The last tale of the flower bride : a novel

Title:

Author:

Chokshi, Roshani, author.

Personal Author:

Chokshi, Roshani, author.

ISBN:

9780063206502

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

292 pages ; 22 cm

Abstract:

Breaking the promise he made to his beautiful wife, to never pry into her past, when they arrive at her childhood home, a crumbling manor shrouded in mystery, a scholar of myths must choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage--or their lives.

"Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was heiress to a fortune. They exchanged gifts and stories and believed they would live happily ever after--and in exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past. But when Indigo learns that her estranged aunt is dying and the couple is forced to return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms and musty halls, there lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo's dearest childhood friend who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage ... or their lives."-- Provided by publisher

Subject Term:

Married people -- Fiction.

Man-woman relationships -- Fiction

Missing persons -- Fiction

Genre:

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Belmont	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Broad Rock	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Ginter Park	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Hull Street	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Main Library	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Main Library	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... North Avenue	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... North Avenue	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Westover Hills	Book	FICTION CHOKSHI	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"A fairy tale in the oldest and truest sense: a haunting dream full of blood and love, vicious truths and beautiful lies. It swallowed me whole, and I went willingly." -- Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Starling House

"Decadence laced with horror . . . A delightfully meta fairy tale . . . Magic emanates from every exquisitely crafted sentence." -- Charlie Jane Anders, Washington Post

In the tradition of sumptuous gothic novels like Starling House and The Bloody Chamber comes a dark fairy tale-infused story about a cursed friendship and a marriage steeped in secrets--the breathtaking adult debut from New York Times bestselling author Roshani Chokshi.

Once upon a time, a man who believed in fairy tales married a beautiful, mysterious woman named Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada. He was a scholar of myths. She was an heiress. In exchange for her love, Indigo extracted a promise: that her bridegroom would never pry into her past.

But when the couple returns to Indigo's childhood home, the House of Dreams, the bridegroom will soon find himself unable to resist. For within the crumbling manor's extravagant rooms lurks the shadow of another girl: Azure, Indigo's dearest childhood friend, who suddenly disappeared. As the house slowly reveals his wife's secrets, the bridegroom will be forced to choose between reality and fantasy, even if doing so threatens to destroy their marriage . . . or their lives.

Through a tapestry of secrets woven around dangerous shards of truth, Chokshi crafts an atmospheric fever dream of a novel about love and lies, secrets and betrayal, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive.

"Chokshi's tale is as sweet as a piece of fairy fruit, and just as wicked. Every bite is velvet, every swallow is gold, and the taste lingers like a fever dream." -- V. E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

"Gorgeous and ornate, this sensual fairy tale illuminates the corrosive and redemptive power of both love and lies." -- Holly Black, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book of Night

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

In Chokshi's gothic fairy tale, a poor academic marries a glamorous heiress who makes him vow not to search for her secrets. A fairy-tale scholar known only as "the bridegroom" meets the mysterious, fabulously wealthy Indigo Maxwell-Casteñada when he asks to see a rare book from her family's private collection. Almost immediately, he and Indigo embark on a whirlwind romance fueled by their mutual love of stories. But despite her passion for him, Indigo keeps the bridegroom at a distance, making him promise never to dig into her past. Then, when Indigo gets word that the aunt who raised her is dying, she and the bridegroom return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams. The mysterious mansion is bursting with Indigo's secrets, making it harder and harder for the bridegroom to keep his promise, especially when it comes to the question of Indigo's childhood friend Azure. Azure, a working-class girl from the neighborhood, was like a sister to Indigo until they had a fight and she completely disappeared. As the bridegroom dives further into Indigo's past, he realizes he may be at risk of disappearing, too. Chokshi's novel is a true fairy tale, both in its poetic, fantastical imagery and its thematic interest in the price people pay for freedom and love. The parallels between the bridegroom and Azure as mere mortals faced with Indigo's impossible privilege, and the connection between Indigo and Azure as young girls enamored with creating their own magic, make the tension bubble higher and higher until it boils over. And as in the best folktales, the issues at the crux of the otherworldly struggles here are simply, and painfully, human. A singular, unforgettable tale of love and magic. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.