unsatisfying this book actually was; so many unanswered questions.

Why do none of Spencer's police colleagues seem to have any interest in what he finds out, despite the fact that he's meant to be the main officer investigating a murder case? Even then, why doesn't he force them to listen - particularly when he makes a discovery about Albert that throws everything into a different light and would surely prompt the police to re-examine all the evidence? Why does he keep the truth about Albert to himself even when he realises that an innocent woman, Conni, has been sent to prison for Kristina's murder? I suppose the ending is supposed to represent Albert/Nathan getting what he deserves, but still, what about Conni? Some bits of the story were intriguing enough to keep me reading it, but overall I wouldn't recommend this book and wouldn't want to read anything else by the author.

Not worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as The Secret History, to be honest. This novel makes no sense. We're supposed to believe this quartet of college students is tight-knit, yet two of them do despicable things to the other two.

Further, to give away one detail from very close to the beginning, the future murder victim, is married to the Korean family lawyer, who promised her dying parent he'd take care of her. Take care of her by marrying her when she was, what, 16?! Credulity strains, creaks and finally, snaps. I did like the cop a bit, but a I give up. This novel makes no sense. We're supposed to believe this quartet of college students is tight-knit, yet two of them do despicable things to the other two. Further, to give away one detail from very close to the beginning, the future murder victim, is married to the Korean family lawyer, who promised her dying parent he'd take care of her.

Take care of her by marrying her when she was, what, 16?! Credulity strains, creaks and finally, snaps. I did like the cop a bit, but a 30ish cop asking a 20 year old college student out is just gross.

I picked this up because it was compared to. Sorry, no sale. And you know what's missing? That's what I love about The Secret History and its kin--they're about the effects of ideas. This book is just about squalid relationships among squalid people. I'm going to donate this to the library book sale, but I hope no one buys it. Wow, what a complex mind/imagination Paullina Simons has.

This is the story of 4 friends Kristina, Albert, Connie and Jim and one police officer Stanley and how there lives intertwine over some seriously mixed up and messed up relationships. The murder of one of the characters (Kristina) sets in motions the exploration as to the truth behind both the murder and the relationships – truly a tangled web that is woven and not revealed until the very end. The first half of the book prior to the murder Wow, what a complex mind/imagination Paullina Simons has. This is the story of 4 friends Kristina, Albert, Connie and Jim and one police officer Stanley and how there lives intertwine over some seriously mixed up and messed up relationships. The murder of one of the characters (Kristina) sets in motions the exploration as to the truth behind both the murder and the relationships – truly a tangled web that is woven and not revealed until the very end.

The first half of the book prior to the murder seemed a little dragged out at times. The characters are revealed through their conversations and this is a little tedious at times. The second half of the story following the murder was more gripping but also frustrating for the reader as the 3rd eye being able to see more than the characters are communicating to each other left me feeling annoyed at times. The ending was a little surprising and wonderfully satisfying and revealing but disturbing that someone can write so well about twisted and disturbed minds. Did I really love this book, or is it just because I love Paullina Simons so much that I decide I love her books before I've even read them?

No - I loved this book! What a great story! I loved it because usually with these kinds of books I find I can predict the outcome very easily, but I found myself to be wrong everytime I predicted something and the ending was so different from what I expected!

But no less amazing. You just kind of get thrown into the lives of these four college kids, wonderin Did I really love this book, or is it just because I love Paullina Simons so much that I decide I love her books before I've even read them? No - I loved this book! What a great story! I loved it because usually with these kinds of books I find I can predict the outcome very easily, but I found myself to be wrong everytime I predicted something and the ending was so different from what I expected! But no less amazing.

You just kind of get thrown into the lives of these four college kids, wondering what their secrets are, what on earth is going on? You just had to keep reading. And sometimes in books I find I skim certain parts, but I didn't miss a sentence in this book. You just couldn't. If you did, you would lose track. 5 stars for another great book by my favourite author.

I have almost read all her books now - 2 more to go. The Road to Paradise and The Girl in Times Square. Hope they are both just as amazing!

With gems like this, it's easy to see why readers love Simons so much: 'College was the great suppressor, the warm blanket that covered them all and made them safe. How could you not fall in love in college?' As soon as I thought I had everything figured out, she pulled the rug out from under me.

I love a book that keeps me guessing, thus reading, til the end or close to it! I haven't read her other work, but judging by the subject alone I'd say this is rather different from some of her previous n With gems like this, it's easy to see why readers love Simons so much: 'College was the great suppressor, the warm blanket that covered them all and made them safe.

How could you not fall in love in college?' As soon as I thought I had everything figured out, she pulled the rug out from under me. I love a book that keeps me guessing, thus reading, til the end or close to it! I haven't read her other work, but judging by the subject alone I'd say this is rather different from some of her previous novels. It's great to see more fantasy authors become well-rounded writers and this book shows that Simons is versatile, not stale.

I'd certainly read more contemporary from her, and now have a bit more interest in some of her previous series which til now, I've been hesitant to read due to mixed reviews. If you enjoy books that oscillate between lulling prose and gripping suspense, you'll enjoy Red Leaves. My thanks to William Morrow/Harper Collins and TLC Book tours for the review opportunity!

When a female college student is found dead, why wasn't she reported missing by her closest friends? Hmmmmm, I'm having a difficult time rating this book. I absolutely LOVED the Tatiana series by this author, and they are on my all-time favorites list. As for this book, I'm just not sure what I think of it. I am left feeling confused, sad and even a bit angry. As for the rating, should I give it 4 stars because I enjoyed the suspenseful story (although something did seem a bit 'off' about it). When a female college student is found dead, why wasn't she reported missing by her closest friends?

Hmmmmm, I'm having a difficult time rating this book. I absolutely LOVED the Tatiana series by this author, and they are on my all-time favorites list. As for this book, I'm just not sure what I think of it. I am left feeling confused, sad and even a bit angry. As for the rating, should I give it 4 stars because I enjoyed the suspenseful story (although something did seem a bit 'off' about it). Or 2 stars for the ending (which kind-of reminded me of a Jodi Picoult style ending that leaves you shocked and angry)?

Although I'd already guessed who the killer was so when it was finally revealed, it wasn't as shocking as I think it was meant to be. Overall, I guess it rounds out to a 3 star rating, but I'm not sure I'm happy with that either. Like I said, I am very confused right now.

While reading, this book reminded me somewhat of a VC Andrews novel and, in this case, that is not a good thing:/ 'But what we are only comes out in crises. It's so easy to be passive in everyday life, which doesn't challenge us. There are no risks.

But once or twice in our lives, our name is called. And when it's called, we have to stand up.

Not run the other way.' - Spencer *** SPOILER ALERT *** This book concludes by revealing that the orphan murdered the college student and that just doesn't sit well with me. Why paint such a horrible picture of a boy just because he was an orphan and adopted by another family at the age of 6 or 7? I'm sure it happens, but in this instance, it made me sad, a bit disturbed and I can definitely understand why some reviewers were so enraged over this story. Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad, USSR, in 1963. At the age of ten her family immigrated to the United States. Growing up in Russia Paullina dreamt of someday becoming a writer.

Her dream was put on hold as she learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture. After graduating from university and after various jobs including working as a financial journalist and as a translator Paullin Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad, USSR, in 1963. At the age of ten her family immigrated to the United States. Growing up in Russia Paullina dreamt of someday becoming a writer. Her dream was put on hold as she learned English and overcame the shock of a new culture. After graduating from university and after various jobs including working as a financial journalist and as a translator Paullina wrote her first novel Tully. Through word of mouth that book was welcomed by readers all over the world.

She continued with more novels, including Red Leaves, Eleven Hours, The Bronze Horseman, The Bridge to Holy Cross (also known as Tatiana and Alexander), The Summer Garden and The Girl in Times Square (also known as Lily). Many of Paullina's novels have reached international bestseller lists. Apart from her novels, Paullina has also written a cookbook, Tatiana's Table, which is a collection of recipes, short stories and recollections from her best selling trilogy of novels, The Bronze Horseman, The Bridge to Holy Cross, (also known as Tatiana and Alexander) and The Summer Garden.

The Archive service is for CDs which have been deleted and where the musical content is not otherwise available. (If a CD is scheduled for re-issue within the next 3-4 months, the message 'To be reissued on ' will replace the 'Buy Archive CD' button.) This service offers a production-quality CDR with printed label, inlay (tray) card and, at the minimum, a 2pp booklet (including cover artwork and complete track listing), packaged in a normal jewel case. In many instances we will provide complete printed booklets, but please note that this is not always the case. Pricing is £13.99 per CD, regardless of the original sale price of the disc(s). Hyperion’s Record of the Month sees the long overdue return to the studio of The King’s Consort, under the baton of the group’s newly appointed Artistic Director Matthew Halls. Here the ensemble presents the premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa: a unique example in Handel’s enormous creative career of a fully-fledged celebratory serenata (or Festa teatrale).

This form was rare in England but had developed in parallel with opera in Italy, where it was popular for commemorating special occasions of international significance. Parnasso in Festa was written for Princess Anne’s marriage to Prince William of Orange. In Handel’s serenata three of the Muses, their leader Apollo, his son Orpheus, and Mars (god of War) gather at the feast celebrating the nuptials of Peleus and Thetis. The mythological musicians Apollo and Orfeo must have been particularly appealing for Handel here. Unlike many composers, he never composed an opera about Orpheus and Euridice. His only depiction of the mythical musician in his entire output forms the core of the serenata’s middle part.

For a composer who later excelled at representing the musical ikons Timotheus and St Cecilia, and who was described by contemporaries as ‘the Orpheus of our age’, the depiction of Orfeo is fascinating. Created two years before Alexander’s Feast, and five years before A Song for St Cecilia’s Day, the emotional centre of Parnasso in Festa is devoted to a study of the power of music. This magnificent masterpiece has long been starved of wide attention. It is presented here in a dazzling performance by an exceptional group of musicians, and graced by a stellar line-up of soloists led by Carolyn Sampson.