The Wine of SolitudePaperback, 18 September 2012

Introspective and poignant, The Wine of Solitude is the most autobiographical of all of the novels from the celebrated author of Suite Française.

Beginning in a fictionalized Kiev, The Wine of Solitude follows the Karol family through the Great War and the Russian Revolution, as the young Hélène grows from a dreamy, unhappy child into a strongwilled young woman. From the hot Kiev summers to the cruel winters of St Petersburg and eventually to springtime in Paris, the would-be writer Hélène blossoms, despite her mother's neglect, into a clear-eyed observer of the life around her. Here is a powerful tale of disillusionment -- the story of an upbringing that produces a young woman as hard as a diamond, prepared to wreak a shattering revenge on her mother.

A Vintage Paperback Original